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HOPE Intl

Jun 4 2026

HOPE Intl

 Stories we love
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It started with a loan—and a wall in front of her house

In 2024, Diaconía—HOPE International’s partner in Paraguay—asked the entrepreneurs they serve a simple question: What do you need most?

The answer was surprising. Instead of pointing to business loans or training, clients repeated again and again that they needed access to capital to build or improve their homes. In Paraguay, it’s common for homes to be made from temporary materials and lack the space or stability to safely support family life and a growing business.

Diaconía—rooted in their desire to share the Gospel by meeting the practical needs of the people they serve—listened. And by August 2025, they were ready to respond.

Continue Reading…

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HOPE Intl

Aug 22 2025

HOPE Intl

 Stories we love
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“Nothing to fear”: Edgar’s story of enduring faith

Edgar Dela Cruz lived for many years in Manila, Philippines without a home, without work, and without a way to provide for himself. 

“When we were on the streets, life was really hard—if we had nothing to eat, I ended up stealing,” he says. Sometimes, he recalls, he and others living without a home were arrested, despite not breaking any laws. 

Through it all, he held on to an unwavering hope that God would lead him to a brighter tomorrow.  

“We had nothing to hold on to except the Word of God,” Edgar shares. “That is what we held on to, believing that our lives would get better and we had nothing to fear.”  

By the grace of God, his life was about to flourish beyond what he could have ever imagined.   Continue Reading…

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HOPE Intl

Nov 26 2024

HOPE Intl

 Staff / Travels
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What my 3-year-old taught me about helping people in poverty

By Alisa Hoober, HOPE Board Member

Earlier this year, I had the incredible opportunity to visit HOPE International’s work in Zambia.

I’ve traveled and seen poverty before, but being with my children changed how I related to those I met. It was a blessing to visit with our whole family, especially with my three young daughters.

At home, we pray for HOPE and support their work—but showing our children HOPE in action was something I won’t forget. Continue Reading…

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HOPE Intl

Aug 2 2024

HOPE Intl

 News Stories we love
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Displaced but undeterred: Ukrainian IDPs show radical generosity

Imagine your lunch break being interrupted by bombs exploding in the next town over. Hearing of war coming closer on the news. Realizing that to remain safe, you and your family need to leave your home. Packing up your car and waiting in traffic for hours. Living in another family’s house for months, not knowing if you’ll ever make it back home.  

This is the reality for millions of Ukrainian men, women, and children today. Two years after Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the United Nations Refugee Agency, or UNHCR, estimates that there are now 3.7 million internally displaced people (IDPs) in Ukraine. 

Many in eastern Ukraine fled west, now living as IDPs with Ukrainian host families. As the war continues, they’ve had to adjust to being far from home with no end date. It hasn’t been an easy road.  

Yet even amid loss and adjusting to a new life, these families are displaying determination, community-mindedness, and generosity. And at HOPE International, we’re dedicated to walking with Ukraine’s men and women—as we have been since 1997. 
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Jieun Lee

Nov 15 2023

Jieun Lee

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“God is using me”: how Farah found new purpose

Have you ever been rejected because of something you believe? Or looked down upon because of your faith?

As a Christian woman in South Asia,* that’s Farah’s* daily experience.

I met Farah on a humid summer day last year. HOPE and one of our partners in South Asia were conducting a training for women who wanted to start savings groups in their churches—including Farah. Although she quietly kept her eyes on the floor for most of the training, she approached me afterward and asked to share her testimony.

By the time she was finished, we were both wiping tears from our cheeks. Continue Reading…

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HOPE Intl

Oct 23 2023

HOPE Intl

 News
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Unlocking potential: earning a living with a disability in Haiti

Dumel Fontaine is a husband and father of three living in Les Cayes, Haiti. He’s always been committed to providing for his family—yet as someone without sight, he’s also almost always been barred from doing so. “My situation was … very catastrophic because I didn’t have a job until now,” he says. “There wasn’t enough clothing and food.”  Continue Reading…

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