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HOPE Intl

Jun 4 2026

HOPE Intl

 Stories we love
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It started with a loan—and a wall in front of her house

In 2024, Diaconía—HOPE International’s partner in Paraguay—asked the entrepreneurs they serve a simple question: What do you need most?

The answer was surprising. Instead of pointing to business loans or training, clients repeated again and again that they needed access to capital to build or improve their homes. In Paraguay, it’s common for homes to be made from temporary materials and lack the space or stability to safely support family life and a growing business.

Diaconía—rooted in their desire to share the Gospel by meeting the practical needs of the people they serve—listened. And by August 2025, they were ready to respond.

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HOPE Intl

May 27 2026

HOPE Intl

 Stories we love
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How one father’s success is creating jobs and strengthening his community

When Marc first joined Fraternite (“fellowship”) savings group through his local church in Les Cayes, Haiti in 2019, he expected it to help him grow his business. But when he joined at the encouragement of his wife, who was already a member, he quickly realized it was far more than a financial tool.  Continue Reading…

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HOPE Intl

Mar 27 2026

HOPE Intl

 News Stories we love
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How HOPE invests in parents to empower kids

Poverty doesn’t just limit a child’s present—it threatens their future. Around the world, 412 million children are living on less than $3 per day, lacking the essentials they need to grow, learn, and thrive (UNICEF, 2025).  

And poverty’s impact goes far beyond income. Across six things a child needs to thrive—education, health, housing, nutrition, sanitation, and water—more than one in five children in low- and middle-income countries are severely deprived of at least two (UNICEF, 2025). 

Yet we know that God cares deeply about kids. So how do we protect them from poverty and provide what they need to lead healthy lives that set them up for bright futures?  

At HOPE International, we’ve seen that one of the best ways to support children living in poverty is empowering their parents. Here’s how investing in mothers and fathers helps them invest in brighter futures for their children and grandchildren. 

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HOPE Intl

Mar 24 2026

HOPE Intl

 Microfinance Stories we love
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A diagnosis that became an invitation to a brighter future: Liz’s story

Liz Fretes is an experienced and talented artisan living in the outskirts of Asunción, Paraguay’s capital city. For 20 years, she’s practiced the craft of Ñandutí (“spider web”) pieces, a traditional Paraguayan lace.

Liz would sell her Ñandutí crafts, but it didn’t bring in enough money to provide for her family as a single mother, including her daughters, grandchildren (one of whom is pictured above), and her elderly father. She would take on odd jobs—cleaning homes and selling goods on the street—to try and make ends meet, but she couldn’t leave her children alone for long and paying for childcare was impossible.

When a doctor diagnosed one of her children with asthma, Liz’s money problems only worsened. Determined to get the necessary medication, Liz took on more physically demanding work despite her chronic back pain—sacrificing her own health to preserve her child’s. “There was no other option,” she remembers. Continue Reading…

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HOPE Intl

Feb 9 2026

HOPE Intl

 Spiritual Integration Stories we love
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The courage to take a $73 loan—and find spiritual renewal

At first, Susan Cabanela didn’t want to join the Center for Community Transformation (CCT), HOPE International’s partner in the Philippines. In fact, when her best friend invited her in 2008, Susan refused.

She had been running a small sari-sari (“variety”) store out of her home since 2005—just two basins of goods that she brought out in the morning and carried back inside at night. With all three children in school and her husband’s taxi driving bringing unstable earnings, money was always tight.

Susan was afraid to take a loan. She wondered, what would happen if she couldn’t pay it back?

But her friend persisted in her encouragement, and Susan took the step of faith to take her first loan of $73. Continue Reading…

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HOPE Intl

Feb 3 2026

HOPE Intl

 Stories we love
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Dreams within reach: new data on savings groups in Malawi

Before joining a savings group in Malawi, Yamikani dreamed of a better life for his children and family. He imagined always having enough to eat, buying new clothes when needed, and helping neighboring children with their school fees—but these dreams always felt just out of reach.

Although Yamikani worked hard selling potatoes and tutoring primary school students, his income often wasn’t enough to make ends meet. “Sometimes my family could only have breakfast and dinner,” he shares. “I couldn’t even manage to buy fertilizer for my farm.”

And if feeding his family was already a struggle, saving money felt impossible. Yamikani knew that creating more streams of income could be the solution, but a lack of startup capital left him stuck.

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