Peter Greer, Author at HOPE International

On Sunday, an inferno overtook Bujumbura’s Central Market—the economic heart of Burundi.

In talking to staff and friends in Burundi, we know that although this fire will cause a major economic disruption, it is personally devastating for families who lost everything and had no safety net or insurance to soften their fall.

Over 100 clients of our partner Turame lost their businesses and their livelihoods as market vendors. 85 percent of our clients are women who rely on this business to provide for their families.

When Building Orphanages Isn’t Enough

In the below Q&A, HOPE’s president, Peter Greer, speaks about international adoption, his new book, and the intersection of microenterprise development and orphan care.

You recently spoke at the Christian Alliance for Orphans’ annual Summit at Saddleback Church. As president of HOPE, how does your work tie to the global orphan crisis?
Adoption has forever changed our family. But as powerful as international adoption is, and as much as it has changed our family, we know that it only reaches a small number of the children globally who need a home. My “day job” at HOPE helps mothers and fathers start or expand small businesses so that they can work their way out of poverty and provide for their children. My hope is that the faith-based adoption community and the faith-based development community will realize how much overlap they have in heart and desired outcomes.

What did you speak about at the conference?
According to UNICEF, there were 132 million orphans living in developing countries in 2008—132 million children dearly loved by God who need a home. But studies have also found that many children in orphanages have a surviving family member who could provide them that home. In Zimbabwe, for example, 40 percent of children in orphanages have a surviving parent, and nearly 60 percent have a contactable relative. The orphan crisis is interconnected with poverty. Parents put their children in institutional care because they don’t have enough money to care for their children. The solution isn’t building more orphanages but rather helping parents earn enough income so that they can care for their children. What parent would prefer for their child to grow up in an orphanage if they had the resources to care for them on their own? We need to broaden the discussion about the orphan crisis to include employment-based solutions that help families work their way out of poverty. Continue Reading…

Four Core Beliefs

There is a lot that has changed at HOPE since our founding in 1997. We’ve built our team. Added 15 more countries of service. Diversified our services. But our core beliefs have remained consistent.

Charity is broken. Necessary for short-term relief, charity is like putting a Band-Aid on a broken bone. It doesn’t address the underlying issues of poverty—hopelessness, helplessness, and voicelessness. Instead it reinforces these mindsets long term. Our help can actually hurt those we’re attempting to serve.
Job creation is a proven way out of financial poverty. Poverty was cut in half—from 52 to 26 percent—between 1981 and 2005. What happened? Economic opportunity in China, Brazil, and India have revolutionized poverty reduction. But it’s also common sense. A job is simply superior to a handout. Consistently, we hear this when we listen to the families we serve. They don’t want to be thrown another fish, but rather given the opportunity to start a fishing business.
You can gain the whole world, yet lose your soul. Poverty is more than financial. At its heart, poverty is about relational brokenness: our separation from God and from each other. Jesus Christ calls us to restore relationships and has given us the message and the model through his life, death, and resurrection. We are fully committed to addressing not only physical poverty, but also spiritual poverty in all we do.
Do one thing – and do it well. HOPE’s model works because it’s simple. We focus on one thing: excellent Christ-centered microenterprise development. Our model includes teaching biblically based business training, sharing the Word of God, providing access to small loans and savings services to those excluded from the formal financial sector.

Fifteen years ago, HOPE offered 12 loans to people in poverty. While so much has changed since then, our core beliefs have kept us anchored.

At a Lancaster, Pa., breakfast attended by over 400 HOPE supporters, we welcomed a very special guest: a talking goat! HOPE President Peter Greer interviewed Colette the goat on the impact of goat ownership in Rwanda while she happily tried to munch on the microphone.

Peter: We did encourage attendees to bring friends this morning, and someone really gets points for thinking outside the box! …This is Billy the Goat.

Goat: Actually, my name is Colette.

A talking goat! You knew you came to HOPE’s breakfast to see something special! Well, Colette, it’s a privilege to have you here. This is a rare opportunity for us. May I ask you a couple questions?

Of course!

Last year we conducted an impact assessment of our savings program in Rwanda, and we saw that goat ownership had increased by 101%. Does that surprise you?

Not at all. We’re an affordable, yet impactful, asset. In Rwanda, a goat costs around $20 , and many savings groups commit to providing one goat for each member. Rwanda is also a densely populated country, where most residents live on small parcels of land. Goats don’t take up much space, and we’re known for eating whatever’s available. Our owners don’t have to worry about finding enough to feed us!

What are some of the practical ways that goats are changing lives?

Well, Peter, I’m not sure how to make this meal-time conversation, but one of my greatest contributions is what I produce after eating. … Nearly 90% of Rwanda’s population engages in subsistence farming, and good fertilizer can significantly enhance their efforts. More crops mean that families are better fed, and there may even be some left over to sell at a local market.

We’re also known to be prolific. On average a female goat has two to three kids a year, which can be sold or given to other families in need. And although we make lovely pets, goats are also an important source of…protein…in Rwanda. But don’t get any ideas! Seconds on the bacon, anyone?!

Putting Clients Above Profits

The recent articles in The Wall Street Journal, “Backlash in microlending: three agents in India are arrested for harassing borrowers” and “India’s major crisis in microlending: loans involving tiny amounts of money were a good idea, but the explosion of interest backfires,” illustrate that in the microfinance sector it all comes down to priorities: does the organization prioritize shareholders’ return or clients’ success?

Payday lenders, loan sharks, pawn shops and some financial institutions are also in the “microfinance industry,” but they are making their own interests paramount, and in the process, overlooking the clients they serve. This is causing a backlash among government authorities and actually harming some clients.

At HOPE International, we believe these recent articles expose an ugly underside of the microfinance movement. While we actively support creating profitable microfinance institutions, we believe a gulf is growing between a client-focused approach to microfinance and an approach that focuses on shareholder return rather than life change. Continue Reading…

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Peter Greer

Peter Greer

Losing Everything: The Market Fire in Burundi

Peter Greer

By Peter Greer

When Building Orphanages Isn’t Enough

Peter Greer

By Peter Greer

Four Core Beliefs

Peter Greer

By Peter Greer

If goats could talk…

Peter Greer

By Peter Greer

Putting Clients Above Profits

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