Lina Feria never imagined that her small business selling homemade snacks could grow into a flourishing general store. Yet her story testifies that God can use small loans and persistence to transform a business and a whole family. 

We are excited to announce this year’s Homes for HOPE Honorees – Ezekiel Minani and Julienne Uwineza. When Ezekiel was first introduced to Urwego, HOPE’s microfinance institution in Rwanda, he and his wife Julienne and two young children lived in a small mud house with no running water or electricity. A small maize (corn) flour business couldn’t support their growing family. They dreamed of a better future but had no access to capital.

Last month, we told you about how Jacobo Benjamin, an immigrant in a difficult situation, laid a foundation for his family’s success. Because of Jacobo’s diligent savings over the years, his daughter Yasquina became the first person from Batey Margarita to attend university. Since then, her two brothers and eight other young people from the community have followed her example. After earning her medical degree, she returned to her hometown.

When Esperanza International, HOPE’s microfinance partner in the Dominican Republic, first arrived to Batey Margarita in 2006, Jacobo Benjamin was the first of his neighbors to take out a loan. Previously, Jacobo had worked in the nearby sugarcane fields, cutting and processing the crop. But when the processing company announced it was closing, Jacobo knew he would need to find a new a new source of income.

For years, a group of young people has built a reputation for being behind violent attacks in Brazzaville, the Republic of Congo’s capital. “These young people sow terror in the city,” says Ghislaine Matondo, who lives in the city with her husband, mother, and sister. Yet little has been done to address the danger, she explains: "Juvenile delinquency in our neighborhoods is a sensitive matter [to which] even politicians do not dare give concrete answers.”

For years, a group of young people has built a reputation for being behind violent attacks in Brazzaville, the Republic of Congo’s capital. “These young people sow terror in the city,” says Ghislaine Matondo, who lives in the city with her husband, mother, and sister. Yet little has been done to address the danger, she explains: "Juvenile delinquency in our neighborhoods is a sensitive matter [to which] even politicians do not dare give concrete answers.”

Flora de la Cruz Giron was having trouble finding a job that would allow her to support her family while caring for her children. She was selling products in the street when a friend invited her to join meetings for a solidarity group focused especially on women. Through that relationship, she took out her first loan from Esperanza International, HOPE’s partner in the Dominican Republic.