Since 2009, HOPE has partnered with local churches and ministries in Haiti to develop a savings group program. In this video update, you’ll hear about three ways HOPE Haiti continues to expand today, equipping men and women with the tools they need to fight poverty:
As we rejoice in the ways that God is at work, we also invite you to join Manoucheka, a HOPE savings group member in Haiti, as she leads in praying the Lord’s Prayer.
As a retailer in a local market near Jeanthon II, Haiti, Manoucheka Joseph puts in a long day. At 6 a.m., she packs a black rolling suitcase with her wares—sandals, children’s clothing, and drinks—hails a taxi, and makes her way to the bustling market. She spends the day tending to her stall and helping customers find items, and doesn’t return home until 6 p.m.
Even though Manoucheka was involved with the church in her community, her busy days away from home kept her from getting to know her neighbors. “I didn’t have any friends,” she relates.
Manoucheka also worried about not having enough income to save for unexpected emergencies that might arise—not only for herself but for her 8-year-old son. “Life was difficult,” she recalls. “We earn 100 gourdes, and we spend 100 gourdes. We just live one day at a time, with no hope for the future. So, […] if there’s an emergency situation, how are we going to face it?”
Then, this past February, Manoucheka decided to join Gwoup Epay Debora, the Deborah Savings Group that had started at her church. Continue Reading…
When I think about some of the most meaningful moments from Christmases past, it occurs to me that most of them involve music. Whether it be putting up garlands to the rich tones of the Robert Shaw Chamber Singers, whispering the melody of “Silent Night” at the end of a Christmas Eve candlelight service, or cajoling my sister into playing duets from our old Christmas piano recitals, there’s something about music that can make even the simplest moment sacred, that can tell a story more powerfully than speech, that can bring splendor and wonder and awe and joy.
So perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising that when the Lord wanted people to know about the birth of His son, He sent a choir.
This year, as Christmas nears, I’m expanding my holiday playlist. Friends from across the HOPE network took a moment to share the songs—both reverent and lighthearted—that they most enjoy, and their recommendations helped create this special HOPE Christmas playlist.
Please join me—and HOPE’s partners, clients, and staff around the world—in celebrating the coming of the Newborn King!
Jean Luis Kemdi shares a home with his parents and 10 other family members, and he lives a somewhat typical life for a 12-year-old in Haiti. But he has big dreams for the future. As one of the youngest members of HOPE Haiti’s savings groups, each week he saves 25 cents. When he has saved enough, he hopes to buy a goat to breed. Jean Luis, whose mother is also a savings group member, said he dreams of opening his own business to sell livestock. He also shares the lessons he has learned with others in his family. “I have learned from the group about transparency, trust, leadership, and management,” he says. “I talk with my parents to show them how it’s very important to save money. For example, if you have 50 gourde [approximately $1.24], it’s better to save 25 and use 25.” Jean Luis also places his faith in Jesus Christ. “You can find all you need in Jesus,” he says.
From his five gardens, Ericles is able to sell produce to his community in Miragoane, Haiti. His earnings enable to support his family of six and save 25 cents a week. “I feel like God has provided the savings group,” he says. Since joining his first savings group one year ago, Ericles has decided that he would like to save even more money and generate additional connections in his community by joining a second savings group.
![Before Eveness Mulungu joined the Walusungu (“mercy”) savings group through our church partner in Malawi, she faced days where she and her family ate animal feed because they couldn’t afford human food. But that changed when she joined the savings group. Eveness used her first group loan of about $1.70 (U.S.) to start a business selling doughnuts and beans.
“By the end of my first cycle I made $140 (U.S.),” Eveness shared. “My life is no longer the same now; [I] was regarded as no one in the community. ... This was the first time in my life that I ever touched and owned big money like this!”
Pictured: Eveness, with her husband in front of their piggery—a third successful business that she operates.](https://blog.hopeinternational.org/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)