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HOPE Intl

Aug 6 2024

HOPE Intl

 Spiritual Integration Stories we love
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Beyond herself: How Norlita escaped poverty to serve a remote tribe

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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HOPE Intl

Jul 19 2024

HOPE Intl

 Microfinance Spiritual Integration
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Bosco has created 500 jobs—and he’s just getting started!

Bosco Nsabimana, Owner of a wholesale crop business in Rwanda. Lifted out of poverty with Urwego bank.

Bosco Nsabimana, a father of eight children and the owner of a wholesale crop business in Rwanda, had big dreams.

He dreamed of expanding his business while empowering his community financially, spiritually, and emotionally, but there was a problem. The only microfinance institutions he was familiar with didn’t align with his ambitions.

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HOPE Intl

Apr 30 2024

HOPE Intl

 News Spiritual Integration
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Breaking generational poverty: a single mother’s testimony

How a savings group helped Sandrine find community, deeper faith, and a better future 

Sandrine Niwemuraza and her tailoring business

Sandrine working in her tailoring shop

Sandrine Niwemuraza had every reason to stay away from church. “[My] mother used to encourage me to go to church, but I did not want to because I didn’t feel welcomed.” 

While still in high school in rural Rwanda, Sandrine became pregnant, and she and her mother—also a single parent—felt despair about their situation. They now faced the reality of even deeper generational poverty. Rejected by their extended family, church, and neighbors, they felt alone. 

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HOPE Intl

Mar 27 2024

HOPE Intl

 Microfinance Spiritual Integration Stories we love
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What does faith have to do with poverty? These three stories tell us.

Jocelyn standing with her merchandise in the Philippines

How deepening a relationship with Jesus empowers families to break out of poverty

At HOPE International, we believe that without Christ, none of us can be truly free from poverty. One of our great joys is seeing people come to know Christ and experience the abundant life He offers.

Today, we’re celebrating the stories of Alphonse, Dominga, and Jocelyn, three people served by HOPE who have experienced spiritual transformation and poverty’s grip loosening. From learning how to pray to sharing the joy of salvation with family to finding hope for the future, these stories illustrate how God is at work—and why sharing the love of Jesus remains integral to our approach to alleviating poverty.

Alphonse Nsengumuremyi: learning to pray

Before taking out a loan from Urwego Bank, HOPE’s microfinance institution in Rwanda, Alphonse says he didn’t have the capital he needed to expand his family’s small business of selling cooking oil. Without enough income, he struggled to pay school fees for his children.

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HOPE Intl

Dec 6 2023

HOPE Intl

 News
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How training farmers in agriculture is fighting poverty

HOPE International charity fights poverty through training farmers

Coupled with Christ-centered financial services and community, underserved men and women experience restored dignity and spiritual, personal, social, and material transformation   

Did you know that farming is one of the most effective jobs for fighting poverty? According to The World Bank, growth in agriculture is two to four times more effective in raising the incomes of families living in poverty, compared to other sectors.

At HOPE International, we believe that equipping farmers in underserved areas around the world is an integral part of the solution to many of the world’s most pressing needs surrounding poverty:

  • Hunger—800 million people go to bed hungry every night*
  • Malnutrition—45% of deaths in children under 5 are related to malnutrition*
  • Financial services—1.7 billion people don’t have access to financial services that could help them invest in their businesses, save for the future, and provide for their families.
  • Unemployment—Farming creates jobs and means of productive income for millions of families.

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HOPE Intl

Dec 5 2023

HOPE Intl

 News
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Economic empowerment keeps children out of orphanages

HOPE International alleviates poverty through economic development

By Elli Oswald, Executive Director, Faith to Action Initiative

For Neema, life was a struggle in rural Tanzania. She and her husband were grateful to have just had their first child and found it difficult to even put food on the table.

Like millions of others living in poverty around the world, Neema’s family was especially vulnerable to being separated from one another. This is because poverty is the most common underlying reason children end up in orphanages.

Surprisingly, 80% of children in orphanages and children’s homes have at least one living parent, and almost all have other family members. The reason most children end up in orphanages is not because they do not have family, but because their families are struggling to care for them. Continue Reading…

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