When Marc first joined Fraternite (“fellowship”) savings group through his local church in Les Cayes, Haiti in 2019, he expected it to help him grow his business. But when he joined at the encouragement of his wife, who was already a member, he quickly realized it was far more than a financial tool. Continue Reading…
Archives For Father’s Day
HOPE Intl
May 27 2026
HOPE Intl
Stories we love
HOPE Intl
Jun 6 2025
HOPE Intl
Stories we love
While attending his church in Rusizi, Rwanda, Bahati Jean Felix noticed two men deep in prayer and he felt compelled to learn more about them. When he discovered they worked for Urwego Finance, HOPE International’s microfinance institution in Rwanda, it struck a chord.
“I was surprised to learn that Urwego was actually a financial institution built on Christian values,” Felix recalls. “Knowing that I shared the same faith and beliefs, I felt a strong conviction to join.”
At the time, Felix was running a small restaurant, but the business was barely surviving. Profits were thin, and his ability to support his wife, children, and other family members felt increasingly difficult.
HOPE Intl
Jun 14 2023
HOPE Intl
Spiritual Integration
Across the world, we see dedicated fathers reflecting our Heavenly Father’s love to their families. Praise God for shaping them into the fathers, husbands, and men that God has created them to be!
Yet, we also witness the challenges that material poverty poses when it comes to providing for their families, growing in their knowledge of Christ, finding Godly community, and grasping their God-given worth.
So, as fathers continue to invest in their businesses to better shepherd and provide for their families, we lift them up in prayer. This Father’s Day, we’re sharing four things we’re praying over the fathers across the HOPE network—and we invite you to join us. Continue Reading…
Kristine Frey
Jun 14 2021
Kristine Frey
Staff / Travels Stories we love
By the time we reached Rigoberto’s home, the sun had set, and I was feeling wiped out. Traveling to homes, through markets, and up the surrounding hills of Comas, Peru, we’d had two full days of meeting incredible savings group members connected to Comas CMA Church, HOPE’s partner in Peru. But stepping into Rigoberto’s home, I immediately felt soothed.
Part of it was probably because Rigoberto (pictured above) reminded me of my own dad: Both of them have a gentleness about them, and both have served as teachers for decades. Another piece was the warm greeting we received from Rigoberto and the members of his family—two daughters, his mother, sister, brother, and one grandchild—who welcomed us and invited us to sit with them to talk.
At first glance, they seemed like a close, happy family—but as we talked, Rigoberto shared that this hadn’t always been their reality.
HOPE Intl
Jun 13 2016
HOPE Intl
Stories we love
Evaristi and his wife are raising three children together, sharing faith in Christ and mutual respect for each other. But it wasn’t always this way. “I used to have conflicts with my wife,” remembers Evaristi. “Then with the help of the [savings] group, I became humble and reconciled with my wife. Now we live in peace as a happy family.”
To provide for their family, Evaristi has always performed many small jobs around his home in rural Rwanda, digging for other people and lifting heavy loads. But often, with this unpredictable income, Evaristi would ask neighbors to help his family make ends meet. This led him to often feel helpless, and he gained a reputation in the community as an angry man with a bent toward violence. Continue Reading…
HOPE Intl
Jun 13 2014
HOPE Intl
Stories we love
Celestin, his wife, Gaudance, and their eight children (three pictured above) live in the hills surrounding Gasharu, Rwanda. They beam with joy as they welcome guests to their home, proudly presenting produce from their farm and the squealing piglets and livestock they raise. A few years ago, such a welcome would have been impossible.
“We were poor on the outside, but also on the inside, because poverty starts in the heart,” says Celestin. For many years he struggled with alcoholism, using the little money his family had in bars and brothels. Feeling abandoned and angry because of her husband’s unfaithfulness, Gaudance also turned to alcohol. She remembers, “My heart was full of sorrow. I couldn’t help my children. … Sometimes I would go into the bars to fight with those prostitutes. But all those things brought only more conflict and poverty.” Continue Reading…
