Thursday, October 22, 2015
You're invited to our October & November Film Premiere & Dinner events
If you live in Edmonton, Victoria, Abbotsford, Kelowna, or Terrace, there's still time to get your tickets for a HOPE International Development Agency 2015 Film Premiere & Dinner event in your city.
A wonderful meal, live music, silent and live auctions, and the company of friends is what you can look forward to at our 40th Year Celebration HOPE International Development Agency Film Premiere & Dinner events.
The highlight of the evening is our latest film, “A Promise to Chan”, shot on location in rural Cambodia earlier this year. The deeply moving and highly uplifting film chronicles the journey Chan and her family took out of abject poverty and into self-reliance.
Please join us for what is sure to be a memorable evening for you and for the families in Cambodia you will transform though your giving.
RESERVE YOUR TICKETS TODAY
To reserve your tickets, or for more information, please visit www.hope-international.com today or call, toll-free 1 (866) 525-4673.
Edmonton – Saturday, October 24
6:00pm Reception & 7:00pm Dinner
The Shaw Conference Centre
9797 Jasper Avenue Northwest, Edmonton, Alberta
Victoria – Friday, October 30
6:30pm Reception & 7:00pm Dinner
The Delta Victoria Ocean Pointe Hotel Resort & Spa
100 Harbour Road, Victoria, British Columbia
Abbotsford – Tuesday, November 3, 2015
6:30pm Reception & 7:00pm Dinner
Ramada Plaza Abbotsford Hotel & Conference Centre
36035 N Parallel Rd, Abbotsford, British Columbia
Kelowna – Thursday, November 5, 2015
6:30pm Reception & 7:00pm Dinner
Coast Capri Hotel
1171 Harvey Avenue, Kelowna, British Columbia
Terrace – Saturday, November 7, 2015
6:30pm Reception & 7:00pm Dinner
Northwest Community College
(House of Birch)
5331 McConnell Avenue, Terrace, British Columbia
Thursday, October 15, 2015
Getting from surviving to thriving
Life in rural Bangladesh is challenging on a good day. On a bad day, it’s hard to bear.
It was definitely a bad day when Parul’s husband left her and their two sons. The emotional trauma was difficult, but the physical challenge of surviving would prove to be equally difficult.
Work is hard to find in Barisal, an impoverished rural area of Bangladesh where Parul and her sons live, and Parul struggled to earn enough income to provide for her family. She would need help if she and her sons were going to do more than just survive.
Fortunately, Parul found the help she needed in a savings group supported by friends of HOPE International Development Agency. She joined the group and began attending meetings, along with 19 other women. At each meeting, Parul would learn more about basic money management, and she began contributing a small amount of money toward a group fund that would help women like her start small businesses.
Having learned what she needed to learn in order to start a small business that would support her family, Parul borrowed $85 from the group fund and used the money to start a small grocery business using the produce she was growing. Parul also attended additional training sessions focused on helping her maximize production and increase profit.
Parul paid back her first loan and then took a second loan to further increase the production of produce for her grocery store. Her second investment in growing her small business paid off. Today, Parul’s monthly income has doubled. She now earns roughly $170 a month.
“I feel blessed to be part of the savings group,” says Parul. “The loans and my business have made it possible for me and my sons to live without fear and have given us hope for the future!”
Parul (shown below with some of her produce) plans to use her new income to send her two boys to school. She also intends to purchase a cow and start selling milk at her grocery store.
It was definitely a bad day when Parul’s husband left her and their two sons. The emotional trauma was difficult, but the physical challenge of surviving would prove to be equally difficult.
Work is hard to find in Barisal, an impoverished rural area of Bangladesh where Parul and her sons live, and Parul struggled to earn enough income to provide for her family. She would need help if she and her sons were going to do more than just survive.
Fortunately, Parul found the help she needed in a savings group supported by friends of HOPE International Development Agency. She joined the group and began attending meetings, along with 19 other women. At each meeting, Parul would learn more about basic money management, and she began contributing a small amount of money toward a group fund that would help women like her start small businesses.
Having learned what she needed to learn in order to start a small business that would support her family, Parul borrowed $85 from the group fund and used the money to start a small grocery business using the produce she was growing. Parul also attended additional training sessions focused on helping her maximize production and increase profit.
Parul paid back her first loan and then took a second loan to further increase the production of produce for her grocery store. Her second investment in growing her small business paid off. Today, Parul’s monthly income has doubled. She now earns roughly $170 a month.
“I feel blessed to be part of the savings group,” says Parul. “The loans and my business have made it possible for me and my sons to live without fear and have given us hope for the future!”
Parul (shown below with some of her produce) plans to use her new income to send her two boys to school. She also intends to purchase a cow and start selling milk at her grocery store.
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
An AIDS Victim
As written by the author while in Ethiopia.
In a shack we saw him lying
As others before, surely dying.
For him any tears or crying?
Disease had been gripping,
Certain death now was nipping.
Life from him was slipping.
The look with hollow eye
On the mat where he lie,
Waiting for his hour to die.
We judge him the guilty one,
He had his day or two of fun.
And now his course has run.
But what about his wife?
Gone now, the precious life,
To think, he caused the strife.
Death, snatch him from the bed.
Surely as the one he’d wed.
For like her, he’ll soon be dead.
Question asks: “what to do?”
Answer responds: “who, and whom?”
Echo replies: “who but you?”
Postscript
An AIDS Victim was authored by a long-time friend of HOPE and the poor, after a journey into the slums of Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia.
"We saw the dying man. Then we visited the young dying mother, baby, and grandmother," recalls the author. "It was during the second visit that the doctor from England became so emotional and distraught that she left the house. I soon followed and met with her by the car as she wept." Later that day, the author penned the poem.
Thursday, October 1, 2015
The need for kindness in South Sudan
Life has been horribly difficult for children in South Sudan. They desperately need the kindness friends of HOPE International Development Agency can give.
Many of these children, like Nyanath, have lived through the trauma of armed conflict.
Some, like Deng, have lost loved ones or friends - something no child should have to go through.
All of these children have experienced the suffering that drinking dirty water can cause.
None of these children has had the opportunity to sit in a classroom and learn the skills that will free them from poverty.
It does not cost much for you to become a child’s friend. However, as you can see, it costs a child far more if they do not have a friend.
Providing one child with clean water, education, and hygiene training costs $150.
You can become a friend to a child in desperate need by giving what you can to help provide clean water, education, and hygiene training today.
Help a child in South Sudan.
Many of these children, like Nyanath, have lived through the trauma of armed conflict.
Some, like Deng, have lost loved ones or friends - something no child should have to go through.
All of these children have experienced the suffering that drinking dirty water can cause.
None of these children has had the opportunity to sit in a classroom and learn the skills that will free them from poverty.
It does not cost much for you to become a child’s friend. However, as you can see, it costs a child far more if they do not have a friend.
Providing one child with clean water, education, and hygiene training costs $150.
You can become a friend to a child in desperate need by giving what you can to help provide clean water, education, and hygiene training today.
Help a child in South Sudan.
Thursday, September 24, 2015
HOPE's October Film Premiere & Dinner events are just weeks away.
If you live in Calgary, Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie, Edmonton, or Victoria, there's still time to get your tickets for these dates
Calgary – October 17
The Sheraton Eau Claire
Fort McMurray - October 19
The Sawridge Inn & Conference Centre
Grand Prairie - October 21
The Pomeroy Hotel & Conference Centre
Edmonton – October 24
The Shaw Conference Centre
Victoria – October 30
The Delta Victoria Ocean Pointe Hotel Resort & Spa
A wonderful meal, live music, silent and live auctions, and the company of friends is what you can look forward to at our 40th Year Celebration HOPE International Development Agency Film Premiere & Dinner events.
The highlight of the evening is our latest film, “A Promise to Chan”, shot on location in rural Cambodia earlier this year. The deeply moving and highly uplifting film chronicles the journey Chan and her family took out of abject poverty and into self-reliance.
Please join us for what is sure to be a memorable evening for you and for the families in Cambodia you will transform though your giving.
To reserve your tickets, or for more information, please visit www.hope-international.com today or call, toll-free 1 (866) 525-4673.
Friday, September 18, 2015
Overcoming poverty by working together to create local solutions
Even though 80 percent of families living in Layyah, Pakistan are completely reliant on livestock for their survival, no one could figure out how to reopen the only veterinary clinic in the region.
At first glance, the problem seemed to be the lack of veterinary services in the region, which is home to nearly 15,000 livestock.
A closer look, however, revealed that the real problem was that families were unsure of how to work together to get the clinic reopened.
HOPE International Development Agency assisted families in Layyah by helping them set up an action group focused on reopening the clinic. During the monthly meetings and training sessions held by the group, women and men in Layyah learned to work together to achieve common goals and build strategies for securing support from the local government.
The group raised awareness of the need for a veterinary clinic by holding press conferences and hosting other public events. After several events, the local government became aware of the need for a veterinary clinic and attended one of the press conferences.
Within a week of attending the conference, government officials not only appointed a veterinarian for the clinic, but also provided medicines for the clinic’s dispensary.
Today, the clinic is fully functional and providing services to Layyah and an additional 23 villages in the surrounding area.
With a bit of help and encouragement, families worked together to create a local solution that resulted in the veterinary clinic being reopened – a very important step in their journey out of poverty!
At first glance, the problem seemed to be the lack of veterinary services in the region, which is home to nearly 15,000 livestock.
A closer look, however, revealed that the real problem was that families were unsure of how to work together to get the clinic reopened.
HOPE International Development Agency assisted families in Layyah by helping them set up an action group focused on reopening the clinic. During the monthly meetings and training sessions held by the group, women and men in Layyah learned to work together to achieve common goals and build strategies for securing support from the local government.
The group raised awareness of the need for a veterinary clinic by holding press conferences and hosting other public events. After several events, the local government became aware of the need for a veterinary clinic and attended one of the press conferences.
Within a week of attending the conference, government officials not only appointed a veterinarian for the clinic, but also provided medicines for the clinic’s dispensary.
Today, the clinic is fully functional and providing services to Layyah and an additional 23 villages in the surrounding area.
With a bit of help and encouragement, families worked together to create a local solution that resulted in the veterinary clinic being reopened – a very important step in their journey out of poverty!
Thursday, September 10, 2015
It takes more than courage
Courage is no substitute for a life-changing gift.
Halgage, a young mother of three children, knows this to be painfully true. No amount of courage and hard work on her part brought her one step closer to becoming free from poverty.
“Our life was miserable. We did not have enough food, clothing, or income,” says Halgage, recalling the immense burden she felt in not being self-reliant.
Halgage’s husband labored in the fields of others and despite his best effort, he could not earn enough income to support his family. Halgage spent her days trekking through the countryside, fetching whatever water she could find, most of which made her and her family very sick.
Then something wonderful happened. Friends of HOPE International Development Agency gave so that we could collaborate with Halgage’s community to install a water system to provide a plentiful supply of clean water to the entire community.
The day the water system was completed and operational was the day Halgage said a joyful goodbye to the 5-hour treks she had endured for decades.
Halgage knew what she would do with her newfound hours each day. She would concentrate fully on making her family’s dream of being free from poverty become a reality.
But as Halgage quickly found out, it would not be that simple. A big obstacle stood in the way of achieving her family’s dream of being free from poverty.
“We had the potential to work and improve our living conditions, but we had nowhere to borrow the money we needed to get started,” says Halgage, recalling the hopelessness she felt.
The solution to overcoming this obstacle became apparent when Halgage joined a self-help group, a small group of 20 like-minded women in her village who come together to learn new skills, support each other in starting small businesses, and solve challenges faced by their community.
Halgage developed a plan, borrowed a small amount of money, and got to work making her family’s dream of self-reliance a reality.
With her borrowed money, Halgage rented a small plot of land and purchased tools and seeds to grow vegetables, which she continues to sell, for a good profit, in small markets in the neighboring towns of Gezeso, Laka, and Belta today.
Every basket of vegetables sold increased Halgage’s confidence and her family’s quality of life. With her ever-improving confidence, Halgage expanded her small business to include buying cereal crops in her village and selling them, at a profit, at the same local markets where she sold her harvest of homegrown vegetables. Halgage and her family, with the help of her friends and fellow self-help group members, also built a new home of bamboo and thatch, using some of the proceeds from her business.
All of this incredible change was made possible because a friend of HOPE International Development Agency gave a gift that made a huge difference for Halgage and her family.
“Now I am self-employed and can help my family and send my children to school,” says Halgage, her face beaming with pride. “Our income is dramatically increased from before and we now have enough food, clothing, medication, and things like education materials.”
“I never dreamed I’d have such a wonderful life, but it happened,” says Halgage, recalling how desperately poor she and her family used to be.
It takes more than courage for people like Halgage to become free from poverty. It takes your gift.
Help a family like Halgage’s become free from poverty today.
Halgage, a young mother of three children, knows this to be painfully true. No amount of courage and hard work on her part brought her one step closer to becoming free from poverty.
“Our life was miserable. We did not have enough food, clothing, or income,” says Halgage, recalling the immense burden she felt in not being self-reliant.
Halgage’s husband labored in the fields of others and despite his best effort, he could not earn enough income to support his family. Halgage spent her days trekking through the countryside, fetching whatever water she could find, most of which made her and her family very sick.
Then something wonderful happened. Friends of HOPE International Development Agency gave so that we could collaborate with Halgage’s community to install a water system to provide a plentiful supply of clean water to the entire community.
The day the water system was completed and operational was the day Halgage said a joyful goodbye to the 5-hour treks she had endured for decades.
Halgage knew what she would do with her newfound hours each day. She would concentrate fully on making her family’s dream of being free from poverty become a reality.
But as Halgage quickly found out, it would not be that simple. A big obstacle stood in the way of achieving her family’s dream of being free from poverty.
“We had the potential to work and improve our living conditions, but we had nowhere to borrow the money we needed to get started,” says Halgage, recalling the hopelessness she felt.
The solution to overcoming this obstacle became apparent when Halgage joined a self-help group, a small group of 20 like-minded women in her village who come together to learn new skills, support each other in starting small businesses, and solve challenges faced by their community.
Halgage developed a plan, borrowed a small amount of money, and got to work making her family’s dream of self-reliance a reality.
With her borrowed money, Halgage rented a small plot of land and purchased tools and seeds to grow vegetables, which she continues to sell, for a good profit, in small markets in the neighboring towns of Gezeso, Laka, and Belta today.
Every basket of vegetables sold increased Halgage’s confidence and her family’s quality of life. With her ever-improving confidence, Halgage expanded her small business to include buying cereal crops in her village and selling them, at a profit, at the same local markets where she sold her harvest of homegrown vegetables. Halgage and her family, with the help of her friends and fellow self-help group members, also built a new home of bamboo and thatch, using some of the proceeds from her business.
All of this incredible change was made possible because a friend of HOPE International Development Agency gave a gift that made a huge difference for Halgage and her family.
“Now I am self-employed and can help my family and send my children to school,” says Halgage, her face beaming with pride. “Our income is dramatically increased from before and we now have enough food, clothing, medication, and things like education materials.”
“I never dreamed I’d have such a wonderful life, but it happened,” says Halgage, recalling how desperately poor she and her family used to be.
It takes more than courage for people like Halgage to become free from poverty. It takes your gift.
Help a family like Halgage’s become free from poverty today.
Thursday, September 3, 2015
An evening you'll remember
Celebrating 40 years & 20 million lives changed.
A wonderful meal, live music, silent and live auctions, and the company of friends is what you can look forward to at our 40th Year Celebration HOPE International Development Agency Film Premiere & Dinner events this fall in British Columbia and Alberta.
The highlight of the evening is our latest film, “A Promise to Chan”, shot on location in rural Cambodia earlier this year. The deeply moving and highly uplifting film chronicles the journey Chan and her family took out of abject poverty and into self-reliance.
Please join us this fall for what is sure to be a memorable evening, for you and for the families in Cambodia you will transform though your giving.
To reserve your tickets, or for more information, please visit www.hope-international.com today.
A wonderful meal, live music, silent and live auctions, and the company of friends is what you can look forward to at our 40th Year Celebration HOPE International Development Agency Film Premiere & Dinner events this fall in British Columbia and Alberta.
The highlight of the evening is our latest film, “A Promise to Chan”, shot on location in rural Cambodia earlier this year. The deeply moving and highly uplifting film chronicles the journey Chan and her family took out of abject poverty and into self-reliance.
Please join us this fall for what is sure to be a memorable evening, for you and for the families in Cambodia you will transform though your giving.
To reserve your tickets, or for more information, please visit www.hope-international.com today.
Thursday, August 27, 2015
Embraced rather than ostracized
As a single parent living in abject poverty in rural Bangladesh, Ruma faced a tough choice.
She and her children could try to make a go of it living on their own, or they could all move in with her parents who were also poor.
Living on their own would most certainly put Ruma and her children at risk given that she had few skills and little or no income.
Living with her parents would mean placing the burden of her poverty on her parents, something Ruma did not want to do. Being unable to contribute to the household’s income would also put Ruma at risk of being ostracized or even abused within the community.
In the end, Ruma and her children moved in with her parents, the only real choice between the two very tough choices she faced.
Fortunately for Ruma, her children, and her parents, HOPE International Development Agency was working in the district of Pakhia where they live.
When HOPE first began working to help improve the health and well-being of women and children in Pakhia, more than one-third of households reported that their children were malnourished. Two-thirds of children in the district suffered from frequent fevers, and nearly one in five children suffered from diarrhea, typhoid, scabies, or pneumonia.
Today, because of the collaboration between HOPE and communities in Pakhia, 93% of households report that their children are better nourished and 78% report that they are consuming fruits and vegetables from their own gardens. In many cases, families are earning income with their gardening.
Ruma received training in the cultivation techniques needed in order to grow a variety of vegetables and fruits in a garden of her own. As her skills and garden grew, Ruma included more vegetables in the family meals. Today, vegetables are an important part of every meal, and as a result, Ruma’s children are now healthy and happy.
The training and skills Ruma possesses has also enabled her to earn income by selling a portion of her vegetable harvests at the local market. The income she receives helps support her parents and send her children to school.
Because of her success, Ruma is now the leader of a local community group and serves as a role model for others in her community looking for the inspiration needed in order to transform their lives.
Ruma is provider rather than a burden, and instead of being ostracized, she has been embraced by her community as an example of the amazing transformation that can take place when people receive the help they need.
Friday, August 21, 2015
New crisis emerging in Myanmar
A new crisis is emerging in the aftermath of Typhoon Komen, the huge storm that swept through Myanmar earlier this month.
The storm affected 1 million people and current estimates show that more than 700,000 acres of the 1.2 million acres of farmland flooded by the storm are damaged.
This is a big blow for farming families who rely on their crops for food and income. The next rice harvest is in jeopardy if they cannot restore their way of life and farm fields in the coming weeks.
HOPE International Development Agency is helping families in the aftermath of Typhoon Komen and we urgently need additional funds to meet to the enormous need.
Families need our help in order to avoid becoming unnecessarily dependent on food aid for months to come and taking on unaffordable debt in order to meet their basis household needs - both of which will draw them deeper into poverty.
PLEASE DONATE ONLINE TODAY
Donate by phone at (toll-free) 1-866-525-HOPE(4673).
Thursday, August 13, 2015
Number of people affected by flooding in Myanmar rises to 1 million
Myanmar Update - 1 million people are now affected by widespread flooding in Myanmar and more help is urgently needed.
Concerns for the long-term food supply of families affected by the flooding and destruction continue to deepen as another 200,000 acres of farmland are now flooded.
In all, 1.2 million acres of farmland are currently under water, with 450,000 acres completely destroyed. The flooding is massive and has impacted all but 2 of the country’s 14 states.
One aid official in Myanmar says that people who are able to return to their homes are returning to nothing.
HOPE International Development Agency is continuing to help families affected by this terrible disaster by providing urgently needed items such as food, clean water, sanitation, hygiene, shelter, fodder for farm animals, and support for farms.
The number of people affected by the flooding has increased greatly and additional help is needed in order to help as many families as possible.
PLEASE DONATE ONLINE TODAY
Donate by phone at (toll-free) 1-866-525-HOPE(4673).
Thursday, August 6, 2015
Survivors of Cyclone Komen need help right away
 |
| A woman with all that remains of her belongings. |
Families in Myanmar were already coping with weeks of heavy rain when Cyclone Komen stormed into their lives earlier this week.
In addition to high winds, flash floods, and destruction on a massive scale, Cyclone Komen has also brought misery and suffering to the people of Myanmar, 70 percent of whom live on 2 dollars a day or less.
More than 300,000 people are affected. Nearly 1 million acres of farmland are submerged. Food and clean water are scarce to non-existent. Shelter is equally hard to find. Roads have vanished and rivers, normally used for transportation, continue to rage and remain choked with tons of debris.
“Flash flooding submerged my seven metre high, two-story home,” says one father whose family survived the torrent of water that tore through much of Myanmar earlier this week.
HOPE International Development Agency is raising funds to help families recover in the aftermath of the huge storm.
It costs $100 to help provide one family with what they need in order to recover from this terrible disaster. Your gift of $50, $75, $100, or more would be a blessing as it helps provide a family with urgently needed items such as food, clean water, sanitation, hygiene, shelter, fodder for their farm animals, and support for their farms.
DONATE ONLINE TODAY
Donate by phone at (toll-free) 1-866-525-HOPE(4673).
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