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This International Women’s Day, we honor the God-given dreams, gifts, and leadership of women across the globe. We also recognize the numerous obstacles that many still face—from limited education to discrimination, social marginalization, or lack of access to financial sevices. At HOPE International, we are committed to empowering more women to provide for their families and communities and be renewed in their faith.  

These three remarkable female entrepreneurs have demonstrated incredible business savvy while giving back to their communities. Join us in celebrating their stories today! Continue Reading…

Have you ever been rejected because of something you believe? Or looked down upon because of your faith?

As a Christian woman in South Asia,* that’s Farah’s* daily experience.

I met Farah on a humid summer day last year. HOPE and one of our partners in South Asia were conducting a training for women who wanted to start savings groups in their churches—including Farah. Although she quietly kept her eyes on the floor for most of the training, she approached me afterward and asked to share her testimony.

By the time she was finished, we were both wiping tears from our cheeks. Continue Reading…

Before joining her savings group in Peru, Rina Navarro de la Cruz had to borrow a large loan with a high-interest rate just to pay the bills. Now, week by week, she’s escaping that cycle—and teaching her daughters about God.  Continue Reading…

Pictured above: Divya (on right) with other members of her savings group

Divya’s* son, Rakesh, had been sick for years. His coughing, fevers, and colds were nonstop and left him feeling weak. Eventually, he couldn’t walk even a short distance. She’d taken him to hospitals and doctors in their community in South Asia* but never received a clear diagnosis for his worsening symptoms.

Then she received startling news: “One day, the doctor said that my son had a hole in his heart, and he [needed] to undergo the operation,” Divya recalls. “I was shocked.”

But a second blow was soon to come: how to pay for the procedure without falling into a lifetime of debt.
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When launching HOPE Tanzania last year, Peter Greer, HOPE’s president and CEO, emphasized, “The reason behind every expansion at HOPE is to invest in the dreams of even more families.” 

One year later, we’re praising God for opening the doors to do just that. Check out these stories of how savings groups are already impacting Tanzanian families and communities—there’s so much to celebrate!  Continue Reading…

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. 

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