When Leonora Calipay’s children finished school and she came home to the Philippines, she knew there was something more to her life than retirement.
Leonora’s neighbor noticed her desire to do meaningful things in her free time, so she taught Leonora to sew rugs. With this new skill, Leonora started her own small rugmaking business. She hoped to empower her neighbors—especially the single mothers in her community—to make a living through the same craft.
Jovelee Maala didn’t know the Payatas Controlled Disposal Facility as the largest open dump site in the Philippines—for her, it was home.
Opening in the 1970s, the site served as a fixture in Jovelee’s hometown, Quezon City. Local families built their homes there, and thousands more traveled to the site to pick through the trash, searching for items to sell—and when she turned 18, Jovelee joined them.
Same mission. Same heart. Same spirit. Same name in two languages. We’ve worked together in mutual partnership for over 17 years, and we are excited that this union is about a Kingdom agenda.
Alex Nuñez, President and CEO, Esperanza International
HOPE International welcomed Esperanza International as its first network partner in 2005. Esperanza has served entrepreneurs in the Dominican Republic (D.R.) since 1995, coming alongside them with financial services, training, and holistic outreach activities such as health services. And we’re excited to now work even more closely with Esperanza through our new leadership agreement!
Over the past 17 years, HOPE and Esperanza have mutually benefited from shared best practices and technical expertise. With the same mission and heart, Esperanza has strengthened the HOPE network, and we look forward to the ways that they will help shape the way we grow and serve in these key areas.
“Your help is actually hurting us.”
This honest feedback from a Ukrainian pastor sparked the mission of HOPE International—and still guides us as we seek to support a country now in the middle of a devastating war. As we help today, how can the lessons we learned 25 years ago inform us?
During the economic crisis following Ukraine’s independence from the Soviet Union, immediate relief aid helped many. But as this short-term solution persisted, it began to undermine Ukrainians’ ability to stand on their own and build their economy. (Learn more about HOPE’s origin story here.) Continue Reading…
Vincent Habiyaremye has a knack for taking broken or seemingly worthless pieces that many of us might discard and transforming them into something functional and whole.
Fifteen years ago, he used those skills as a carpenter, going door to door in his community in Rwanda to find odd jobs and provide for his wife and children. But his days were long and the demand for his services was sporadic.
Vincent dreamed of moving beyond the fluctuation of day labor. He dreamed of supporting his children through school so that they could one day pursue their own dreams. He dreamed of using his God-given gifts to build beautiful things in his community—and creating a business that would empower others to do the same.
Simon Rurihafi (pictured right) is a coffee farmer who owns 350 trees—but he almost gave up on farming them.
In Burundi, the hurdles facing coffee farmers like Simon are many: The labor is demanding, farming techniques and expectations for bean quality have shifted in recent years, and there are gaps in the global supply and demand chains, making it difficult for smallholder farmers to connect with buyers at competitive prices. Simon recalls, “I thought of abandoning coffee in the past because of these challenges!”
On top of this, Burundian farmers have very few options to access financial services or training to update their farming practices, purchase additional land, plant more trees, or connect with buyers.
As a result, farmers have felt stuck, alone, and without options.
