HOPE International

Description

HOPE International seeks to share the hope of Christ as they provide biblically based training, savings services, and loans that restore dignity and break the cycle of poverty.

History

Following the fall of the Soviet Union in Ukraine in the early 1990s, Jeff Rutt, a Lancaster, Pennsylvania-based homebuilder, traveled to Ukraine numerous times with his church, transporting containers of food, clothing, and medical supplies to the city of Zaporozhye.

After several of these visits, a local pastor pulled Jeff aside and told him honestly that the shipments were not helping. Instead of handouts, the pastor felt that his community needed a hand up.

Though people were accessing needed supplies, they had become dependent on American charity. In addition, local businesses could not compete with the free handouts. The well-intentioned aid shipments were actually doing more harm than good by depressing local industry and initiative.

Jeff returned from the trip with a strong drive to find a solution. He plunged into research and eventually discovered the concept of microenterprise development, then a little-known poverty alleviation strategy.

Peter Greer, HOPE’s current president, joined HOPE in 2004, ushering in a period of strategic growth and increased public awareness. Under Peter’s leadership, HOPE has grown to serve in 16 countries around the world.