We apologize for any confusion caused by our International Women’s Day email subject line, “Give women the chance to choose,” on March 8. The subject line references a line from the email celebrating with HOPE’s female clients that God has worked through Christ-centered microfinance to give them “the chance to choose” a better life for themselves, their children, and their communities.

Today, on International Women’s Day, people around the world celebrate the strength, resilience, and dignity of women. It may seem hard to celebrate when there are still many women who are beaten, denied schooling, forced into marriage, used, abused, and mistreated. But HOPE believes that God loves each of these women and that women can make a powerful difference in their communities when given the chance. That’s why 82 percent of the over 380,000 clients HOPE serves are women—women, like Dyna Uwizeye, who are using their God-given skills to transform entire communities.

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Not sure how to celebrate leap day? Read how Alberto Francisco y Freuli used a loan from Esperanza, HOPE’s partner in the Dominican Republic, to provide a brighter future for his children, then take action to help others like Alberto Leap Forward at leapfwd.us.

Before receiving a loan from Esperanza, Alberto struggled to make ends meet. Though he worked 18 hours a day in the grueling heat of the Dominican sugarcane fields, he was paid less than $7 a day—barely enough to provide for his four children, aged 4-11.

With his first loan from Esperanza, Alberto opened a small store. As he faithfully repaid his loans and accessed larger sums, Alberto saved enough money to purchase a motorcycle, which he uses for deliveries. With his profits, he has been able to send his children to school, and he dreams of one day owning his own cooking store. “Before the loans,” he explains, “life was very hard. … Life is better since HOPE has come.”

Read how Linda Rondina used a loan from CCT, HOPE’s partner in the Philippines, to provide a better future for her family, and visit leapfwd.us to learn more about how you can help clients like Linda this February 29.

Before Linda and her husband, Joseph, opened their first restaurant, she ran a variety store and he worked as a motorcycle taxi driver. Money was scarce: they and their four children lived in a small house that doubled as the store, and they often had to borrow from relatives to pay school fees. “I remember times when all I could give my children for dinner was a single piece of fish,” Linda recalls. “The four of them would have to share that piece of fish.”

Linda used her first loan of $89 from CCT to increase her store’s inventory, but she and Joseph dreamed of opening their own restaurant. As the couple accessed larger loans, they eventually sold Joseph’s motorcycle and used the proceeds to open Joanjo Panciteria. While the first year was difficult, they persevered—and today Linda and Joseph have expanded to operate in four locations.

An astute businesswoman, Linda has also opened a piggery, feeding the pigs with restaurant scraps. With the profits from her businesses, Linda is not only able to feed her children but also to pay for all of them to attend school. “The loans have made it so much easier to do business,” Linda says, “and because of this, I have fewer worries now about the future of my children.” Remembering their own struggles to provide for their family, the couple also gives generously, housing relatives and employing several neighbors in need.

Thirty-six-year-old Guerrier Gulma sounds like he could work for Esperanza International, HOPE’s partner in Haiti, when he says, “Creating employment is always a good thing for the community.” Since he began receiving small business loans and basic business training from Esperanza less than two years ago, Guerrier has already created two jobs through his printing and photocopy shop in Trou-du-Nord, Haiti.

Guerrier’s business, La Reference Multiservice, fills a need in Trou-du-Nord, with the next nearest photocopy shop 30 minutes away in Cap Haitien. His busy shop reflects customers’ gratitude for the availability of this service, and Guerrier’s relations with customers have only grown stronger through the biblically based trainings his loan offer provided on the importance of honesty, integrity, and respect for others in business. Continue Reading…