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Aline holds her daughter, Queen

This spring at HOPE International, we released “Dreams for My Daughter,” a short film sharing the story of a young woman in rural Rwanda determined to beat the odds and hold on to her dreams while raising her daughter. The film is based on the life of Aline Mushimiyimana. Here, we share more about Aline’s life and journey that inspired us so much.

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Sungano savings group members draw water for their crops.

Even before the coronavirus pandemic shuttered Zimbabwe’s schools last March, Lorraine Chifamba’s attendance had been spotty. Sometimes her parents could afford her school fees, uniforms, and supplies—but often, they could not. When she and several other young members of her community, ages 11-18, saw an opportunity to help their parents provide, they joined the Sungano (“Covenant”) savings group. Continue Reading…

Living in a remote community on the outskirts of Comas, Peru, Margarita Moreno collects and sells discarded bottles and recyclables. This summer, Peru experienced a surge in COVID-19 deaths, leading the country to enter a time of severe lockdown. While this time could have left Margarita feeling more isolated than ever, her connection in community has instead grown stronger. Continue Reading…

Leya Mshani

Leya Mshani lives in Chitipa, a district in northern Malawi, with her husband and children.

A year ago, Leya and her nearby neighbors each spent around 35 hours per week—the equivalent of a full-time job in the U.S.—collecting water for their families.

When friends invited her to join Ungweru (“light”) savings group through their church (a HOPE partner), Leya started saving 500 kwacha (roughly 67¢ USD) at each group meeting.

As she paid her shares, she used her first loan from the group to take an intensive tailoring course in order to pursue her dream of becoming a seamstress. Over the next two years, Leya used funds from her savings, loans, and profits to start a sewing business, make home improvements, purchase livestock, support her husband in starting a taxi business, and teach other women how to sew to earn income. Continue Reading…

“Blessed are those whose strength is in you.” Psalm 84:5a

This Mother’s Day, join us in honoring them by reading how three tenacious mothers, rooted in God’s strength, are overcoming obstacles to invest in bold dreams. Continue Reading…

Serafina

“My whole life, I had never had a job or done anything to get money to feed myself and my family. I would just go dig out in [a neighbor’s] field then get food for me and my family,” Serafina recalls. “For some reason, I thought that was enough, and I thought that’s how life was meant to be.”

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