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A Fresh Start

Living in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Christine Mobimbi first decided to open a small sewing workshop in 2003 to help her husband provide for their eight children, three of whom were adopted nieces and nephews. However, when surgery in 2005 kept her away from her business for several months, it went bankrupt, and Christine lost everything she had worked so hard to create. Discouraged, Christine was unable to obtain the capital she needed to restart her business, and without her additional income, the family struggled to get by. Continue Reading…

HOPE staff member, Katie Straight, reflects on meeting HOPE’s clients in Haiti.

One year ago today, the struggling nation of Haiti was devastated by an earthquake that killed over 200,000 and left 1.5 million homeless. In the aftermath, stories of broken-down ports and backlogged airports began to cast doubt on the effectiveness of relief efforts—and the effectiveness of the billions of dollars in aid that had been poured into Haiti in the previous decades.

Even as some were predicting that Haiti was beyond hope, we* saw persuasive evidence to the contrary. HOPE has always believed that Haiti’s strength lies in its people. Resilient, determined, and hopeful, their spirits were not crushed. Those who had little began sharing with those who had less. Some of HOPE’s clients, who lived in northern Haiti and were not directly impacted by the quake, took others who were forced to flee the devastation of Port-au-Prince into their homes. We saw, and have continued to see, God at work in their generosity. Continue Reading…

Muti accessed her first loan of $49 from Turame, HOPE’s partner in Burundi, three years ago. Since then, she has taken 11 loans to help grow her business cultivating tomatoes and selling bananas, tomatoes, and goats. She is currently repaying a $105 loan. When her business began, she did not have the funds to raise goats, but now she can feed and fatten them before reselling the goats for a profit. Although her husband passed away, Muti has been able to provide for her three children and three grandchildren. “Turame has helped my family fight poverty,” she says.

While Anita Aguinaldo appreciates the loans she has received from CCT, HOPE’s partner in the Philippines, she is particularly grateful for the biblically based business training that is coupled with those loans: “With the help of CCT, money gets invested, not merely spent.” Anita has invested her loans in two businesses: making and selling rags and selling cosmetics. With her profits, Anita and her husband have been able to build a larger house for their family of seven.

While she currently sells women’s clothing, Tatiana Maslova dreams of one day opening a workshop where she can tailor clothes as well. In pursuit of this dream, she has taken out several loans from HOPE Ukraine, which she is using to increase the profits from her clothing stall and save up for her workshop. In addition, Tatiana has used some of her profits to make renovations to her family’s home—improving living conditions for herself, her husband, and her two children—and to help care for her aging grandmother.

Sosthene Hubert Roger Lubaki opened his dry cleaning business in Oenze, Republic of Congo, 10 years ago. Through the shop, he provides for his wife and three children, aged 7, 11, and 21, yet his earnings have been limited by his limited inventory. He recently received his first loan from HOPE Congo, enabling him to purchase more dry cleaning materials so that he can clean a wider array of items and increase his earnings.

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A Fresh Start

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Haiti – One Year Later

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One Changed Life: Muti’s Story

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One Changed Life: Anita’s Story

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One Changed Life: Tatiana’s Story

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One Changed Life: Sosthene’s Story

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