By Alisa Hoober, HOPE Board Member
Earlier this year, I had the incredible opportunity to visit HOPE International’s work in Zambia.
I’ve traveled and seen poverty before, but being with my children changed how I related to those I met. It was a blessing to visit with our whole family, especially with my three young daughters.
At home, we pray for HOPE and support their work—but showing our children HOPE in action was something I won’t forget. Continue Reading…
Over the course of his career, Jeremy Cowart has garnered recognition for his compelling portraits of celebrities like Taylor Swift, Sting, Kelly Clarkson, and Lauren Daigle. He’s shot campaigns for companies like Nike and Fortune Magazine.
But for Jeremy, his craft isn’t about prestige or accolades—it’s about storytelling. And he believes everyone’s story matters.
In 2024, Jeremy traveled with HOPE International to Rwanda, where he got to meet the members of Urumuri (“light”) savings group. During their time together, group members drew the dreams they have for themselves and their families. Jeremy captured the moment—and the look of joy and pride on each member’s face.
This fall, HOPE will feature a curated gallery of Jeremy’s portraits at events held across the United States. For now, here’s a peek at some of the images featured in the show—and some of the dreams that men and women in Rwanda are holding onto for their future: Continue Reading…
Imagine your lunch break being interrupted by bombs exploding in the next town over. Hearing of war coming closer on the news. Realizing that to remain safe, you and your family need to leave your home. Packing up your car and waiting in traffic for hours. Living in another family’s house for months, not knowing if you’ll ever make it back home.
This is the reality for millions of Ukrainian men, women, and children today. Two years after Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the United Nations Refugee Agency, or UNHCR, estimates that there are now 3.7 million internally displaced people (IDPs) in Ukraine.
Many in eastern Ukraine fled west, now living as IDPs with Ukrainian host families. As the war continues, they’ve had to adjust to being far from home with no end date. It hasn’t been an easy road.
Yet even amid loss and adjusting to a new life, these families are displaying determination, community-mindedness, and generosity. And at HOPE International, we’re dedicated to walking with Ukraine’s men and women—as we have been since 1997.
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In 2023, HOPE International expanded to start a new savings group program in Benin! Last November, Yvette Missainhoun (pictured above) joined us as HOPE Benin’s country director. Since then, she’s formed a team of skilled, dedicated staff and built relationships with local church leaders. On June 22, we celebrated HOPE Benin’s launch with two new church partners!
Yvette holds bachelor’s degrees in accounting and theology and has taken various practical training courses in France, South Africa, and the U.S. She carries a wealth of experience in leadership and management with various Christian organizations in Benin. We’re deeply grateful for her commitment to bringing Christ’s love and economic revival to underserved communities. Yvette lives with her husband and their three sons in the southern region of Benin.
Recently, Yvette sat down with us to share about why we’re launching savings groups in Benin, who our church partners are, and how we can pray for her team.
By Bethany Hammond, Project Management Associate
I’m going to have a hard time reconciling this trip. I’ve traveled to over 30 countries in my 39 years. But this one was different.
In early April, I traveled to an isolated, rural community in northern Zimbabwe to visit a people group called the Doma. My assignment was to listen to community members share about the challenges they face in their daily lives. While my co-workers at HOPE Zimbabwe had given me good context, I was in many ways unprepared to witness the poverty and physical danger that the Doma people endure each day.
Bethany (right) with a savings group member named Jimmy and his family
The Doma people have lived for years on the margins of Zimbabwean society. Their area near the Zambezi River is so remote that they weren’t affected by the COVID-19 pandemic! They live off of the land, between what they can grow, forage, and sometimes hunt—though they aren’t allowed to hunt any animals from the nearby conservation area.
They come into daily contact with wildlife that destroy their crops and cause them physical harm or, sometimes, death. I’ve never visited a community that faces such stark challenges. Continue Reading…
All three of our expansion announcements—Kenya, Benin, and Dominican Republic—were among our most-read stories of 2023!
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