Ruminata lives in a Batwa community in rural Burundi with her husband Gaspard, their teenage daughter, Pascaline (18), and two sons, Cédric (12), and Régis (10). For many years, their family survived by making traditional Batwa clay pots, which sell for only a few cents each. Ruminata shares, “We had to go beg wherever we could to get something. My children did not have even the cheapest shoes. … Our shelter was covered with grass, we could not purchase even a single iron sheet (for the roof). We used to plan for one day because we had no resources to think of many days or weeks ahead. We were hopeless.” Continue Reading…
Archives For prayer
As Ukraine marks the fourth year since Russia’s full‑scale invasion, the country continues to face incredible pressure. Missile and drone attacks are frequent, including devastating strikes on civilian areas and critical infrastructure. Hits to the country’s power grid trigger blackouts across major cities, threatening heat, water access, and even nuclear plant stability.
Yet, amid these challenges, we praise God for how He is at work through HOPE Ukraine staff and the resilient entrepreneurs we serve! Continue Reading…
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.
Peter Greer
Jan 18 2024
Peter Greer
Staff / Travels
HOPE’s president and CEO Peter Greer shares what inspired him to co-author his latest book, Lead with Prayer.
Originally posted on Peter Greer’s blog.
I first recognized that I had a prayer problem, ironically, on one of HOPE International’s quarterly days of prayer. When a facilitator invited our team to pray silently, I ventured outside for a prayer walk—but spent my “prayer time” ruminating over operational and staffing challenges HOPE was facing. My internal RPMs were revving, and I couldn’t seem to quiet my mind or heart.
By the end of the day, I had set a new fitness record as I paced the grounds but spent precious few moments in prayer. I strategized, planned, and toiled—focusing on what I needed to do with a sprinkling of prayer pixie dust. I concluded the day with neither peace nor clear direction, but I did have growing clarity and conviction that there was a disconnect in my prayer life: I would have described prayer as a first priority, but the way I invested my time suggested it was a last resort.
“Any business is a challenging one right now in Ukraine.” -Serhii, a farmer in western Ukraine
When Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Ukraine’s economy shrank by about one-third—the largest annual fall in more than 30 years of Ukrainian independence. 18 months after the war began, Ukraine’s economy ministry reported that their gross domestic product grew by 2.2% year-on-year in the first seven months of 2023.
This is welcome news, but the stark reality remains: It’s challenging to do business in a country at war. Continue Reading…
In 2010, Small and Micro Enterprise Program (SMEP) Microfinance Bank, a Christ-centered microfinance institution serving families in Kenya, celebrated a major distinction: It became the third deposit-taking microfinance bank in the country to be licensed and regulated by the Central Bank of Kenya. But along with its approval, the central bank issued one caveat: SMEP needed to add investors to its ownership pool.
It sounded like a simple request—yet it proved to be anything but.
