An $80 loan from HOPE DRC enabled Kinkita to purchase used shoes for resale. Having received only one loan so far, Kinkita has already noticed a difference in her family’s life. “With the profit I make, I contribute to the survival of my family,” she says, before proudly adding, “I also have a savings account!” Kinkita also tithes generously. In the future, she hopes to take out additional loans to open more than one business. “May HOPE flourish and remain forever!” she says.
Rejected by family and friends after escaping a drug addiction, Cindy – with her husband Arnaldo and daughter Jenny – lived isolated in a small shack. Desperate to earn an income, they borrowed money from moneylenders whose unreasonable rates plunged them further into debt. Then Cindy sought a loan from CCT, HOPE’s partner in the Philippines, and, touched by what her loan officer shared, accepted Jesus into her heart. A physical and spiritual transformation began, resulting in a profitable business and reconciliation with her estranged family. “[God] saw me, came to me, and upheld me. He really loves me,” Cindy testifies.
Iacob’s first passion is ministry, not business. But in Moldova, his work as a pastor didn’t enable him to provide for his wife and three small children, so Iacob sought a loan to begin raising rabbits. Iacob purchased rabbits, rabbit food, and materials to construct rabbit cages. Selling rabbits enables him to continue his work as a pastor while meeting his family’s financial needs. He uses illustrations from his business to share the Gospel.
Anita Francisque is a single mother of three children. Just 15 months after receiving her first loan through her community bank—named “God is so good”—Anita has been able to considerably expand her roadside diner and dried fish sales. With the purchase of a larger fish net, she can catch, prepare, and sell a greater number of fish each day. She can provide for her children much more easily now and has also used her success to support other local businesses.
Three and a half years ago, Marie-Chantal and her now-husband were living together outside of wedlock. They wanted to be married, but they had not been able to afford a traditional marriage ceremony and celebration. Community members looked down on them for their unofficial union. Then Marie-Chantal accessed a loan from Turame, HOPE’s partner in Burundi. She was able to buy tomatoes from a wholesaler in Gitega and resell them at a private stand in a convenient location for a slightly higher price. Her income increased, and she was able to afford a legal marriage and the ceremony to accompany it. She has also been able to buy a pig and a goat, which now fertilize the crops she has planted.
From his five gardens, Ericles is able to sell produce to his community in Miragoane, Haiti. His earnings enable to support his family of six and save 25 cents a week. “I feel like God has provided the savings group,” he says. Since joining his first savings group one year ago, Ericles has decided that he would like to save even more money and generate additional connections in his community by joining a second savings group.
