Friday, December 28, 2018

A special end-of-year gift to bring clean water

By the end of 2018, Umbe will have carried 7,600 kilograms of water for more than 1,800 kilometres. The same is true for every other mother in Umbe’s community of Chano Dorga, located in the rugged highlands of southern Ethiopia.

Filled with dirty water from the Hare River - the main source of water for the families of Chano Dorga - the container strapped to Umbe’s back is heavy - nearly 22 kilograms. Despite the weight and pain, Umbe will faithfully carry the container for hours each day, risking her health and personal safety with each step she takes on the 5 kilometre path that leads to and from the river.

The journey home from the river is always an anxious one. Umbe wonders if today is the day the water in her container will make her children sick again, or worse. But what choice does Umbe have? Her family needs water, even if it’s dangerous. So, she gathers what she can where she can, even if it’s just metres from where filthy cattle bathe.

If Umbe had a choice, she would not give her children contaminated water to drink. Right now, Umbe doesn’t have a choice.

A generous end-of-year gift, given on or before December 31, 2018, will give Umbe clean water.
  • Umbe will never have to put her health and personal safety at risk again - no more dangerous journeys to the polluted Hare River; 
  • Umbe’s children will be healthy, not sick and at risk of dying from waterborne diseases like cholera and dysentery; 
  • The hours upon hours spent gathering water will be put to better use, such as growing more food, training for Umbe, and education for her children.

Your gift will help fund a gravity-fed water system that will distribute clean water from two underground springs, roughly 15 kilometres from Chano Dorga, directly to 15 water points in the community. In addition, a community health nurse will work with women in the community, providing education in health, hygiene, sanitation, and nutrition. Training will be provided so the community can maintain the system.

GIVE CLEAN WATER

Thursday, November 22, 2018


This season, give gifts that transform lives! Select from a wide variety of life-changing gifts from HOPE International Development Agency's 2018 GIFTS OF HOPE giving catalogue. The joy you give will be yours this Christmas!

GIVE GIFTS OF HOPE

Monday, November 19, 2018

Helping displaced people in Myanmar survive


Nearly 120,000 people have fled their homes and villages for the relative safety of 167 camps across Kachin and Shan states in conflict-ridden Myanmar.

Driven out by armed conflict between militant groups and government forces, displaced families are struggling to survive in the large camps, most of which are ill prepared for such a massive influx of people.

Basic needs, such as food and shelter, are often in short supply. Prices, for those who can afford to buy food like rice or other staples, continue to increase dramatically.

HOPE International Development Agency is supporting local organizations working in the camps to help reduce the vulnerability of displaced people, especially women and children - the most vulnerable in the crowded camps. For children, the situation is very difficult because of the challenging living conditions.

To help families, HOPE International Development Agency is supporting the construction of safe and appropriate shelters in the camps. Having a safe place to sleep and live makes life more bearable for families and helps restore dignity and safety after the trauma of being displaced from their homes and villages.

HELP FAMILIES TODAY

Friday, October 26, 2018

Clean water is the start of transformation in Mindanao

One sip of the water many indigenous families on the Philippine island of Mindanao are forced to drink can lead to serious illness. Among children, the bacteria-laden water they drink can be disabling and life-threatening. Families would gladly drink water that is not contaminated, but they lack the resources to construct water systems that would bring clean water into their communities.

Diarrhea, easily treated in settings other than rural Mindanao, is among the top 5 causes of illness across the rugged island.

Indigenous families on Mindanao live in remote communities in the mountains and forests. A chronic lack of basic services, such as clean water, make life incredibly challenging for everyone in these communities. In addition, indigenous families are marginalized, making it even more challenging for them to improve their lives.

HOPE International Development Agency is helping indigenous families by addressing the root cause of much of their struggle with poverty; a lack of easily accessible clean water.

Gravity-fed water systems, simple to construct and maintain, are being installed by communities with assistance from our local partners in Mindanao. These systems are a proven and effective method of bringing clean water from uncontaminated sources, such as underground springs, to central watering stations in communities.

Community members participate in the design and construction of each system, taking ownership of the resource. Each community nominates a committee to oversee the use of the clean water and manages the maintenance of the system. Each committee member is trained in water system management and maintenance, ensuring the sustainability of the system.

Beyond the positive health benefits made available by having clean water easily available, indigenous families are able to chart a new course for their communities when they have clean water. For children, having clean water in their communities means that they are no longer chronically ill and the time they used to spend helping gather water can now be spent in school. Clean water, when available in community schools, protects the health of students and teachers alike.

For indigenous families in Mindanao, clean water is the starting point for a journey out the poverty that has held them captive for decades.

Constructing a portion of a water system that will bring clean water to families.

Thursday, October 11, 2018

The first of our fall Film Premiere & Dinners are less than two weeks away.

Join us for dinner and help transform families in Nepal.

It's been just over 3 years since a massive earthquake struck Nepal, killing and injuring thousands.

We've been working with families in Nepal, but more needs to be done to help thousands of families rebuild their lives and livelihoods.

Families need to be free from poverty and together, we can make it happen
Film Premiere & Dinner events are being held in British Columbia in Abbotsford, Kelowna, Terrace, and Victoria.

In Alberta, Film Premiere & Dinner events are being held in Calgary, Edmonton, Grande Prairie, and Fort McMurray.



VIEW SCHEDULE

Thursday, September 27, 2018

Life in South Sudan: commitment through hardship

When South Sudan attained independence from Sudan in 2011, citizens of the world’s youngest country embraced the promise of a better future.

Unfortunately, the promise didn’t come true. Rival parties began been combating each other for power and resources. Since then, millions of people have been displaced or forced to flee to neighbouring countries.

In many parts of South Sudan, the civilian population suffers from famine. Fields have been destroyed by conflict or drought, and many people have fled to more secure, but overpopulated, less fertile regions. The ongoing insecurity within the country makes it impossible for farmers to plant or harvest crops for food. The resulting food shortages cause the price of groceries to increase dramatically and rampant inflation continues to devalue the country’s currency. Even for people with jobs, devaluation means that money does not last long as it loses value very quickly.

Flight to other regions or neighbouring countries is often the only option. But these hosted refugees and displaced people put enormous pressure on water resources, health care systems, and food security in the host communities.

HOPE International Development Agency has been working with local partners in South Sudan to bring relief to displaced people and the communities hosting them.

Ezo, a town in the south-west of South Sudan, hosts many displaced people. HOPE is helping displaced families in Ezo by providing emergency food and hygiene products to prevent a food crisis and the spread of disease.

For families fortunate enough to maintain some sense of normalcy in their lives, HOPE is helping them ensure their children can attend primary school and a newly established secondary school in the area. Families are also gaining access to a nearby source of clean water, through well drilling.

The situation in South Sudan is severe, but through it all, HOPE remains committed to families who are displaced and those who are holding on.

Thursday, September 13, 2018



HOPE In Nepal
When a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck in the heart of Nepal on April 25, 2015, HOPE International Development Agency responded quickly.

At first, efforts were focused on the immediate needs of food, water, and shelter. As relief efforts wound down, HOPE International Development Agency remained to help rebuild devastated rural communities, creating a strong bond with the people of Nepal.

“HOPE in Nepal” highlights this bond and tells the story of the ongoing need and the enormous potential of struggling families in Nepal.

Join us at a HOPE International Development Agency Film Premiere & Dinner in your area this fall.


VIEW FALL 2018 DINNER SCHEDULE

Tuesday, August 28, 2018




Right now, 7 million people in South Sudan are uncertain about where their next meal will come from. Yet despite the massive scale of this, it cannot seem to find its way into the news in a meaningful way these days.

Ongoing conflict in Western Equatoria, the region of South Sudan where we have been working for years, is forcing families to abandon their homes and farm fields and run for their lives. The few possessions they own are left behind as they flee from the towns of Nagero and Raga to the relative safety of Ezo.

Our longtime partner in South Sudan tells us that no other groups are coming to the aid of these families.

Families arrive in Ezo with nothing but the clothes on their backs. They need food. They need tools to establish small vegetable gardens. They need shelter.

Your gift of $50 will help provide urgently needed items such as basic food rations, tools to clear land in Ezo for family vegetable gardens, and shelter materials.

A MATCHING GRANT INCREASES THE IMPACT OF YOUR GIVING.

When matched, your generous gift of $50 becomes $200. A gift of $75 becomes $300. A very generous gift of $100 becomes $400!

Please, join with us in saving lives in Ezo, South Sudan. Help us ensure that families are fed and able to provide for themselves as they did before the conflict uprooted their lives.

DONATE TODAY

Sunday, July 22, 2018


Nearly 5,000 families displaced by violent conflict in Myanmar’s Kachin State are coming out of hiding. Unfortunately, no one is ready for them.

Camps for displaced persons are already at capacity and are not equipped for such a large influx of families.

Terrified by the spread of armed conflict, families fled their home villages. Until recently, they have been hiding deep in the forests. Exhausted and disoriented from their time on the run, they are leaving the relative safety of the forests in search of shelter, food, and care.

Arriving in already overcrowded displaced person camps, parents and children are further traumatized as they discover, after all they have been through, that shelter, food, and other supports are not available.

In the more than 10 years we have been helping families in Myanmar overcome adversity and poverty, the current situation is beyond anything we have seen. In response to the crisis, we have found a way to significantly increase the help we provide.

We need your help to make it happen.

When matched, your generous gift of $50 becomes $200. A gift of $75 becomes $300. A very generous gift of $100 becomes $400!

Your gift today will help provide the shelter and other assistance families displaced by violence so desperately need right now.

DONATE TODAY

Friday, July 6, 2018


Hope comes in many forms.

For Marie, a mother in the Ubangi Mongala region of Africa’s Democratic Republic of Congo, hope arrived in the form of a small fish called Tilapia.

Marie and her children were descending deeper into poverty. Despite Marie’s best efforts, her family was stuck in a hopeless situation.

Fortunately, hope arrived when Marie learned about Tilapia and fish farming. After participating in a training session and witnessing the success other families had achieved through fish farming, Marie decided raising Tilapia for food and income was how she would lift her family out of poverty.

In fact, Marie was so convinced fish farming would save her family she moved them to a piece of land on the outskirts of her small village, built a new thatch hut, and hand dug a huge pond for the Tilapia that would transform her family.

Marie’s determination, along with the initial support she received, enabled her family to begin their journey to self-reliance. Today, Marie is a leader in her community and is helping other families lift themselves out of poverty through fish farming like she did.

Help other families like Marie's.

Friday, June 29, 2018

Hope is coming for Sancha and family



The fear Sancha felt when the earthquake devastated her village in rural Nepal remains with her today.

During the earthquake she feared for the safety of her children. Today she feels an equally intense fear for their well-being and future.

The earthquake that took the few possessions Sancha and her family owned continues to dominate their lives today, 36 months later. The same is true for tens-of-thousands of Nepalese families who have not yet received the help they need to rebuild their lives.

Chin, Sancha’s husband, toils as a day labourer when work is available. He is often far away from home in search of work as he tries to earn income to feed his family. “It is very difficult because I would love to stay with my family, but I have to leave them and go away for work”, says Chin.

For Sancha, Chin, and their children, poverty is brutally simple. “When we work there is food”, says Chin. “When there is no work there is no food”. Sancha and Chin have a small plot of land on which they grow maize and millet. The harvest usually provides food, albeit in meagre portions, for up to six months. Beyond the challenges associated with not having enough food throughout the year, the situation is made worse by the fact that the nutritional quality of the food they grow and consume is very low.

“I feel worried when I see other people feeding their children and I can’t feed my own”, says Chin. When there is a bit of money, Sancha buys rice. Otherwise the one or two meals they eat each day consist of low-quality maize and millet grown on their small plot of land.

When Sancha needs money to buy food, she is forced to go to the local moneylenders who charge high rates of interest, especially to people like Sancha who live in abject poverty. The moneylenders profit from poverty and the borrowers suffer the consequences as they slip deeper into debt just to put food on their tables.

Sancha and Chin are caught in a cycle of poverty that worsens with each year. The earthquake shattered their confidence and it has not recovered.

There is, however, hope for people like Sancha and her family.

It begins with women’s groups. The groups provide mutual support, literacy training, skills development, micro-loans to help women start income-earning businesses, and most importantly, a feeling of confidence rarely found among women living in poverty in rural Nepal. The opportunities are as varied as the women in the group.

HOPE International Development Agency is supporting new groups for women in Nepal and if recent history is any indication, the groups will produce women that are confident in their ability to improve their lives, feed their families, and send their children to school. Transformation in remote villages devastated by the earthquake begins with women taking their first steps out of poverty by participating in women’s groups.

Thursday, June 21, 2018

Mun Maya, a portrait of confidence

Mun Maya sharing her success with the local women's group.

In a few terrifying moments a massive earthquake killed 9,000 people, injured thousands, shattered millions more lives and reduced remote villages across Nepal to unrecognizable piles of rubble.

Within 24 hours of the disaster, an additional one million people were added to the twenty-five percent of the country’s population living below the poverty line. Mun Maya and her family survived the earthquake, but her home and belongings were reduced to dust and debris.

“Before the earthquake, life was difficult”, says Mun Maya, whose family was poor and without the skills needed to earn an income. Som Bahadur, Mun Maya’s husband, did what he could, toiling as a day labourer when work was available. Their relationship strained and their children hungry, Mun Maya’s family was on the brink of collapse.

“I felt awful because I could not look after my children”, says Mun Maya. “I was ashamed. I had no voice and no way out of poverty”.

HOPE International Development Agency began responding right after the earthquake, providing urgently needed supplies of rice, drinking water, and shelter materials.

Mun Maya and her family are among the families we continue to help today because it is not just a matter of rebuilding a home, but rather, rebuilding a family deeply traumatized by poverty and the earthquake.

After the home rebuilding efforts were completed, the equally important work of helping families, like Mun Maya’s, find a way out of poverty began in earnest.

Mothers, while thankful their homes had been rebuilt, were keenly aware that a rebuilt home cannot in and of itself lift a family out of poverty. Mothers would have to do the work of transforming their families and communities.

Women’s groups were formed to bring a new sense of community, hope, and confidence through mutual support. Mun Maya joined one of the women’s groups because she realized she needed training, literacy skills, family health education, and equally importantly, a way to earn a reliable income. “When I joined the women’s group I wanted to do poultry farming”, says Mun Maya. She requested training and a small loan to start their poultry business, alongside with her husband. The loan she received would be paid back to the group so the money could be loaned out to the next woman. Mun Maya’s poultry business did well. It was profitable within three months and the loan was paid back in six months. Today, Mun Maya continues to expand her business. Recently she purchased a motorbike to transport her poultry to other markets. In addition, she has started raising goats.

Reinvesting the profit from her business is also making it possible to expand into grinding rice and maize and her husband has opened a carpentry shop that makes window frames for the local market. Mun Maya’s three children are now all in school and going hungry is no longer an issue.

“I am confident now”, says Mun Maya. “Even with a small investment, if we work hard we can do great things”.

Life is now much better than it ever was for Mun Maya and her family and the future looks nothing like the past.

Friday, June 15, 2018

Communities are revitalizing agriculture in Duchity, Haiti


It’s been two years since Hurricane Matthew dealt a brutal blow to Haiti. The southern area of the country, including the Duchity region in the province of Grand Anse, was hit hard. Families lost their homes, crops, and livelihoods.

Before the hurricane struck, the Duchity region of Haiti was a thriving agricultural community where HOPE International Development Agency and its local partner had established three agricultural cooperatives with a total of more than 3,000 members.

In the period after the hurricane, the three cooperatives continued to provide strong leadership in the region and today they are taking the next step in helping members revitalize their communities.

With help from friends of HOPE International Development Agency, the three cooperatives are engaged in the Kreyòl Garden, a three-year pilot project that will improve food security and livelihoods for households and communities while also repairing the environmental damage caused by the hurricane and deforestation.

Cooperative members are being trained in sustainable farming techniques that nurture the environment and preserve its ecological health. Test gardens are being used to determine the best crops and growing methods, using both annual and perennial crops specifically selected for markets, reforestation and fuel. In addition, different varieties of Haitian coffee, an important product in the local economy, will be tested in various gardens. The work done through Kreyòl Garden will result in a new model of agroforestry being established in the Duchity region of Haiti and a revitalization of the region's agriculture.

As part of the initiative, local cooperative leaders recently participated in a four-day learning exchange and site visit to the Dominican Republic, meeting with a local organization that has significant experience in coffee production and agroforestry gained over a period of 30 years.

The Haitian cooperative members, all of whom learned best practices and techniques that can easily be replicated in Haiti, are now serving as the primary leaders for the Kreyòl Garden pilot project.

The excitement continues to grow as members begin sharing their knowledge with their respective communities. The return to a thriving agricultural presence in Duchity is well on its way.

Thursday, June 7, 2018

Helena is leading her family out of poverty

Helena, a mother living in Mollakanda, Bangladesh, embodies the resourcefulness found in people who have learned to survive in abject poverty. That same resourcefulness, when supported with a little help, transforms families and communities.

Helena knew her family was in trouble and she needed to come up with a solution. Her work as a day laborer paid close to nothing. Shahabuddin, her husband, was struggling as well. Between the two of them they were not earning enough income to send their children to school and could barely afford food for their family. Their home, a shack that leaked incessantly even in the lightest rainfall, was damp, cramped and unsafe.

Helena came up with a solution. She would open a small store to earn the income her family needed.

Helena received training in basic business skills and learned about the inner workings of the market that served her community. With this new knowledge Helena opened her small store, carefully tracking the products that sold best at the market and investing in the more profitable or popular items. Helena’s efforts paid off and soon she was earning between $45 to $55 per month, significantly more than she or her husband had ever earned.

A portion of the earnings was used to start a small garden to grow vegetables for sale at her store. Another portion was set aside as savings which were eventually used to purchase two sheep. The plan is to sell the sheep at a profit and then purchase a cow.

Shahabuddin helps Helena with sales. With the income they earn they are able to feed their children three healthy meals per day, send them to school, and buy medications when they are sick.

In addition to the initial training, Helena and her family received a new home and latrine which has enabled the family to live a healthier life.

“I am very grateful for the unconditional support. It has changed our lives,” says Helena. Without this support, Helena and her family had no hope of transforming their lives.

Today, Helena and Shahabuddin are the parents they always wanted to be and are also helping others in their community break free from the cycle of poverty.

Tuesday, May 15, 2018

Our confidence is in families and you

VIEW ANNUAL REPORT

Confidence is a powerful force in the positive transformation of the world’s poorest families and communities.

Without confidence, poverty continues unabated. Life remains a tragic story authored by where a person is born, not their value or potential. The tragic story remains true for generations to come. The opposite is true when confidence is present, brought about by the generosity of people like you and the caring actions of our partners working directly with families caught in poverty.

When confidence is present families believe and envision, often for the first time, that they can build a life that is something other than poor.

They can be the first in generations to begin lifting themselves out of poverty.

With your compassionate help and the direct support of our partners, families develop imaginative solutions to their poverty. They grow more food, improve their health, create family-run businesses that generate sustainable income, and participate in skills training and education.

At HOPE International Development Agency, we have confidence in the families you enabled us to help through 60 initiatives in 19 countries worldwide.

Your confidence in how we steward your donations to help mothers, fathers, and children transform their lives is deeply appreciated and we honour your support by ensuring that costs are kept as low as possible and outcomes as profound as possible. Thank you for having confidence in us and the families you enable us to help each year.

Together we are changing the world.

Dale W. Bowler
Executive Director/CEO


VIEW ANNUAL REPORT

Friday, May 4, 2018

Join us for dinner in May and change lives


HOPE In Nepal
When a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck in the heart of Nepal on April 25, 2015, HOPE International Development Agency responded quickly.

At first, efforts were focused on the immediate needs of food, water, and shelter. As relief efforts wound down, HOPE International Development Agency remained to help rebuild devastated rural communities, creating a strong bond with the people of Nepal.

“HOPE in Nepal” highlights this bond and tells the story of the ongoing need and the enormous potential of struggling families in Nepal.

Join us at a HOPE International Development Agency Film Premiere & Dinner in your area in May.

View 2018 Events

Thursday, March 29, 2018

Join us for dinner and changes lives in Nepal


Join us this for dinner this Spring and help thousands of people in Nepal transform their lives.

You'll enjoy a wonderful meal, the company of friends, silent and live auctions, great music, a short feature film shot on location in Nepal, and an important opportunity to transform lives through your giving.

HOPE International Development Agency has been helping families worldwide since 1975, enabling them to transform their lives as they gain access to clean water, education, training, and new ways to earn income and grow more food.


View 2018 Events




Last year, the kindness and generosity of people who attended HOPE International Development Agency events in cities across Canada enabled well over 30,000 people in Bangladesh, Cambodia, and Ethiopia to begin transforming their lives.

BANGLADESH
Microcredit loans are enabling families to start small businesses.

In addition, families in Bangladesh are gaining access to:
  • Clean water for better health
  • Basic health care and medicines, especially for mothers & children
  • Secure shelter through newly constructed homes

Learn More


CAMBODIA
Wells, latrines, and agricultural training are enabling families to transform their lives.

In addition, families are gaining access to:
  • Improved education opportunities at newly constructed schools and school rooms
  • Increased nutrition and health through tools and seeds to plant home gardens

Learn More


ETHIOPIA
Clean water is changing everything for families in southern Ethiopia

In addition to clean water, families are gaining access to:
  • Centrally located water points throughout communities
  • Latrines for improved sanitation, health, and privacy
  • Self-help groups and loans to start new livelihood activities

Learn More

Thursday, March 22, 2018

Going beyond awareness on World Water Day, March 22


According to the United Nations, more than 663 million people do not have a safe water supply close to home, spending long hours trekking to distant sources and coping with the negative health impacts of using contaminated water.

World Water Day, March 22, serves as a reminder that water is fundamental to our very existence.

No one among us knows this better than families in countries like Ethiopia, where access to clean water is a major issue in the southern region of the country.

World Water Day means something different to people depending on where they live.

It is likely that no mother, father, or child living in a rural village in southern Ethiopia is concerned with World Water Day or its promotion. Their concern is centered around the question of whether they will have water today, and if they do, will it make them sick again.

Our concern, at HOPE International Development Agency, is the same as theirs. Clean water is a crucial part of lifting families out of poverty. Every family needs clean water.

The best way to ensure that World Water Day is not just another day in a calendar full of “awareness days" is to give a gift that helps bring clean water, for life, to families in rural villages throughout southern Ethiopia.

Celebrate the fact that you have clean water, in abundant supply, by giving the same to a family that does not have clean water.

GIVE CLEAN WATER TODAY

Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Self-reliance is one step away for families and a gift from you will make it possible.


Raising small farm animals, like pigs, is a way for families to increase the amount of food and income they have throughout the year, enabling them to become self-reliant.

Your gift of $60 will help ensure that a family receives a female pig, which they will raise and breed to produce piglets. Some of the piglets will be kept and others will be given to families in the village who will begin raising pigs and doing the same.

Your gift to a family today will grow to help many more families this year as the pig’s offspring are shared throughout the village. The positive impact of your gift will increase multiple times this year alone.

DONATE

Thursday, March 8, 2018

Celebrating the contributions and achievements of rural women on International Women’s Day

Elfinish (Upper Left), Aragesh (Upper Right), Kavitha (Lower Left), Phat (Lower Right)

Rural women make up over a quarter of the world population and on International Women’s Day, March 8, we celebrate their accomplishments in transforming their lives, their families, and their communities.

From food production, water management, disease prevention, health, education and skills training to small business development and economic progress, women are leading the way forward out of poverty in communities in countries like Ethiopia, Cambodia, and India.

Women like Elfinish are lifting themselves out of poverty through training and micro-loan support that enables them to start and successfully run family-based businesses that generate a reliable source of income that is transforming their families and communities.

Aragesh, a young mother we featured in a recent Perspective article, is among a group of women in Kamale Barrye-Oro, southern Ethiopia working together to solve common problems in their community and start small businesses that are improving the local economy.

Kavitha, a mother in Kannivadi, India, and her local women’s self-help group are working together to increase their incomes and savings by building better livelihoods for their families.

Phat, a mother in rural Cambodia has succeeded in transforming her family from impoverished to prosperous by taking full advantage of the new water well she received. She has used the water to improve the health of her children and grow nutritious vegetables for her family’s consumption and for sale on market days, generating an income that has enabled her to rebuild her modest home and send her children to school.

On International Women’s Day we celebrate the spirit, strength and amazing abilities of rural women throughout the developing world as they continue to transform their lives, their families, and their communities.

Thursday, March 1, 2018

Overcoming obstacles in Sri Lanka

Not being able to see hasn’t dampened the spirit of women and men with visual disabilities in Sri Lanka. It has, however, prevented them from attaining their dream of being free from poverty.

These are amazing people. They overcome disadvantage after disadvantage. They display grace and courage in the face of discrimination. They persist when most would give up.

Yet there is one obstacle that they have not been able to overcome – earning a reliable income. But you can change this today.

Specialized training and support will provide people with visual disabilities everything they need to start small businesses that generate reliable sources of income.

The training and small start-up loans will enable women and men with visual disabilities to start and successfully run small businesses, making products such as bricks, rattan chairs, braided rope, vegetables, and ground flour.

The income from their new businesses will enable women and men with visual disabilities to lift themselves out of poverty.

DONATE

Friday, February 23, 2018

More than Water. More than Money. Meet Aragesh.

Aragesh Kantifo (shown holding one of her children in photo) is a 20-year-old married mother of two children. This month HOPE International Development Agency colleagues and supporters visited her community of Kamale Barrye-Oro in southern Ethiopia. While there, they met Aragesh and heard a little bit of her story.

Late last year, construction of a gravity-fed spring cap water system was completed at high point above Aragesh’s community. As a result, community members now obtain clean water from taps at various water points conveniently located within the community.

There has been immediate improvement in health outcomes for the people living in Kamale Barrye-Oro, especially among the children. Many families have already attended training sessions where they’ve learned about good practices in the areas of health, hygiene, and sanitation.

And there is more. Over the past 4 months, 11 women’s self-help groups have been formed. Aragesh is a member of one of the groups and serves as its secretary. The women meet weekly to contribute to the group savings fund, share experiences, learn to solve common problems together, and learn about ways to start small businesses. The group savings fund has become a financial resource from which group members can borrow.

Recently, Aragesh took out her first loan of 200 Ethiopian birr, an amount equivalent to approximately $10 CAD. She used the loan to start a small business making a local beverage and bread which she sells café style outside her home. She plans to pay off the loan within two months, along with 10% interest. Once that is done she plans to take out a second, larger loan to expand her business.

Aragesh explained that until now she had never heard of the idea of saving money or investing in a business to earn a living. She spoke with great pride about being able to contribute to her household and support her children. She exuded incredible joy and confidence as she spoke with her visitors.

More than water. More than money. Aragesh has hope for her future and for that of her children.

Monday, February 5, 2018

Join us for dinner and changes lives in Nepal


Join us this for dinner this Spring and help thousands of people in Nepal transform their lives.

You'll enjoy a wonderful meal, the company of friends, silent and live auctions, great music, a short feature film shot on location in Nepal, and an important opportunity to transform lives through your giving.

HOPE International Development Agency has been helping families worldwide since 1975, enabling them to transform their lives as they gain access to clean water, education, training, and new ways to earn income and grow more food.


View 2018 Events




Last year, the kindness and generosity of people who attended HOPE International Development Agency events in cities across Canada enabled well over 30,000 people in Bangladesh, Cambodia, and Ethiopia to begin transforming their lives.

BANGLADESH
Microcredit loans are enabling families to start small businesses.

In addition, families in Bangladesh are gaining access to:
  • Clean water for better health
  • Basic health care and medicines, especially for mothers & children
  • Secure shelter through newly constructed homes

Learn More


CAMBODIA
Wells, latrines, and agricultural training are enabling families to transform their lives.

In addition, families are gaining access to:
  • Improved education opportunities at newly constructed schools and school rooms
  • Increased nutrition and health through tools and seeds to plant home gardens

Learn More


ETHIOPIA
Clean water is changing everything for families in southern Ethiopia

In addition to clean water, families are gaining access to:
  • Centrally located water points throughout communities
  • Latrines for improved sanitation, health, and privacy
  • Self-help groups and loans to start new livelihood activities

Learn More

Thursday, January 25, 2018

Women are a powerful force for change in communities throughout southern Ethiopia


Elfinish Abate is among a determined group of women helping lead their families and community of Wabe Shore out of poverty by creating and nurturing a community-based economy that benefits everyone.

Located in southern Ethiopia, Wabe Shore was among the poorest communities in the region until the completion of a gravity-fed water system funded by HOPE International Development Agency donors. The system provides clean water to 13,800 people living in the remote community nestled in the rugged hills that characterize the region. The hygiene and sanitation education that accompanies the arrival of clean water in a community ensures that the benefits of clean water, including good health, and a significant reduction in illness, are fully available to the entire community.

Having clean water available right in the community is doing more than improving the health of families in the community; it is providing the foundation upon which families are beginning their journey from poverty to prosperity.

Self-help groups are playing a crucial role in providing women with opportunities to create positive change in their lives and their communities.

The knowledge, resources, and confidence gained through participation in self-help groups creates a thriving community-based economy driven by women who are determined to transform, for the better, their families and their communities.

Elfinish and 19 of her friends and neighbours are members of a self-help group in Wabe Shore established after the water system was completed. The group gathers to learn how to successfully start and run small businesses, increase family savings, and most importantly, work together to overcome poverty. Most of the women in the group generate income by weaving traditional clothing to sell at the market.

Before joining the group, Elfinish did not have the knowledge or resources needed to improve her family’s quality of life.

After receiving training and a small loan from the group’s loan savings fund, Elfinish opened a small shop attached to her home, selling tea and small household items. Inspired by her success, Elfinish then invested her profit back into her business and purchased a sewing machine which she uses to create beautiful dresses and other clothing that she sells at the market and shop.

Working together to create solutions to poverty by developing businesses often creates unforeseen, highly beneficial outcomes.

Elfinish and her group meet to discuss and help solve social challenges in their community, including resolving family issues such as marital disputes. They also support community members through times of birth, death, or illness. This positive social change is being driven by women like Elfinish and her group members. They are now finding themselves better able to respond to the core issues that affect their community. Women and their children are among the most vulnerable in rural Ethiopia. Self -help groups enable women to create and participate in solutions that significantly improve life for them, their children, and their communities.

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Friday, January 19, 2018

Join us this for dinner this Spring and help thousands of people in Nepal transform their lives.

You'll enjoy a wonderful meal, the company of friends, silent and live auctions, great music, a short feature film shot on location in Nepal, and an important opportunity to transform lives through your giving.

HOPE International Development Agency has been helping families worldwide since 1975, enabling them to transform their lives as they gain access to clean water, education, training, and new ways to earn income and grow more food.

See locations and dates.

Thursday, January 11, 2018

Clean water is the beginning of positive, community-driven change

Recently, 1,600 indigenous people living on the Philippine island of Mindanao celebrated the completion of six water systems that will give them access to a reliable source of clean water in their communities. In addition to clean water, people are also receiving sanitation education which will give them the knowledge they need in order to improve their health.

At HOPE International Development Agency, we celebrated as well because the arrival of clean water marks the first step in a journey from poverty to self-sufficiency for indigenous families on Mindanao.

Beyond the abundant supply of clean water that the systems bring to communities, they also act as a catalyst for further positive changes across all aspects of family and community life. The relationships formed during the development and construction of the water systems enable people to partner with each other to transform their lives and communities. The perspectives of community members begin to change when they take action, like building a water system. People begin thinking about what is possible and start working together, as a community, to solve other challenges they face.

Helping people learn how to work together results in communities self-identifying what needs to be addressed and then collaborating to make change happen. Eventually, communities are able to move forward on their own, without having to look for external support of motivation.

The benefits of clean water go well beyond a significant reduction in the incidence of water-borne diseases. Families are able to spend time improving their households, growing more food, and thinking of new ways to thrive, rather than simply survive. Children are able to attend school because they do not have to spend much of their days searching for water.

The results speak for themselves
In a recent survey of community members expressed their opinions on key issues.

Before
65% of people surveyed gather their drinking water from contaminated sources.

After
100% of people surveyed now access clean water within 25 metres of their homes.

Before
78% of people surveyed were dissatisfied with their water sources due to the long distances from their homes.

After
100% of people are satisfied with their new water systems because the water is clean and nearby.