Archives For church

Home » church

HOPE Intl

Dec 1 2022

HOPE Intl

 News
, , ,

Why the Church is the herald of hope in Haiti

by Ricot St. Paulin, HOPE Haiti country director

My fellow Haitians are a resilient people. Their strength to face and recover from any type of challenge is exceptional. But when it comes to institutions or organizations at a global level, there is none more resilient than the Church.

Jesus declared, “I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it” (Matthew 16:18). The early Church believers were united and shared a common vision. They had great fellowship, devoted themselves to the teachings of the apostles, and had everything in common (Acts 2:41 – 42).

Continue Reading…

 permalink Leave a comment

HOPE Intl

Oct 12 2022

HOPE Intl

 News Staff / Travels
, , , , , , ,

Q&A with HOPE Tanzania’s new country director

A woman smiles on a balcony overlooking a valley

HOPE International is launching a new savings group program in Tanzania! And Anna Makundi recently joined us as the country director, with the task of forming a new team and bringing on new church partners. We’re grateful for her pioneering spirit and willingness to set the foundation to serve more people through savings groups.

Born and raised in Tanzania, Anna holds a master’s degree in public policy from the Victoria University of Wellington and has extensive international development experience with several prominent nonprofits. Anna lives with her husband and their three sons in Arusha, a city in northeast Tanzania. 

Recently, Anna sat down with us to share her thoughts on why HOPE is launching in Tanzania, her dreams for HOPE’s impact in local communities, and how we can pray for her growing team.  Continue Reading…

 permalink Leave a comment

HOPE Intl

Mar 5 2020

HOPE Intl

 Stories we love
, , , , ,

Why Nicole paid her church’s water bill

Nicole Kinzonzi’s generosity ripples throughout her community in the Republic of Congo.

When a neighbor said she was going to a loan shark, Nicole referred her to HOPE Congo instead. When Nicole saw that another neighbor’s child had been out of school for a year, she paid the $15 needed to get the child back in school. When Nicole’s church couldn’t afford its water bill—$21 a month—she made the payments. Continue Reading…

 permalink Leave a comment

HOPE Intl

Apr 3 2019

HOPE Intl

 Stories we love
, , , , ,

A friend’s persistence changed her life.

Like 94 percent of Malawians,* Alinafe lacked access to formal lending services. This kept her and her husband from getting the funds they needed to pursue their dream of opening a store. And without consistent employment, the couple struggled to pay for adequate housing or schooling for their four children.

But poverty a­ffected more than Alinafe’s finances. “I looked down upon myself,” she recalls. Knowing of Alinafe’s situation, a friend (also named Alinafe) invited her to join Chisomo (“grace”), a savings group formed through a local church. Still, Alinafe remained doubtful: “I felt too small and unworthy to join the group.” Continue Reading…

 permalink Leave a comment

Peter Greer

Feb 5 2019

Peter Greer

 News
, , , , , ,

Ending poverty: three hopeful signs

Just two hundred years ago, almost the entire world’s population lived in extreme poverty. Today, less than 10 percent do. In the past 40 years alone, the percent of people living in extreme poverty has dropped by over 30 percentage points.

In my years of work in Christ-centered economic development, I have had the privilege of visiting places ranging from the small towns in Haiti to remote villages in northern Afghanistan. And I have come to realize that while poverty runs rampant in our world, the situation in so many communities is unquestionably getting better. The depth and complexities of poverty are not hopeless. The Church is on the move. Continue Reading…

 permalink 1 Comment

HOPE Intl

Jan 29 2019

HOPE Intl

 Staff / Travels
, , , , ,

How savings groups in Zimbabwe respond to economic crisis

by Elizabeth Dewes, Field Journalism Fellow (based in Zambia)

This summer, Zimbabweans witnessed their first major transition of political power since their 1980 independence from British and white minority rule. With the recent changes, economic uncertainty came to a head in September when tax increases on fuel triggered a series of exorbitant price hikes, on everything from gas to imported goods. I witnessed this unfolding crisis on my recent trip to Harare, Zimbabwe’s capital city, in November. Continue Reading…

 permalink 2 Comments