Project Stories

“It Started With a Daily Meal, Now on to Med School.”

We bumbled out of the 15-passenger van and onto the narrow dirt streets that wound through Kalandra, a remote village in South India. As we came around a corner we were greeted by a quickly-forming drumline as the kids from our Feeding and Tutoring Centers raced to greet us.

As the dust settled and the kids led our group on, one young man came up to me. His name was Jana. He told me that he grew up in this village and that he started attending our Feeding Center when he was in 2nd grade. He received a daily meal and tutoring throughout his schooling and excitedly told me he had graduated high school. He told me more kids need an opportunity like he had—so he’s been volunteering as one of the tutors at our center. As we chatted about what was next for him, he motioned for me to follow him. Meandering back through the narrow alley, he took me into a small home.

“Is this your home?” I said. “Yes,” he replied. I asked about his family. He told me his mom looks for different jobs each day and makes about $2/day, his dad—like many of the dads in this community—worked harvesting and cutting coconuts. They didn’t have much to provide for Jana. But then Jana reached back into a little bedroom and pulled out a thick textbook. It was a Med School Exam Prep book. He beamed as he showed it to me and told me he was getting ready to test in May.

The people in Kalandra haven’t had much access to opportunity, but now Jana was on the brink of Med School. His story life has been transformed—and a daily meal with a little tutoring has played a key part in that. A meal for one of these centers costs $.50 and as those little meals add up, lives are brought hope.

A Young Man’s Call.

“If I had not gotten the scholarship, I probably would not have money. Working is not enough. It’s kind of despair. Without the scholarship I would probably have a life in crime and drugs.”

I was sitting with Anthony and his mom in their small, one-room home made of corrugated steel in Mathare, Kenya. Things were cramped, but hope seemed to be present. He was telling me of his journey through school and how he received a college scholarship from The Hope Venture.

The journey started when he had to drop out of high school because he didn’t have enough money to pay the fees. “I had to hustle for some money, assisting a carpenter and making less than $1 a day. Work was inconsistent.” Our partner, Fanuel, would stop by and visit Anthony while he was working, and eventually Fanuel helped Anthony get sponsored so he could finish high school.

But a high school education wasn’t going to be enough…life in Mathare is really hard. It’s the second-largest slum in Kenya, crime is high, and many people don’t have jobs. Anthony’s dad even roams the streets trying to find work, but he often returns empty-handed. As the first-born, Anthony felt the responsibility of not only moving out to make more physical space in their home, but he also felt the call to go out and pursue his purpose.

That purpose is to be a teacher; to get his degree, come back to Mathare, and raise up the next generation of students so they can also pursue a better life for themselves. Thanks to The Hope Venture, our donors, and our partnership with Fanuel, Anthony is able to go after that future with a college scholarship.

Chatting with him I could sense his feeling of responsibility. He himself said that without the scholarship he would probably be in a life of crime and drugs…that’s just reality in Mathare. But because people chose generosity and gave to a scholarship fund, this young man is able to move toward his purpose and improve the lives of others because of it.

Our First Recipient.

In 2009, we launched our Backpack Project… the first of over 60 projects in the last 15 years. 

We were in a rock quarry, where our partner Charlie had been burdened by the overwhelming need of the children there. They didn’t have opportunities that other children had. They lived in straw huts in the dust of the quarry, they were dirty, often hungry, and Charlie wanted desperately to do something about it. He wanted them to know they were seen and loved.

A little girl named Gayathri was the first recipient. Little did we know she would go on even past 8th grade, let alone on into college, and amazingly even then go to work for an international company someday.

We were so excited earlier this year, thousands and thousands of backpacks later, to meet back up with Gayatri. We hugged, cried, caught up, and paused to reflect on the small choices that took place one day in 2009 that have led to us both being a part of something so special. Awesome.

Listen to My Cry.

“My mother died and my father became very ill. I went to live with my sister to care for her children and her household but she was cruel and beat me. 

I have a husband but he has left me. I am alone and have no support. 

My first baby died. I went to check on him and he was no longer living. I don’t know what happened. Now this baby is sick, she doesn’t cry. I am worried for her. I named her Kirabo because in English it means ‘gift from God.’

Can you help me?”

This is just one—one story, told in Lugandan and broken English among a crowd of villagers seeking medical care under a large shade tree. 

“Hear my prayer, Lord, and listen to my cry for help; Do not be silent to my tears; for I am a stranger with you” (Psalm 39).

We were, in fact, able to help her; Rachel. Sometimes God’s response to that cry comes in the form of Dr. Emma’s medical outreach team and malnutrition clinic. That day we were able to take Rachel and her baby back to the city with us to receive ongoing care from Dr. Emma and his team at their clinic. They’re in good hands there, and I have hopes that the staff of doctors and nurses will be able to help Rachel’s baby.

I’m humbled and privileged to bear witness to the beautiful and unique ways that God is using His people to bring hope to the hopeless. 

The Little Shop that Could.

Mike and his mom run a small shop in Mathare, Kenya. They had very little—their entire inventory was just $60 worth of supplies. Less than the typical Target run where I’m from. Even worse, a flood two months ago wiped out their store entirely. They lost the structure (which I think was just a small roof) and all of their inventory. Fanuel and his team stepped in to help but they could only provide $20 worth. Yet here they stood, smiling, joking, and showing us kindness. They seemed to have hope.

Mike is in college now thanks to Fanuel and his team. He is studying procurement and wants to help improve the shop. His determination in the midst of such challenging circumstances makes me, too, hopeful.

The Floodwaters that Took Everything.

At 3 am she woke up to screams coming from outside her house. Diana and her family got up and looked out the door and there below them, water rushed past from heavy rains tearing apart the structures around them. The houses below their house were already washed away and people were fleeing up the hill. Diana and her family left their home and their only possessions and ran for their lives up the hill.

The flood took everything. They didn’t have much because her mom worked daily wage jobs and her dad wasted the money he earned on alcohol. But what little they did have, was now gone.

Our partner Fanuel was quick to try and help as many flood victims as possible and within a few days he got Diana’s family a new place to stay and helped furnish it a bit.

But, in the stress, cold, and exhaustion of it all, Diana’s mom was getting sick. She had a pre-existing heart condition that flared up and now Diana was worried about her mom. Diana called Fanuel and he immediately sent a motorcycle to pick them up with some cash to go to the health clinic. When they got there though, the staff told them they couldn’t help her and to send her to the hospital. So Diana called Fanuel again and he sent more money and a driver, and that time he met them at the hospital.

Diana was telling Kacie and me this story through tears in a small home in Mathare. I asked what happened next and Fanuel said that the cost of treatment for Diana’s mom was too much for them all. He said the expenses were heavy, “Oxygen alone was 500 shillings an hour.” So they had to stop the treatment and shortly after, Diana’s mom passed away.

When he said this I was taken aback. 500 shillings is only $5. Diana had to say goodbye to her mom because the oxygen costs $5 an hour.

Sometimes, if I’m honest, poverty doesn’t look too bad. I meet a really nice family on a sunny day. They have a small home but we play games, we smile, and there is still a strong sense that we’re all just humans. It’s tempting to think it doesn’t seem that bad. But it’s in moments like this story where poverty can really bare its teeth. Poverty eliminates options. It eliminates protection. It eliminates any degree of control. And on a good day, that might feel okay. But when the water comes rushing through your neighborhood and your home is made of sticks and tin, and your mom has been battling a heart condition on her own because there’s no money for doctor visits, you can loose everything you love so fast.

Diana smiled and joked with Fanuel during the story. She’s still very much human. She still finds moments of joy and even hope, but there is a burden on her shoulders that is too great. She’s asked now to navigate life and take care of her sisters with very little opportunity.

In the midst of all this, we have been able to get her a scholarship to go to college. She wants to learn about business. I’m devastated that the things poverty has taken from Diana are not things we can give back—her mom, the comfort of her old home, or her childhood for that matter. But I am hopeful that a chance to go to college might open a new door—one that had previously been closed. I’m hopeful that by funding an incredible community leader like Fanuel, he can start to prevent more kids from poverty’s devastating effects.

We can’t take away the pain of the past, but we can help try to pave new futures.

A Mother’s Love.

A mother’s love is a truly audacious force. It’s a kind of love that will overcome the gut-wrenching blows of loss, grief, sickness and pain to make a better way for their children. It is self-sacrificing, loyal and ever-committed to help form a strong and healthy future for the ones they love, even when it comes at the cost of their own well-being.

This is Gurubari’s story.

As a young girl, Gurubari grew up with her family in a village in Eastern India. Married at 20 to a man her parents arranged for her, Gurubari quickly started a family of her own. Her life was forever changed by the birth of her son, and it wasn’t long after that before they welcomed a daughter to the family, too. They owned a beautiful home and shared a wonderful life together, but it wasn’t long before tragedy struck. Ten years into their marriage, Gurubari’s husband died, leaving Gurubari all alone as a single mom to provide and care for her two young children. 

It was also about this time when Gurubari got sick. 

With strong character and unwavering courage, Gurubari found work as a day laborer. For nearly 20 years, she worked tirelessly to support her two children and provide for their needs and education. Her focus after losing her husband was solely on creating a better future for her son and daughter, despite the toll it took on her. But shortly after her husband’s death, Gurubari was also exposed to leprosy, and this illness led to decades of excruciating pain and incessant degradation. 

Gurubari’s wounds grew so severe that she was barely able to walk. They were infected and bleeding, causing fever symptoms that were never-ending. But Gurubari had never received treatment. Never once had she gone to a clinic to care for herself, but instead put all her income towards her children’s futures. Her daughter got married and moved away. But due to the leprosy on her leg, her neighbors forced her to move out of her home. Then, her son unexpectedly passed away. Gurubari was left all alone, with nowhere to go. As a last resort, she found herself at West Bengal’s Gidni Leprosy Colony. 

Through our Leprosy Care Project, Gurubari is finally receiving the treatment she desperately needed. She is receiving regular medical visits right at her front door, and because of access to medication and consistent treatment, Gurubari no longer suffers from high fevers or infections. With help from the treatment center, paired with her determination and positive outlook, Gerubari is hopeful about her future after recovery from leprosy. 

Leprosy is an isolating disease. Even though 95% of the population is immune, the fear of being exposed to its bacteria leaves most people with this condition severed from their families and loved ones. Gerubari has a dream to fully recover from leprosy so that she can one day be reunited with her daughter. She has no desire to stay in a leper colony, with her only option for income as a beggar on the streets. But with healing comes hope, and Gerubari has a deep hope to recover from her illness and live the remainder of her days with her family––the ones her mother’s love has always fought for.

A Second Chance.

When you find yourself abandoned and alone, who do you turn to?

When you’re kicked out of your home, overtaken by addiction and despair, where do you go?

When life is falling apart, health is failing, and you’re at your worst, what do you do?

This paralyzing place is where we first met Meena. 

After an inconsolable fight with her family, Meena found herself helpless and living on the streets of India. To cope with the heavy loss of her family, she took to drinking to numb the pain. Lost in the endless cycle of drinking to escape, Meena’s addiction became so severe her body began to shut down. 

Alone on the streets, Meena suffered a severe stroke. 

When the police found her, she was unable to walk or even lift her head off the ground. It was hard to tell if her nervous system would ever recover or if she’d survive. With no one to call and nowhere else to go, the police carried Meena off from the streets and brought her to the Home of Hope. 

The Home of Hope is a homeless shelter where hundreds of people with mental and physical disabilities live and receive care. Many are near death when they arrive, and are welcomed into a safe space to live out their final weeks or months of life in peace and with dignity. But for Meena, her stay at the Home of Hope did not mark the end of her life. Instead, it brought about transformative rehabilitation and healing.

With the help of medical professionals, Meena received the treatment she needed not only to survive, but to live a better life. Miraculously, she has learned to walk again,and has been serving the Home of Hope community by cutting vegetables and preparing food in the kitchen. Not only have the skilled staff team helped Meena learn useful skills, but they’ve also walked alongside her through her addiction. Since coming to the Home of Hope, Meena is no longer drinking or relying on alcohol to cope with her pain. She has found a safe place to live, growing from others with purposeful ways to give back.

Meena is not only growing in health and skills, but also in dreams for her future. She now feels safe to talk with the Home of Hope team about her family, and has hopes for reconciliation with her daughter. Where many would have said her life was over, Meena was taken in and cared for. From having nowhere to go and no one to turn to, Meena now has a community around her of support to help her build a better future–a life richer than the one she left behind on the streets. Others cared for her when she couldn’t care for herself, and have given her a priceless gift.

The gift of a second chance. 

Standing in the Gap.

Born into heartbreak and humble beginnings, Florence is no stranger to hard and heavy things. From the very first months of life, there has been a chord of grief woven into her story. The unexpected death of her twin sister at three months was a devastating blow—a sister so intimately connected but never got the chance to know. But even despite heartbreaking loss, her parents loved her and worked hard to care for Florence and her brother.

In a rural village in Southern Uganda, Florence was forced to grow up fast. Too fast. While most little girls her age are playing with dolls or dancing and singing with friends, Florence was working around the clock to help her family. As a dedicated fisherman, her father was often gone before dawn and out past dusk to provide what little he could. But with her mother at home unable to find work, there was never quite enough money for food, housing, or school fees. Florence had big dreams for her future, though, and was willing to do whatever it took to help her family get out of the cycle of poverty. 

Then, something unexpected happened.

Instead of shouldering the weight of her family’s bleak financial situation, Florence quickly learned she had her own burden to bear. Barely a teenager, and pregnant, she saw all her dreams for a better future crashing down. Shunned by the community and ridiculed to her face, Florence’s shame rose as her self-worth plummeted. Her whole life she had worked to bring pride to her family, but now she brought humiliation and more financial burdens. Florence didn’t know then if that was the end of the story. If her life was over in the same moment a new life had just started. 

But it was only the beginning.

With the help of The Hope Venture’s partners, Florence hasn’t had to choose between motherhood and education. Between a future or a family. Through the Scholarships for Teen Moms project, she can have both. With access to a top-tier education, Florence once again has dreams for her future. From her own story of hard and heartbreak, she now has a passion to stand up for the voiceless and victimized. Florence dreams of one day becoming a lawyer, and hopes to stand in the gap against poverty and injustice. 

A dream that wouldn’t have been possible without someone standing in the gap for her, and helping her to see the value in herself again.