Svetlana Andros sells affordable women’s clothing in a Ukrainian market to provide for herself and her 25-year-old son. Loans from HOPE Ukraine have enabled her to expand into a new location and provide a job for a salesman. “There are no words to express my delight!” she says about her experience with HOPE.
HOPE’s founder, Jeff Rutt, visited several of HOPE’s countries this summer with his daughter Leah. Below, he reflects on the experience.
Over the past several years, I have had the immense privilege of traveling with each of my children to visit HOPE’s work in person, giving them the opportunity to witness firsthand the transformation that takes place when the poor receive the capital they need to invest in their businesses. This past summer, my youngest daughter, Leah, and I traveled to Rwanda, Burundi, and Ukraine: three countries where we witnessed God at work in amazing ways.
In Burundi*, we met Anastasia, a client who first started out with a $50 loan. With that money, Anastasia bought 20 chairs, which she then rented out to people for their events. As she worked hard, saved, and continued taking out loans, she has expanded her inventory to include not only 200 chairs but also baskets, plates, a stereo system, and three wedding dresses in three different sizes. The innovation and determination she has shown is inspiring. Because of her increased profits, she has been able to adopt two girls whose parents were killed in the recent civil war. Anastasia dreams of sending these two girls to the university to get an education—thus continuing this transformation into future generations. Continue Reading…
Meet Loveline, HOPE Congo’s first loan officer supervisor. Loveline played a valuable role in assembling and training the first 50 clients, and she is also managing and training the current staff of two loan officers. She provides an important layer of internal controls and efficiency for HOPE Congo’s work. Honestly, when I think about Loveline, the first phrase that comes to mind is “rock star.”
If you go into the markets, the churches, les quartiers (neighborhoods), she knows and is known by everyone. She’s the kind of confident, striking woman that you automatically respect and listen to, but she’s also gentle, smiles often, and has a good sense of humor. Continue Reading…
Meet Simon. Simon was among HOPE Congo’s first group of microfinance clients in Brazzaville. He sells sandals from a low table on a dusty street in the clothing district of Brazzaville’s largest and most important open-air market, Le Marche Total. He uses the modest profits from his business to help support a family of six people, including his first grandchild.
Simon has been selling sandals for quite some time now, but before working with HOPE Congo, he had never accessed a small business loan. He put his first loan to work to increase the selection and size of his inventory. Now, just a week after receiving his loan, his small stand is more eye-catching, and his stock sits a few inches off the ground on a low table. He is hopeful that he’ll be able to capitalize on what he learned through his biblically-based loan training sessions to make wiser business decisions and successfully repay his loan. One of the training elements that stood out to him most was HOPE’s emphasis on savings. “This is an advantage for clients, and it is unique,” he explains. “We are generally not encouraged to save. We spend money as we get it. I learned that if I plan and save, I will be able to do a better job with my business, and I will be able to repay, get more loans and grow.” Continue Reading…
Some savings and credit associations groups’ members contribute just pennies a week, but together they are learning to manage their money and effectively save what little excess they may have.
Brotherly love, like the city of Philadelphia, can sometimes be an enigma. Brothers fight. Philadelphians can be rude.
Living in the same Rwandan village there were two brothers, neighbors, who would not talk to each other. Their families would not talk to each other, and their children were not allowed to play with each other. I don’t know how the feud started, and there’s a good chance that they don’t know either, but these things have a tendency to die hard. Continue Reading…
Recently I was in Lubumbashi, Congo, visiting our office there. Two additional loan officer teams and several other staff have been added since my last visit, and we also recently moved into a new office there. I was impressed to see the positive energy and professionalism of the Lubumbashi team.
During the trip I visited a client, Mama Assis. She has been a baker for 22 years and runs a small bakery next to her house. We really enjoyed the step-by-step tour of her production (we watched bread being kneaded, rising, baking, as well as the finished product). Also, it was great to hear about what has happened in the business over the last year since Mama Assis became involved with HOPE. Continue Reading…
