As a child whose family had lived in Dakar, Senegal, for three years (pictured below), Katy Rogers had seen poverty. Later, as a college student volunteering in Rwanda, she believed she saw a viable part of the solution: Christ-centered microfinance. As she grew in her understanding of microfinance, Katy says, “It felt like, That’s my purpose in life. That’s what God has prepared me for.” Continue Reading…
Archives For poverty
HOPE Intl
Dec 20 2018
HOPE Intl
Staff / Travels
In their book Rooting for Rivals, HOPE’s president and CEO, Peter Greer, and chief advancement officer, Chris Horst, write:
We’ve been given a mission and mandate that requires nothing less than the best of our efforts working together in unity for the sake of the Kingdom … It’s time that we focus on the Church’s unified mission above our organizational agendas.
This Giving Tuesday, we’d like you to consider supporting these five organizations who are impacting communities in the U.S. and around the world. For the sake of the Kingdom, together, we can empower more and more families to overcome poverty and find their soul’s satisfaction in Christ. Continue Reading…
HOPE Intl
Oct 30 2018
HOPE Intl
News Stories we love
In the developing world, children are often among the most vulnerable. Living on less than $1.90 a day, an estimated 385 million children live in extreme poverty, experiencing chronic malnutrition, food shortages, and lack of clean water.
HOPE believes one of the best ways to care for children living in poverty is to empower their parents. Using HOPE-network services, parents and caregivers start savings accounts or build up small businesses, providing for their children’s needs themselves rather than relying on outside charities or services. Continue Reading…
HOPE Intl
Oct 22 2018
HOPE Intl
News Spiritual Integration Stories we love
Header image: slum neighborhood of Asunción, Paraguay
In the 1990s, the World Bank interviewed more than 60,000 individuals living in low-income countries, asking one primary question: What is poverty?
When asked this question, Western audiences often respond with what those in poverty lack: food, money, clean water, etc. But the families interviewed by the World Bank described poverty in much more multidimensional terms, naming the lack of options, strained relationships, low self-esteem, and feelings of helplessness.
A HOPE staff member once asked a savings group in Rwanda the same question—how do you define poverty? Most of their descriptions framed their experience of poverty as emotional and relational: Continue Reading…
HOPE Intl
Jun 21 2018
HOPE Intl
Stories we love
Each year, HOPE celebrates clients who demonstrate our values of perseverance, compassion, character, and creativity by announcing the Thurman Award winner. Established in honor of HOPE’s first CEO, the Thurman Award celebrates clients who have not only experienced change in their own lives but have also extended that transformation to others in their community. We’re excited to share the story of Peter, this year’s runner up for microfinance institutions!
After a severe case of measles left him blind at age 8, Peter felt he had limited options for his future. In a culture where blindness is highly stigmatized, many blind people are vulnerable to living as beggars. To support their three children, Peter and his wife, Mukanziza—who also lost her sight due to measles as a child—decided to start a business building rental properties.
Prejudiced by his disability, every bank he and Mukaniza approached for a loan turned them down. And that’s when Peter learned of Urwego Bank, HOPE’s microfinance bank in Rwanda.
Peter Greer
Dec 4 2017
Peter Greer
News Spiritual Integration
by Peter Greer, President & CEO
’Tis the season for planning Christmas compassion projects. From filling shoeboxes to setting up angel trees, churches and organizations around the world are thinking about how to launch these elegantly simple ways of caring for others during the most wonderful time of the year.
There is so much that is right and beautiful about these annual giving traditions.
I love that they offer a way for whole families to practice generosity together. I love that they’re an invitation to think beyond our me-centered, consumeristic desires and recognize that there are significant material needs in the world. I love that they invite us to share some of what we’ve received. And most of all, I love how they provide a glimpse into sacrificial love and service, reminding us of the story of Jesus.
At the same time, there are shadow sides to many of these projects, particularly if they don’t extend beyond one-time charity distributions.
For those of you who might be exploring what you should participate in this year, here are three questions to ask as your church and family seek to love and care for others well by getting involved this Christmas: Continue Reading…
