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Norlita escaping poverty in the Philippines and economic opportunity

In a remote province of the Philippines, Norlita Escarez and her husband, Philip, collected pebbles and sand for a living.  

Without access to better job opportunities, the couple found it difficult to save money and make ends meet for their family of five.

It’s far too common for Filipino families to struggle this way, with nearly 20 million people in the country living in poverty. The Mangyan tribe, who lives in the mountains near Norlita and Philip, is also struggling. Even amid Norlita’s longing for more financial stability, her heart yearned to minister to her neighbors who lacked access to medical care and nutritious food. 

Despite the reality of this material poverty, Norlita and her husband were joyful in Christ. But would their love for the Lord carry them through financial hardship? Would she ever have the means to minister to the Mangyan tribe? 

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Through CCT, HOPE International's microfinance partner in the Phillipines, Leonora empowers her community.

When Leonora Calipay’s children finished school and she came home to the Philippines, she knew there was something more to her life than retirement.

Leonora’s neighbor noticed her desire to do meaningful things in her free time, so she taught Leonora to sew rugs. With this new skill, Leonora started her own small rugmaking business. She hoped to empower her neighbors—especially the single mothers in her community—to make a living through the same craft.

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Jovelee Maala didn’t know the Payatas Controlled Disposal Facility as the largest open dump site in the Philippines—for her, it was home. 

Opening in the 1970s, the site served as a fixture in Jovelee’s hometown, Quezon City. Local families built their homes there, and thousands more traveled to the site to pick through the trash, searching for items to sell—and when she turned 18, Jovelee joined them. 

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Lina Feria never imagined that her small business selling homemade snacks could grow into a flourishing general store. Yet her story testifies that God can use small loans and persistence to transform a business and a whole family. 

Building a business brick by brick 

When Lina first decided to become a member of The Center for Community Transformation (CCT), HOPE International’s partner in the Philippines, she was selling traditional rice cake snacks (called kakanin) that she made at home. 

Although she was not a Christian then, Lina joined CCT because she was curious about their Bible studies. As she got to know staff members and read the Word, she slowly began to learn more about God and eventually gave her life to Him.   Continue Reading…

Twenty-five years ago, Analyn Saturnino’s world crumbled around her.

While pregnant with her first child, Analyn began to experience arthritic pains throughout her body. Her baby boy tragically died only seven months after being born, and as she mourned the loss of her child, Analyn’s physical pain grew worse. Her condition soon rendered her permanently dependent on a wheelchair.

Overwhelmed, Analyn remembers crying out to God in a moment of Job-like despair, “Why do you torture me like this? Just take me.” Continue Reading…

In 2020, the HOPE network continued to serve men and women in the world’s underserved communities. And no part of HOPE’s work or operations was not affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. But despite all these challenges, we still felt God’s faithful love and compassion toward us, our partners, and the families we serve.

In the last year, we’ve shared a few of these stories of challenge and resilience, along with insights into HOPE’s work and the communities where we serve. We hope that you’ve been encouraged, challenged, and inspired in your own life to grow in faith and service to the Kingdom.

In case you missed any of these insightful and inspirational stories, here are our five most-read posts from 2020: Continue Reading…