Archives For Client Stories
Client Stories Microfinance
entrepreneurs, microfinance, Romania, small-and-medium-enterprise lending, SME
Two entrepreneurs' vision to employ Romania's youth
Many small businesses in middle-income countries have outgrown typical microfinance loan sizes but still do not qualify for commercial lending. Stuck in the "missing middle," these companies have great potential to provide jobs and contribute to the local economy, yet credit barriers stand in their way. Continue Reading…
How a hesitant leader followed her calling
When Success Tatire's church in Zimbabwe decided to form savings groups in 2016, they nominated Success to serve as facilitator. Initially hesitant to take on this new responsibility, Success is now grateful she agreed: "I realized it was not me or the [church] warden who chose me, it was God. We make our plans and our decisions, but He has the final answer." Continue Reading…
bold dreams, children, community development, dreams, education, entrepreneurship, generosity, Investing in Dreams, loans, Mother's Day, mothers, savings group, school
The bold dreams of three tenacious mothers
"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…
Client Stories Staff / Travels
Extreme Poverty, Philippines, Savings Group Programs
What I saw in a cemetery
By Malu Garcia, Savings Group Program Training Specialist (Philippines)
Several months ago, I joined a savings group that meets in an unusual location: a cemetery.
Since the 1980s, a growing number of people have chosen to live in the Cebu Chinese Cemetery—now totaling more than 100 families, some of whom have even given birth to their children in the cemetery. Some have transformed covered tombs into homes by hanging tarps for privacy—meaning that the gravestone serves as their table for meals and their bed at night. Others sleep on uncovered graves—no roof over their heads, no privacy, and no protection from animals. Some of the tombs are open, meaning that the relatives of the dead person have removed the bones and transferred them elsewhere. Near some of the oldest caskets, pieces of bone are littered on the surrounding area. The children run around these tombs as though they were in a playground. The young people and adults play cards over the tombs. I wondered where they take a bath, where their toilet is, where they wash their clothes.
To me, the heaviest part of their situation is that they expect to live out their entire lives in the cemetery. They have stopped dreaming of owning a proper home someday. But I believe that it is not God's design for people to live with the dead; it is God's design for people to be able to dream of more for their lives. He wants people and communities to flourish and experience Him.
church, dream investor, friendship, Malawi, poverty, savings groups
A friend's persistence changed her life.
Like 94 percent of Malawians,* Alinafe lacked access to formal lending services. This kept her and her husband from getting the funds they needed to pursue their dream of opening a store. And without consistent employment, the couple struggled to pay for adequate housing or schooling for their four children.
But poverty a­ffected more than Alinafe's finances. "I looked down upon myself," she recalls. Knowing of Alinafe's situation, a friend (also named Alinafe) invited her to join Chisomo ("grace"), a savings group formed through a local church. Still, Alinafe remained doubtful: "I felt too small and unworthy to join the group." Continue Reading…
business, entrepreneur, Financial inclusion, microfinance, poverty, Poverty Alleviation, women
Meet three women of valor
So God created humankind in his image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
Genesis 1:27 (NRSV)
At HOPE International, we affirm the inherent dignity and worth of women, and we're grateful to be one of many organizations working to remove the barriers that often keep women from realizing their full God-given potential.
We're privileged to witness so many stories of women who are using financial tools to tackle poverty for their families and communities. As their stories demonstrate, these three women are loving God and their neighbors with boldness, action, and creativity. In the words of Proverbs 31, they are eshet chayil—"women of valor." Continue Reading…