Friday, December 29, 2017

An end-of-year gift will bring clean water to families in southern Ethiopia

A special end-of-year gift from you will help provide clean water to families in southern Ethiopia.

Having clean water available in the community will enable parents to invest time in becoming self-reliant.

Women will participate in self-help groups where they will learn how to establish and run small businesses that generate consistent income.

Children will be able to go to school rather than spend their days searching for water with their mothers.

DONATE

Friday, December 22, 2017

Christmas Gifts That Change Lives

Make Christmas a memorable time for a child or family that isn’t on anyone’s Christmas list this year. Give gifts that provide what the poorest of the poor have wished for but never received - a helping hand out of poverty.

Gifts from our annual 2017 Gifts of HOPE Christmas catalogue have something special to offer you as well. Real joy, the kind that store-bought gifts, no matter how lovely, cannot give. The joy that comes from knowing you’ve helped a child or family begin their journey out of poverty.

Gifts of clean water, education, and skills-training, for example, last well beyond the Christmas season. In fact, the positive change these gifts bring lasts for generations. The children and families receiving your gifts will remember this Christmas as the beginning of hope and promise, rather than a time of continued poverty and despair.

GIVE GIFTS TODAY

Friday, December 15, 2017

A commitment to the people of Duchity, Haiti

Hurricane Matthew was the strongest storm Haiti has experienced since the 1960’s. Hundreds of lives were lost, and tens of thousands of homes destroyed or left uninhabitable.

In the wake of the disaster, HOPE International Development Agency’s local partner in Haiti responded quickly, assisting the most vulnerable farming families in Duchity, in the southern region of Haiti.

Donations, matched with a 3:1 grant, went directly to help families rebuild their homes. The most vulnerable families in Duchity received building materials, such as timber, corrugated iron, cement, and nails, so they could repair and rebuild their homes. As a result, more than 700 people are now living in safe housing.

Families are focusing on rebuilding their lives and livelihoods, and are extremely grateful for your support. HOPE’s commitment to the families of Duchity continues. Today, families are receiving training in sustainable agriculture. Seeds are being provided and tree nurseries established to increase farm productivity and profitability – all of which helps families rebuild their lives.

A rebuilt home in Duchity Haiti is much sturdier than the original home.


Tuesday, November 28, 2017

GIVING TUESDAY, November 28

Today is the last day to have your donation to help Rohingya families matched 100%.

Give on November 28, 2017 and your gift will accomplish twice as much! The Government of Canada is matching donations given to help Rohingya families displaced by violence in Myanmar and will match your donation 100%.

We've been working with local partners in Myanmar for decades and are responding by providing additional emergency support, such as health care, basic sanitation, and other urgently needed relief items.

To help meet the overwhelming need, 100% of your donation today will be sent directly to our work in Myanmar.

DONATE TODAY

Monday, November 20, 2017

Save lives in a time of major crisis in Myanmar

Rohingya families have been forced from their homes and are in crisis.

Give before November 28, 2017 and your gift will accomplish twice as much! The Government of Canada is matching donations given to help Rohingya families displaced by violence in Myanmar and will match your donation 100%.

Rohingya Crisis Update
  • More than 600,000 people have fled their homes to escape the violence that descended on their communities.
  • Women and children make up 70% of the 600,000 people displaced.
  • People are deeply traumatized by the unspeakable violence they have survived.
  • Most were forced to flee their homes within minutes, or risk being maimed or killed.
  • All are now homeless and have nothing.
HOPE International Development Agency is increasing its response.

We've been working with local partners in Myanmar for decades and are responding by providing additional emergency support, such as health care, basic sanitation, and other urgently needed relief items.

To help meet the overwhelming need, 100% of your donation today will be sent directly to our work in Myanmar.

DONATE TODAY

Thursday, November 9, 2017

The best gifts you can give this Christmas

You can change a child's life this Christmas by giving a gift from HOPE International Development Agency's Gifts of Hope giving catalogue.

Help children in the Philippines overcome the poverty and prejudice they and their families face. Give them a safe place to learn, schoolbooks, supplies, nutrition training, and vegetable gardens that will transform the lives of indigenous people living on the Philippine island of Mindanao.



Help orphaned children in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia regain their health and well-being. Give safe shelter, nutritious food, medical care, counselling, and education, including school supplies and books.



Help disadvantaged children in Ethiopia complete their education and development and they will have a better life now and as adults. Give schooling and supplies, along with necessities that make life better for children.

See these gifts and more in this year's Gifts of Hope giving catalogue.

Friday, October 27, 2017

Make Christmas a memorable time for a child or family that isn’t on anyone’s Christmas list this year.

Make this the year children and families receive the gift they’ve always wished for but never received; a helping hand out of poverty.

Gifts from our annual 2017 Gifts of HOPE Christmas catalogue have something special to offer you as well. Real joy, the kind that store-bought gifts, no matter how lovely, cannot give. The joy that comes from knowing you’ve helped a child or family begin their journey out of poverty.

Gifts of clean water, education, and skills-training, for example, last well beyond the Christmas season. In fact, the positive change these gifts bring lasts for generations. The children and families receiving your gifts will remember this Christmas as the beginning of hope and promise, rather than a time of continued poverty and despair.

GIVE GIFTS TODAY

Thursday, October 5, 2017

Our fall film premiere and dinner events in British Columbia and Alberta are just weeks away. View fall dates and locations.

HOPE International Development Agency has been helping families worldwide since 1975, enabling them to transform their lives as they gain access to clean water, learn new ways to earn a sustainable income and provide support to each other, grow more food, and restore the environment upon which they depend.

View a special preview of this year’s film.

Meeting the Challenge
Having dinner with us this fall and help thousands of impoverished families transform their lives.

Our Time Together
Join us for a wonderful meal, the company of friends, silent and live auctions, great music, a short feature film, and an important opportunity to transform lives through your giving.

View fall dates and locations.

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Hurricane Maria, one of the largest, most dangerous storms in recent memory tore its way through the Caribbean a few days ago, wreaking havoc throughout the region.

Communities in northeastern Dominican Republic are devastated. Families are struggling in the aftermath of a storm that brought torrential rain and destructive winds of up to 200 kilometers per hour.

David McKenzie, International President of HOPE International Development Agency, is in the Dominican Republic right now and has learned what we need to do to help families who are in crisis.

Medical supplies and medicines are what is needed most right now. Doctor Gonzales and his colleagues will manage the delivery and distribution of the supplies and medicines, ensuring people get the help they need.

An emergency gift from you of $50, $75, or even $100 if you are able, is what is needed today to make this happen.

Your generous emergency gift will ensure that families affected by Hurricane Maria do not suffer more than they already have.

DONATE TODAY

Monday, September 18, 2017

Recovery efforts underway in Bangladesh and Nepal in aftermath of massive flooding


Devastated. This is how 9 million families in Bangladesh and Nepal are feeling right now. Weeks of torrential rain and flooding has left a third of Bangladesh under water. Nepal isn’t fairing any better.

In Bangladesh, 700,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed and millions of acres of crops ruined. In Nepal, 90,000 homes are ruined. But this disaster is about more than big numbers. Behind each number is a person who has lost hope in the aftermath of the flooding.

Families, particularly in Bangladesh, are used to seasonal flooding. They prepare for it as best they can. However, they can’t cope with a disaster of this magnitude, which many are describing as the worst flooding in living memory.

Today we need to ensure that families affected by floods in the areas where we’re working recover quickly. If they don’t recover quickly, they’ll fall back into poverty in the coming weeks.

We’re deeply concerned for the well-being of these families. We’re also concerned that you’ve not heard about the massive destruction because media coverage, overshadowed by recent weather events in the United States, has been limited and not reflected the massive scale of the disaster.

There is much to do and many people to help in the areas where we are working.

In many cases, families need construction materials to rebuild their modest homes. Other families need to replace household items lost in the flooding, such as pots, pans, utensils, bedding and clothing. All families affected by the disaster need help. Our partners in Bangladesh and Nepal will ensure that your gift today provides the items and help families in need the most right now.

Your gift will help keep a family from falling back into poverty in the aftermath of this massive disaster. From the bottom of my heart, thank you!

Please Donate Today

Wednesday, September 13, 2017

India – Clean water and improved health through biosand filters


India has the highest number of people in the world that lack access to clean water.

In Dindigul district of Tamilnadu State, women struggle to access safe drinking water for their families as they rely on unprotected sources of water (rivers, streams) or leaky water supply pipes that are prone to contamination. Consumption of dirty water results in sick family members; dirty water causes waterborne diseases such as diarrhea, dysentery, and cholera, ultimately wasting time and energy of all family members.

All this is changing through the construction of simple biosand filters, which provide women with access to clean water. Biosand filters are a simple household water treatment device. Biosand filters remove pathogens and suspended solids from water using biological and physical processes in a sand column covered with a biofilm.

Through the support of HOPE International Development Agency donors, women receive a biosand filter, as well as training in use and maintenance of the filters, and training in basic health and sanitation. To encourage active ownership of each family of the filters, each family contributes 20% of the cost of constructing the water filter.


Mrs. T. Kavitha and her story of success

My husband is working as daily wage labour in a shop at a neighbouring town. We have two children and I work at home to care for the family.

Recently, I joined a self-help group in Kannivadi village, where together as women we learn how to increase our income and savings, and where we support each other to build better livelihoods for our families.

Through a program with my self-help group, I have been able to access a biosand filter in our house for our family. When I first saw the filter I was doubtful of how useful it would be. However once I received the training and we started using the filter, I noticed decrease sickness in my children. The water from the filter is cool, clean and safe for us to drink. In our family we like this filter very much and we are so happy to be able to use it.


Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Join us this Fall! HOPE International Development Agency has been helping families worldwide since 1975, enabling them to transform their lives as they gain access to clean water, learn new ways to earn a sustainable income and provide support to each other, grow more food, and restore the environment upon which they depend.

Meeting the Challenge
Having dinner with us this fall and help thousands of impoverished families transform their lives.

Our Time Together
Join us for a wonderful meal, the company of friends, silent and live auctions, great music, a short feature film, and an important opportunity to transform lives through your giving.

View fall dates and locations.

Friday, August 4, 2017

Helping families in Sri Lanka recover from the devastating storm Cyclone Mora


A special matching grant will triple your donation today.

Recovery efforts continue in the aftermath of Cyclone Mora, a deadly storm that slammed into Sri Lanka recently, claiming the lives of 300 people and affecting more than 680,000 across the impoverished country.

Your gift today will provide special recovery kits containing 25 much needed items, including basic cooking utensils, knives, pots, pans, plates, bowls and other items to function day-to-day during the recovery period and beyond.

DONATE TODAY

Thursday, July 20, 2017

Clean water brings immediate benefits

SOUTHERN ETHIOPIA - One year ago poverty had Tomas and his family firmly in its grasp.

Omolo, his wife, was suffering from a waterborne illness that had rendered one of her arms all but useless.

Tomas was away from home for days at a time, often traveling more than 8-hours a day in search of labour work that would help him earn money to buy food and medicine for his wife and children.

Their drinking water, gathered from a muddy stream near their modest thatched home, was destroying their health, forcing Tomas and Omolo to spend forty percent of their meagre monthly earnings on medicine and visits to the doctor. Their children, chronically malnourished and often sick, were suffering greatly and their future was as bleak as the dirty water they drank.

However, everything changed the day the water system HOPE International Development Agency donors funded was completed in Tomas and Omolo’s village of Kalbo Laka. The system includes four capped springs, three large reservoirs, and thirteen watering points (taps) throughout the village. Clean water had arrived, and with it the promise of a much improved life for Tomas, Omolo, their children, and the entire village.

Almost immediately, life began to improve.

The children were no longer sick all of the time. Medical expenses that had consumed almost half of the family’s meagre monthly income fell to nearly zero as Omolo’s arm began to recover, and the children’s health improved.

The boys are now in school and Omolo is learning as well by participating in a local self-help group focused on helping women and families improve their health and income.

Tomas no longer travels to seek labour work. He focuses his efforts on the family farm which now yields much more food and income than it did before he was able to work at home with his family.

Omolo participates in health and hygiene classes provided in conjunction with the clean water. Her contribution to her family’s health can be seen in the smiling faces of her children.

Tomas is expanding the amount of land under cultivation and is building a new house for his family. The original house will be used to shelter the animals and provide a space for cooking.

Much has changed for the better in just one year for Tomas and Omolo and the future holds great promise for the family as they lift themselves out of poverty through your help and their hard work.

Friday, July 7, 2017

Ducklings for Change

Nearly 13 percent of Bangladesh’s population live in extreme poverty.

Their condition is characterized by severe deprivation of basic human needs, including food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health, shelter, education, and information. While the percentage might sound low, it represents more than 20 million people.

Millions of families in Bangladesh struggle to survive day to day. They are trapped in poverty, with little hope of emerging and being able to meet their basic needs or improve their life circumstances.

All of this can change.

HOPE International Development Agency has been working in Bangladesh for more than 30 years, helping families lift themselves out of extreme poverty. Moyna and her family are among the families that are receiving help.

Moyna’s situation is representative of what so many parents face as they struggle with poverty. She could not feed her children. They were constantly sick and could not go to school. But with the help of generous HOPE International Development Agency donors, Moyna is gaining access to basic human necessities such as a safe home, clean water, and a viable livelihood. Moyna recently received skills training on duck raising and animal husbandry and was provided with 10 ducks to help start her own small business.

With the help of her new skills and knowledge, Moyna has carefully tended to her ducks, which are now laying eggs. Her flock is growing and she is able to sell eggs at the market. Moyna’s income has increased exponentially, and she is setting aside some money each month as part of her family savings.

Being able to save money is something previously unfathomable to Moyna before she began raising ducks and selling eggs. As her savings grow so does her confidence as she plans for the future. Now Moyna is beginning to dream about other business ideas she may pursue soon.

Today, Moyna and her family eat three healthy meals a day, they access medical care when needed, and make additional improvements to their new home. Her children are going to school. They now share Moyna’s confidence and look forward to the future with hope and confidence.

Who knew that something so small and fluffy as ducklings could have such a transformative impact?

Friday, June 30, 2017

Share of your blessings during Canada 150

Celebrate all that so many of us enjoy this Canada Day by sharing your blessings with people living in communities throughout Ethiopia, the Philippines, South Sudan, Haiti, Bangladesh, Cambodia, and India where clean water, education, health care, and the opportunity to be self-reliant are not yet present.

Give $150 during Canada 150

Thursday, June 29, 2017

From suffering to succeeding

Three years ago more fish swam through Kasem’s net than were caught. Kasem’s life was as tattered as his fishing net and as bleak as the slate gray water he plied every day in an effort to catch fish he could provide to his family for their one meal a day or sell at the market. Unable to venture too far from shore in the tiny boat, the fish Kasem did manage to catch were small and of little value as a meal or at the market.

Khadija, Kasem’s wife and mother of their five children, spent her days worrying about how she would feed and care for the children, all of whom were constantly sick due to malnutrition and a lack of proper shelter and clean water. The thatched shack her family called home, precariously perched on the wrong side of an earthen dike that held back the ocean, was always on the verge of collapsing, just as their lives were.

Today, because of the generosity of HOPE International Development Agency donors, Kasem and Khadija are happy and healthy. They now own a small plot of land on the safe side of the dike, away from the shoreline. The home they built on their land is sturdy and safe. It is a big change from the thatched shack they once lived in which is now used as a chicken coop. The new well, just fifty metres from their home, provides an ample supply of safe water. As a result, the children no longer suffer from the waterborne diseases that were a constant threat to their health. The two youngest boys, Shoumon and Shoujon, are now in school and excelling.

The equally big news is that Kasem was able to buy a bigger motorized boat and two good fishing nets. He now ventures further offshore and regularly catches larger, more profitable fish. The very first season Kasem had the new boat and nets, he experienced huge success as a large school of highly profitable Halisha fish passed by which he landed with his new nets. For Kasem, Khadija, and their children, life is vastly different than it was three years ago when friends of HOPE International Development Agency first entered their lives.

Help a family like Kasem's today.

Thursday, June 1, 2017

More help needed for families in South Sudan

In response to the deepening crisis in South Sudan and the surrounding region, the Government of Canada is now matching donations given to save lives.

Double your impact from now until June 30.

In South Sudan, more than 4.5 million people are facing hunger. Nearly 1 million people are on the brink of famine. With 1 in 3 people having fled their villages because of conflict and hunger, the crisis has become much worse than many had expected when we first asked for your help earlier in this year.

Your matched donation saves more lives.

In areas where HOPE International Development Agency is working to help families who have fled violence and hunger, we are expanding our efforts to not only provide emergency food, but equally importantly, tools and seeds that will give families the ability to plant their own food sources as the rainy season begins.

100% of your donation today will be sent directly to South Sudan to support efforts to save lives.

Your donation doubles your impact at a time when it is needed most.

DONATE TODAY


You can also donate by calling toll-free 1-866-525-4673.


Tuesday, May 2, 2017

Join us for dinner in Williams Lake & Prince George and help change the world.



If you have not yet reserved your seats at our May 27 and 29, 2017 HOPE Film Premiere & Dinners in Williams Lake and Prince George, please do so this week.

If you, like so many of our guests, would like to bring family, friends, or colleagues, now is the time to reserve additional seats so we can ensure that you all sit together.

Details
Williams Lake
Saturday, May 27, 2017
Williams Lake Elks Hall
6:30pm Reception
7:00pm Dinner

Prince George
Monday, May 29, 2017
Prince George Civic Centre
6:30pm Reception
7:00pm Dinner

For more information and to reserve your tickets, please call 604-525-5481 and dial ext. 119 for Jet Takaoka.

Email Jet Takaoka at jet@hope-international.com

HOPE Around The World
In previous films, you met Phat in Cambodia, Kasem in Bangladesh, and Omolo in Ethiopia, all of whom were struggling. In this year's film, you will meet them again and see how far they have come thanks to compassionate people like you.

Thursday, March 23, 2017

Join us this Spring! HOPE International Development Agency has been helping families worldwide since 1975, enabling them to transform their lives as they gain access to clean water, learn new ways to earn a sustainable income and provide support to each other, grow more food, and restore the environment upon which they depend.

Meeting the Challenge
Having dinner with us will help thousands of impoverished families transform their lives.

Our Time Together
Join us for a wonderful meal, the company of friends, silent and live auctions, great music, a short feature film, and an important opportunity to transform lives through your giving.

View dates and locations

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

World Water Day 2017 - give the gift of clean water today

Photo Courtesy of Mark Chow 2017

Today is World Water Day, a poignant reminder that millions of people living in some of the poorest countries in the world do not have access to clean water or proper sanitation. For them, today is another day without clean water to drink, cook or wash with. In Ethiopia, one of the many countries where HOPE International Development Agency is helping the poorest of the poor lift themselves out of poverty, millions of people are without clean water today.

Of the 80 million people who live in rural Ethiopia, 51% lack access to clean water, and 72% lack access to proper sanitation.

HOPE International Development Agency has helped hundreds of thousands of rural Ethiopians gain access to clean water, right in their communities in southern Ethiopia.

Within the next 5 years, 100,000 more people in southern Ethiopia will gain access to clean water through the support of generous HOPE donors.

When clean water is present, families are able to focus on improving their lives through health education and hygiene training. They are also able to increase their income by participating in self help groups that provide mutual support, income-earning skills training, and low-interest loans that enable women to start businesses.

Given the remote and rugged terrain of southern Ethiopia, it costs $750 to provide clean water for one family. Today, on World Water Day, you can give one person clean water, for life, for $125.

DONATE

Friday, March 10, 2017

“We left everything behind, including our food and hand tools", recalls a survivor.

When families in South Sudan fled the violence that threatened or engulfed their villages, they left everything behind. There was no time to gather up food, personal belongings, or even farm tools.

HOPE International Development Agency is helping families who have fled to safer locations by providing urgently needed food supplies as well as supporting efforts to grow local food in areas where families will be staying until the conflict, drought, and food shortages subside.

The vast majority of people affected by this crisis are women and children and funds are urgently needed to help them at a time when they are incredibly vulnerable.

Donate

Friday, February 24, 2017



The declaration of famine in parts of South Sudan means the country is slipping deeper into crisis and more help is urgently needed.

More than 100,000 people are on the verge of starvation. An additional 1 million are on the brink of famine. Nearly 5 million overall are in desperate need of help.

In the areas where HOPE International Development Agency is already working, our efforts to support families who left everything and ran for their lives when violence descended on their villages continue in earnest.

“We had no food to eat and our hope had disappeared”, says one survivor recalling his family’s escape.

Additional funds are urgently needed because the crisis is out-pacing our ability to respond. Lives are at stake. Women and children are the most vulnerable.

Your gift will provide life-saving food, such as wheat, groundnuts, sorghum, salt, and cooking oil that families can use to stave off hunger and keep their bodies nourished. It will also help provide netting that will protect families from mosquito-borne illnesses while they sleep or recuperate.

Donate Today

Friday, February 17, 2017

Join us this Spring!

HOPE International Development Agency has been helping families worldwide since 1975, enabling them to transform their lives as they gain access to clean water, learn new ways to earn a sustainable income and provide support to each other, grow more food, and restore the environment upon which they depend.

Meeting the Challenge
Having dinner with us will help thousands of impoverished families transform their lives.

Our Time Together
Join us for a wonderful meal, the company of friends, silent and live auctions, great music, a short feature film, and an important opportunity to transform lives through your giving.

View dates and locations

Thursday, February 2, 2017

Myanmar - Families fleeing violence need help


The panic began when gunfire erupted near temporary camps populated by people displaced from their villages by previous violence in Myanmar’s Kachin State, near the border with China.

With just minutes to escape the escalating violence, people in the camps grabbed what they could of their meager possessions and ran for their lives. Food, shelter, personal belongings, even medications were left behind. There simply was not enough time.

Right now, more than 6,400 people are on the move as a result of the violence; most are women and children, but there are many elderly people as well.

“People are deeply shaken by the experience, and having been forced to relocate several times before the most recent incident, they are very weary and afraid,” says Gum Shaw Awng of the Metta Development Foundation, our partner in Kachin State.

Without proper shelter, food, clean water, and other essentials, people who managed to flee the violence remain at great risk.

HOPE International Development Agency is launching this emergency appeal to raise the funds needed to provide families with urgently needed items such as emergency shelters, food, clean water, latrines, and personal hygiene kits.

An emergency gift from you today of $40, $60, or even $100 if you can, will help ensure that traumatized families are cared for as they seek shelter in other camps for displaced persons that are not in a conflict zone.

Giving online today ensures that your gift can be sent to help ease the suffering of families right away.

DONATE TODAY

Thursday, January 12, 2017

Solving a water problem with a local solution

Long periods of drought make farming in Andra Pradesh, India, a challenging enterprise, even in the best of years. Known for its extended dry season, the region’s farming families struggle to sustain themselves, let alone increase the amount of food they produce.

Gangireddy and his wife are among the many farming families who struggle with ever diminishing crop yields due to the harsh weather conditions in their area of Andra Pradesh. Their modest plot of 5-acres could produce all they and their two children need, and much more, if they had a reliable source of water for irrigating their fields of rice and vegetables.

When the dry season extends and becomes a drought, the water well that Gangireddy and his family rely upon runs very low, forcing Gangireddy to stop cultivating rice and reduce the amount of land he farms from 5-acres to just 3-acres of vegetables. Even worse, the yield of his 3-acres during periods of drought is significantly lower.

A homegrown solution solves Gangireddy’s water problem

Through a project supported by HOPE International Development Agency, Gangireddy joined a local farming support group. With assistance from HOPE and the other members of the group, Gangireddy then constructed a large pond on his farm to collect rainwater during the monsoon season.

After construction of the pond was completed, Gangireddy saw the effects of the pond immediately: the monsoon rains filled the large pond and provided a steady source of water to irrigate his crops and water his cows throughout the year, even during the dry season or times of drought.

Today, Gangireddy’s farm is producing more rice and vegetables than before and he continues to increase the size of his herd of milking cows. In addition, he plans to sow an additional acre very soon. He also intends to start raising fish in the pond, providing yet another source of good nutrition and income for his family.

In addition to his water storage pond, Gangireddy is learning new techniques to help the brief but heavy monsoon rains seep into the soil and retain moisture for crops, rather than running off along the surface of the soil.

Gangireddy and his family are a wonderful example of the positive change that happens when people are able to learn how to transform their lives through the support they receive.