Dried apricot, raspberry, brown sugar. No, these aren’t candle scents; they’re the delicate flavors of specialty coffees sourced from the highlands of Burundi and Rwanda. In my very caffeinated opinion, coffees from these two hilly countries in East Africa are among the world’s most delicious, and yes, they even fight poverty. Continue Reading…
Isaac Barnes
Oct 14 2019
Isaac Barnes
News
HOPE Intl
Oct 7 2019
HOPE Intl
Photos / Media Stories we love
At HOPE International, we have the joy of joining hardworking men and women as they glean the fruit of their labors—literally! From plantain farmers to greenhouse owners, see people rejoicing in this season of abundance. Continue Reading…
HOPE Intl
Sep 27 2019
HOPE Intl
Staff / Travels Stories we love
by Jeff Rutt, Founder & Board Chair, HOPE International; Founder & CEO, Keystone Custom Homes
As a homebuilder by trade, I’ve been privileged to walk alongside thousands of families in the homeownership process. When I met Rosalie in the small city of Tagatay, Philippines—where I traveled to witness the work of HOPE’s partner, the Center for Community Transformation (CCT)—it wasn’t the first time I saw someone moved to tears by the idea of owning a home. But Rosalie’s tears were different. Continue Reading…
HOPE Intl
Sep 23 2019
HOPE Intl
Stories we love
Tuning her radio each morning to the local Christian station, Yissel Mateo Vasquez places her stereo on the porch so neighbors have the opportunity to hear the Word of God on their way to work. This is just one way she is sharing the Good News in her community in the Dominican Republic. Continue Reading…
HOPE Intl
Sep 4 2019
HOPE Intl
Staff / Travels
by Anna Hofmann (third from left), Writing and Research Intern
Listening is hard. True listening is an active and engaged process, we’re told.
But listening doesn’t feel that difficult or demanding. Yet, I’m learning that listening—true listening—doesn’t just require my full attention; it’s also risky. Here’s what I mean: Continue Reading…
HOPE Intl
Aug 27 2019
HOPE Intl
Staff / Travels
by Robert Morris, HOPE Savings Group Technical Advisor
Savings groups are often described in simple terms: a small number of people who save their money together and take small loans from those savings. But when you look a little deeper—and hear what these facilitators were describing—groups are much more complex than they first appear. Some of the issues they face are complicated, like hedging, trading in futures, and calculating inflationary risk! Continue Reading…
![Before Eveness Mulungu joined the Walusungu (“mercy”) savings group through our church partner in Malawi, she faced days where she and her family ate animal feed because they couldn’t afford human food. But that changed when she joined the savings group. Eveness used her first group loan of about $1.70 (U.S.) to start a business selling doughnuts and beans.
“By the end of my first cycle I made $140 (U.S.),” Eveness shared. “My life is no longer the same now; [I] was regarded as no one in the community. ... This was the first time in my life that I ever touched and owned big money like this!”
Pictured: Eveness, with her husband in front of their piggery—a third successful business that she operates.](https://blog.hopeinternational.org/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)