Cherida George belongs to one of HOPE’s first savings groups in Haiti, “Let Us Get Together.” The wife of a local pastor, Cherida helps support their family of ten by selling rice and corn. Joining a savings group and saving $2.52 each week enabled Cherida to purchase more rice and corn when market prices were lower, enabling her to resell larger quantities when prices were higher. Cherida looks forward to her group’s upcoming second savings cycle. “I am very happy to be a part of the group because the group taught us how to come together and save and support each other,” she says. “When we put our money together, people could have enough to start a business.”
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.
