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If you’ve ever stayed in a vacation rental or hotel, you know the challenge of trying to open an unfamiliar front door. There are key locksets, deadbolts, pin pads, chain locks, card readers—usually with multiple layers of security in place. Maybe you key in the right code, but an engaged deadbolt keeps the door from budging. 

At HOPE International, we see poverty a bit like a locked door. Families are standing at the door and working hard to open it—but it takes unlocking not just one but multiple latches to make it possible to enter. 

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Poverty doesn’t just limit a child’s present—it threatens their future. Around the world, 412 million children are living on less than $3 per day, lacking the essentials they need to grow, learn, and thrive (UNICEF, 2025).  

And poverty’s impact goes far beyond income. Across six things a child needs to thrive—education, health, housing, nutrition, sanitation, and water—more than one in five children in low- and middle-income countries are severely deprived of at least two (UNICEF, 2025). 

Yet we know that God cares deeply about kids. So how do we protect them from poverty and provide what they need to lead healthy lives that set them up for bright futures?  

At HOPE International, we’ve seen that one of the best ways to support children living in poverty is empowering their parents. Here’s how investing in mothers and fathers helps them invest in brighter futures for their children and grandchildren. 

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Before joining a savings group in Malawi, Yamikani dreamed of a better life for his children and family. He imagined always having enough to eat, buying new clothes when needed, and helping neighboring children with their school fees—but these dreams always felt just out of reach.

Although Yamikani worked hard selling potatoes and tutoring primary school students, his income often wasn’t enough to make ends meet. “Sometimes my family could only have breakfast and dinner,” he shares. “I couldn’t even manage to buy fertilizer for my farm.”

And if feeding his family was already a struggle, saving money felt impossible. Yamikani knew that creating more streams of income could be the solution, but a lack of startup capital left him stuck.

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Tess

As a widow living just outside of Manila in the Philippines, Tess’s dream of one day seeing her two daughters graduate from college seemed just that–a dream. Her husband had died suddenly of a heart attack when she was only 32, leaving Tess the sole provider for their two young girls. 

Tess worked hard in her sari-sari (variety) store to provide for her family’s basic needs, but she knew it wasn’t enough to someday pay for university tuition.   Continue Reading…

Elizabeth Mutosa's students in Zambia

Pictured above: students in Elizabeth Mutosa’s school in Zambia

Regardless of location, culture, or material circumstances, many parents around the world desire to give their children the opportunities they couldn’t access themselves. Gaining access to quality education is a key part of that journey.

But families in poverty face additional barriers to accessing better education.

When resources are limited, school expenses often must be deprioritized for more essential basics like food, clothing, health insurance, housing repairs, or emergencies. And even when resources are available, the nearest school could be far away and the added expense of getting there pushes it just out of reach. Even if schools are within families’ physical and financial reach, the education quality might be low, leading parents to wonder if it is worth the investment. Continue Reading…

At 13, Eric Jeche values going to school with other students in his neighborhood in Zimbabwe. Unlike many of his peers, Eric pays for his own education.  

Eric has lived with his grandmother since he lost his parents at a young age. But it’s not easy for his grandmother to pay for his school fees on top of their food, clothing, and other daily expenses, so Eric understands the value of money and work.

Before joining a savings group, he took whatever odd jobs he could find around his neighborhood. 

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