Staff / Travels Archives | HOPE International

Tytus and Sarah-Catherine Moen spend their professional lives thinking about stewardship, generosity, and impact.

Tytus works in financial planning. Sarah-Catherine works in philanthropy and communications. Together, they’re regularly exposed to organizations seeking to create positive change in the world.

So when it came time for the Moens to decide how they would personally invest in nonprofits at work in the Boston metropolitan area and across the globe, they didn’t make the decision lightly.

By Angelo Marasigan, HOPE supporter

I spent the first 25 years of my life in the Philippines, where limited job opportunities push many people to start their own small businesses to provide for their families.

But access to business loans—and the chance to make a living—often comes at a high cost.

In the Philippines, and many other communities around the world, predatory lending is common. With little to no other options available to grow their businesses, many entrepreneurs must borrow at soaring rates of 20% interest per week or more. I’ve seen it up close. I met a lady this past February who was paying 120% annual interest on her loan just to keep her business.

But for some, the cost can be much more devastating. Someone close to my family once borrowed money the same way. After a while, she got deeper and deeper into debt and couldn’t pay. One day, she went missing and was never found.

The model of borrowing money from these loan sharks is not designed to help. It’s designed to keep people in oppression.

Another kind of lending—one meant to promote people’s wellbeing—is needed. And I’d encourage you to read the article by HOPE International’s CEO, Peter Greer, on the difference between predatory lending and HOPE’s holistic approach to microfinance that equips and empowers people. Continue Reading…

Every year, we look forward to welcoming interns and fellows from across the world for a summer with HOPE International. Each time, we’re blessed by the creative ideas, fresh perspectives, and extra dose of energy and joy they bring to our work.

And it’s our mission to pour into each intern and fellow both spiritually and professionally! We’ve designed the program to promote spiritual formation, professional enrichment, and significant involvement in HOPE’s mission.

But rather than take our word for it, we want you to hear from them! So, we asked a few of our 2025 interns and fellows to reflect on what their time at HOPE was like. Here’s what they shared.

By Bethany Hammond, HOPE International staff member

“Something you want. Something you need. Something to wear. Something to read.”

It’s begun—the endless chorus of “Mom, can you put this on my Christmas list?” And here I am, caught between two worlds.

In one world, I want my kids to experience the wonder of Christmas: the miracle of Christ’s birth, the glow of lights, the smell of cookies baking, and the magic of traditions that make the season sparkle.

But in the other world, I feel the weight of frustration. Every message aimed at my kids (and let’s be honest, at me too) insists: “You need more. You deserve more. You’re entitled to more.”

By Allie Bradshaw, HOPE supporter

On Monday, our group started arriving in the bustling capital city of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Nothing quite tests the measure of a group like a long bus ride after a travel day that started before the sun, but it didn’t take long to discover that this trip was going to be something special. As we got to know one another on a drive to the eastern peninsula of Samaná, Julie Wilson, president of Women Doing Well, introduced people to Women Doing Well and the journey we were about to take together through The Pathway.

Having visited HOPE International’s work in Kigali, Rwanda, in the past, I appreciated HOPE’s dedication to always interacting with the people they serve in a dignified manner, and I was intrigued to see how Women Doing Well’s curriculum would influence my experience of this trip.

We had the privilege of meeting several women whose lives have been impacted by their involvement with Esperanza, HOPE’s microfinance institution. It was so much fun to celebrate the success and growth of these women (whom Esperanza calls “associates”) as they shared their stories about how they started with small loans to grow their businesses.

By Andriy Kopyl, managing director, HOPE Ukraine

It’s been three years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. And life in my country continues to feel more and more fragile with each passing day.

Thousands have been killed. The constant threat of attacks and the sound of sirens have become a part of our daily lives, causing many to experience sleep deprivation and stress.

Archives For Staff / Travels

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Why Tytus and Sarah-Catherine Moen give monthly to help families flourish

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Loans that keep people trapped—and ones that set them free

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HOPE interns and fellows share their experience

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Sharpies and goats: a different approach to giving

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Learning about generosity from women in the Dominican Republic

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Three years of war: an update from HOPE Ukraine’s managing director

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