As a widow living just outside of Manila in the Philippines, Tess’s dream of one day seeing her two daughters graduate from college seemed just that–a dream. Her husband had died suddenly of a heart attack when she was only 32, leaving Tess the sole provider for their two young girls.
Tess worked hard in her sari-sari (variety) store to provide for her family’s basic needs, but she knew it wasn’t enough to someday pay for university tuition. Continue Reading…
In September 2025, SMEP Microfinance Bank, HOPE International’s microfinance institution in Kenya, officially joined forces with Clean Start Africa to, for the first time ever, offer microfinance services to formerly incarcerated women. We are thrilled to come alongside them with training, discipleship, and business loans as they re-enter their communities.
Clean Start Africa is an award-winning social enterprise founded in 2015 by Teresa Njoroge, whose personal experience in Kenya’s prison system inspired its mission. Over the past decade, Clean Start Africa has supported over 4,000 women—both incarcerated and formerly incarcerated—through advocacy, vocational training, and reintegration programs. Their work also addresses systemic injustices and the socioeconomic challenges that often lead to imprisonment, especially among vulnerable groups. Continue Reading…
When Sonia Solis first heard about Diaconía, HOPE’s microfinance partner in Paraguay, she was earning minimum wage at an office job and struggling to cover the basic needs of her four children.
But Sonia had a dream: running her own business from home so she could provide for her family and be present with them. Continue Reading…
Vadym, a determined entrepreneur from Ukraine, is no stranger to challenge. He grew up in a low-income community where job opportunities were scarce, and his parents struggled to provide for him and his sister.
When Vadym had the opportunity to move to a large city in eastern Ukraine, he took a courageous leap of faith to start his own business selling mobile phones and accessories.
Vadym began searching for opportunities to expand his business, and learned about HOPE Ukraine from a friend. In 2014 he took out a loan of $830 to purchase more inventory. His shop did well, just as Vadym had hoped. But his life also began to change in ways he couldn’t have imagined. Continue Reading…
Bosco Nsabimana, a father of eight children and the owner of a wholesale crop business in Rwanda, had big dreams.
He dreamed of expanding his business while empowering his community financially, spiritually, and emotionally, but there was a problem. The only microfinance institutions he was familiar with didn’t align with his ambitions.
At HOPE International, we believe that without Christ, none of us can be truly free from poverty. One of our great joys is seeing people come to know Christ and experience the abundant life He offers.
Today, we’re celebrating the stories of Alphonse, Dominga, and Jocelyn, three people served by HOPE who have experienced spiritual transformation and poverty’s grip loosening. From learning how to pray to sharing the joy of salvation with family to finding hope for the future, these stories illustrate how God is at work—and why sharing the love of Jesus remains integral to our approach to alleviating poverty.
Before taking out a loan from Urwego Bank, HOPE’s microfinance institution in Rwanda, Alphonse says he didn’t have the capital he needed to expand his family’s small business of selling cooking oil. Without enough income, he struggled to pay school fees for his children.
