Project Stories

Real Love.

There are so many people on this earth, and we are all unique. This also means there are soooo many people who are different from us in many ways. But there’s a really cool example set for us by Jesus—he loved those who were different from him. Keeping that in mind, let me tell you a little bit about Ikram.

She comes from a family of dedicated Muslims and has four siblings. They embody hard work and generosity in all they do. However, there is still a need that they face. Ikram’s mom has been sick and her dad doesn’t give them any support. There were times that Ikram was sent home from school because she wasn’t paying the fees, and didn’t have enough money to. It wasn’t uncommon for her to go to bed hungry, trying to sleep so she could ignore her grumbling belly.

But then Ikram became a recipient of a student sponsorship through The Hope Venture’s partnership with Nasha Ministries in Narok, Kenya. Her school fees were paid for, and she didn’t have to worry about any inconsistencies with funding. She can now go to school without fear of getting told to go back home. She also has been provided with shoes, a uniform, and is able to take care of herself with the toiletries given to her. Ikram is excited to be in school and has almost completed her secondary education. Once she finishes up, she hopes to become a pharmacist, which will provide income and she can help support her family, leading them to a better financial situation. When there seemed to be no other options, a student sponsorship was the avenue of change for Ikram and her family.

We want you to see the radical change in Ikram’s story, the immense hope and the breathtaking beauty: she had a need, and it was met. We also want you to know that at The Hope Venture, we are trying to share real, practical love with people who need it, just as Jesus did. This means sharing this crazy love with ALL people, not just people who think and believe just like us. Ikram is a Muslim, and our partners who help her are Christians, but this difference doesn’t stop us from showing this real, practical love to Ikram and her family, meeting their real needs, making a real difference in their lives.

An Optimistic Fighter.

Many people have heard of leprosy… from back in biblical times. It doesn’t get talked about a lot today, so to our surprise, it’s still around and is affecting real people in their real lives. Dharmu is one example of many who are impacted by leprosy. He lives in a leper colony in West Bengal in Eastern India. He’s 48 years old and has had leprosy since he was five. He lost both of his parents at a really young age, and was raised by his aunt, a chronic leper herself. Dharmu’s odds didn’t look too promising—an orphan and a leper—two things that qualified him as an outcast in society. He and his aunt didn’t have much money at all; his aunt never encouraged him to pursue any treatment for his leprosy or to go to school, so instead he joined her, sitting along the streets, begging for some extra money.

Fast forward to the present-day, and Dharmu is still begging for money. But this isn’t the lifestyle he wants to live. He doesn’t enjoy begging as his source of income, but it’s what he knew and learned from his aunt. But Dharmu’s a fighter. He’s never viewed his life as a lost battle, but as one to keep fighting—until his very last breath. He doesn’t let up, doesn’t back down, and does it all with a positive attitude.

Now he’s got a family of his own—Alo, his wife, and their two daughters: an eighth grader and a newlywed. Dharmu has the only source of income for his family, which he gets from begging. He’ll travel all over to beg… you can’t earn a lot if you stay in the same spot—you’ll become too familiar to the people passing by. He’s got a family to provide for, so he travels all around to bring in the most money possible for them. But this isn’t at a low cost. He’s gone so much, which makes him miss out on time with his family, missing those sweet life moments: the birthdays, the first steps, or the calm nights simply sitting and eating together as a family.

Dharmu never got regular treatments for his leprosy because the medicine cost too much, and it took a lot of time to travel to the hospitals for treatment. So he was continuing in the cycle of life he had always known… life as a leper and a beggar. An outcast.

But now he gets treatment for his leprosy at a medical clinic for leprosy funded by The Hope Venture and organized by our partner Murty. He gets this treatment free of charge to him, which includes checkups and medicine. The doctors at the center also noticed that he has high blood pressure and a vitamin deficiency while they were caring for his leprosy, so he is receiving holistic care by getting treated for those things too.

Dharmu knows he will never live a “normal” life… his leprosy has gone untreated for long enough that it has affected his nerves and he has lost part of his left foot. Yet he’s still optimistic about the treatment he’s receiving now, and he’s optimistic about the future. He wants to develop his own livestock farming business, right out of his own home! He dreams of a pain-free life, and wants to grow old with his grandchildren. He hasn’t lost hope, he presses forward for a life beyond the diagnosis of his medical condition.

Cared for with Integrity.

We receive some pretty tough stories from our partners about the recipients of our projects here at The Hope Venture. Our hearts break over the poverty, separated families, or the absence of educational opportunities that we hear about. However, the recipients’ stories are often ones of hope brought into a hopeless situation, and usually, the details of a person’s life can help us tell their story with truth and dignity… to highlight how they’ve been impacted while not neglecting the difficulty of their situation.

We’ve also been excited about all the new partners we’re building relationships with and the projects we’re able to start together. One of these projects is a high school scholarship for teen moms with our partners Miriam and Sylvia in Uganda. We heard a little bit about Jenaviv and her story from Sylvia, and wanted some more details about her backstory. We reached out to Sylvia for more information, and Sylvia displayed great integrity. She gently responded that due to the government information protection policy, she was restricted to keep some information confidential, and she didn’t give us the details we were asking for. “Wow,” we thought. We were taken aback by the character Sylvia showed and were so thankful that we had a partner who showed that she would choose protection and honor over divulging information just because we asked for it. And let us also say, we have trusted relationships with our partners. We talk, we share information… however, we appreciated Sylvia’s understanding of the local law and her choice to abide by it.

But, here’s what we do know about sweet Jenaviv. She was living with her mom and her stepdad, along with her two brothers and one sister in Uganda. She was going to school, then got pregnant at a young age—a devastating blow for an adolescent girl. She would quickly enter a whole new world… the world of motherhood, while still sorting through her own dreams, pursuing an education, and even just trying to figure out how to care for herself. She eventually gave birth to a son and named him Joram.

However, her parents weren’t so happy… they criticized and abused her psychologically for having a baby at such a young age. They weren’t helping her financially, and Joram’s father wasn’t helping either. The two of them don’t have a current relationship, and unless Jenaviv would ask him for money, he wasn’t contributing at all. Jenaviv has a hard time supporting herself and Joram, and since she couldn’t pay to go to school, she had no idea how she would get an opportunity for a steady job.

But Jenaviv’s story isn’t a strikeout—she became a recipient of a scholarship to continue her education as a teen mom. Her school fees and school supplies were paid for, and she began taking classes again. This provides a lot of relief to Jenaviv because she’ll have an opportunity to get a good job after she graduates. She wants to be a midwife and serve her community. With this opportunity, she has hope that Joram will have access to a good education in his future too!

So that’s what we know about Jenaviv and her story, and we’re so thankful she has someone advocating for her in Sylvia. Jenaviv has endured some hard situations, and she’s still in a tough spot with going to school as a single mother, but not all hope is lost. She’s getting back on her feet, she’s pursuing her future, she’s caring for her son… she’s not giving up in the fight. How incredibly encouraging is Jenaviv! Oh, that we might be like her—to not give up in our own fights! And to be like Sylvia—acting with beautiful integrity in our lives, caring for those around us.

The Joy of Giving what You Have Received.

We have an idea we like to talk about here at The Hope Venture. It’s called motaj (moments of turnaround joy). It’s this idea that we are all givers and receivers. It’s sort of like when you pay for the person behind you in the Starbucks drive-thru because the person in front of you paid for your iced caramel latte. You were in need (that latte doesn’t pay for itself!), but received a gift (thanks, car in front of you!). Then you turned around and let it impact someone else too. That’s the idea. And that’s what we’re all about here. Many of us have received abundantly, and we want to encourage people to turn around and give that joy of blessing to another. motaj isn’t just for us and our donors, though. MOTAJ is woven all throughout Valentine’s story, and it all began with a need she had.

Valentine’s dad had two wives. Her stepmom had nine kids, and Valentine was the fifth out of seven kids from her own mom. To take care of her kids, Valentine’s mom earned income as a small-scale farmer. But Valentine’s dad became sick… so sick that he was bedridden. This changed the way the whole family of 19 functioned. Her mom devoted all her time to caring for her dad. All the money her mom earned plus the money her older siblings were earning went to pay the hospital bills for her dad. This went on for four years—the frenzied unknown of her dad’s condition, the time and commitment of her mom to caring for her dad, the depletion of all their finances for hospital bills—until her dad passed away. During this time, her stepmom also passed away, which left all 16 kids under the care of her mom. This in itself was an incredible task to take on by herself, and it was even more so after she had just spent the last four years caring for her husband. She developed some of her own health complications, and just couldn’t work like she used to.

This left Valentine in a tough spot… she was on the verge of dropping out of school. She couldn’t pay her school fees or any supplies. She didn’t want to drop out, so she went to seek help from Nasha, our partner organization. She let them know her situation, and Nasha worked diligently to find a way for Valentine to get a scholarship to continue going to school. We were able to partner with Nasha to provide that scholarship for her!

Valentine continued pursuing her education through the help of the scholarship and graduated last year!

But completing college and graduating wasn’t the only impact of the scholarship for Valentine. As a scholarship recipient, she had the opportunity to attend the summer camp we host with Nasha every year in Kenya. The small group discussions were impactful for her. They dove deep into conversation and her leaders helped her learn how to apply the teachings to her life, beyond just hearing them. Then, Valentine got to turn around and be a camp counselor three times over the years. She especially cherished leading a group, as it encouraged her to dig deep into the Bible on her own to develop her own understanding, so she could lead the girls in her group well. She says all of these camp experiences have really been influential in her faith and leadership skill development, and she is so thankful for the ways it has helped her learn that God is a God who she can hope and trust in.

Now, with everything she has learned and experienced at camp, and with having completed school, she hopes to give back to those in need as she possibly continues her education and gets a job, continuing to trust God in it all.

And this… this is motaj. Valentine had a need for a scholarship, and she received it. She was given the ability to go to school and to learn at camp. Now, she has gotten to turn around and help other girls at camp as a counselor, being a role model for them in the same way that she had looked up to her leaders. She found joy in the receiving AND in the giving back!

From Seed to Fruit.

A seed… something so small, yet so full of potential. But you’d never know it by just looking at it. You’d have no idea that this small, armored speck has the capacity to grow into a thriving plant producing more fruit than you could imagine. But a seed needs someone there to tend to it to reach its maximum growth. It needs someone to water it, to make sure it has the right nutrients, to keep weeds away. With this care, the seed soon transforms into an unstoppable, flourishing plant.

Winnie is a plant nursery worker that does exactly that for so many plants. She understands the growth process, and she’s good at helping plants thrive. Since 2022 when Winnie began working at Agromax as a plant nursery worker, she has led the charge of raising over 400,000 plant seedlings into full-grown plants. She has also trained 500 farmers about the best agricultural processes so they can raise flourishing plants too. She’s working, she’s leading, and she’s continually developing a deeper level of mastery in agriculture.

However, Winnie hasn’t always been a master farmer. There was a time when she, like a seed, needed to be cared for and tended to before she could do the same for others.

You see, Winnie became pregnant when she was 16. She went to Wakisa, a pregnancy center in Uganda, run by our partner Vivian. Wakisa takes in young pregnant girls, housing and caring for them throughout their pregnancies. When it comes time for a mom to have her baby, Wakisa takes her to the hospital. After delivery and recovery, the mom goes back home, where she lives life as she begins raising her child. After a few years, once the mom is done nursing and the baby has grown up a bit, Wakisa reaches back out to the mom to invite her to participate in Agromax—a six-month agriculture training program designed for teen moms to learn practical agricultural skills. The girl can choose to accept the offer, and if she does, she gets enrolled in the training course, where she is able to use the skills she learns to provide a stable income for her and her baby by working in a job using those skills.

This is exactly what happened with Winnie. She was cared for at Wakisa, had her baby boy, Solomon, and five years later, was invited to enroll in Agromax through funding from The Hope Venture, to which Winnie said yes. This was just what Winnie needed. She’s from a big Ugandan family… she’s the fifth out of 12 kids raised by a single mom. Her dad had abandoned the family, leaving her mom to care and support all the kids on her own, and now Winnie had her own child to support too.

So Winnie enrolled in Agromax, where she was trained in agri-business, majoring in horticulture and greenhouse management. Winnie excelled in the training course, and the Agromax staff took notice. They offered her a probationary contract, and after her success in that role too, they offered her a full-time greenhouse position.

Being able to attend and complete the Agromax training program changed Winnie’s life. She is so thankful to The Hope Venture and to Vivian for the opportunity. She’s also thankful for Agromax and the investment they put in her through the training program. She learned and grew in leadership and agricultural skill development, and is thankful for the innovation at Agromax through their development and retention program to allow her to stay at Agromax with a job opportunity.

Now she is provided with an income, shelter, clothing, and food. She can send Solomon to school and can help her siblings and family with their finances. One six-month training program impacted Winnie, her son, AND her siblings, and will continue to impact them for years to come. The impact happened because Vivian, Wakisa, and Agromax came alongside Winnie. They helped her in her pregnancy, in her agriculture training, and in her career development. She was tended to. She was watered and pruned. She was given the sunshine she needed, and now she’s producing fruit. She’s thriving. Her branches are stretching and spreading, bringing fruit to those around her too. It’s a pretty beautiful process to watch, just like the growth from a seed to fruit.

Building Health, a Hospital, and Hope.

She dropped out of school. She was only 14 years old and in eighth grade. She didn’t really want to drop out, but she didn’t have much of a choice. She was pregnant. That wasn’t her choice either. Her neighbor raped her. She also found out she was HIV positive.

This is Peace’s story. Her youth was so quickly stripped from her. She had to morph into a new age of adulthood, a stage where she had to be responsible for herself and for her child.

It’s tough as it is to navigate parenthood for the first time, not to mention parenthood alone as a single, teenage girl. Peace’s rapist ran away from the village in fear of imprisonment for his actions. Peace stayed at home with her mom and four siblings. They didn’t have much money. Peace’s mom went from village to village trying to find any money at all. It wasn’t uncommon for the family to go two days without eating anything because they couldn’t afford food. They were sitting in extreme poverty, and it seemed there were no breaks, no options to get out.

However, during Peace’s pregnancy, she was able to get connected to our partner Vivian, who works at Wakisa Ministries, and she helped guide Peace through her pregnancy and the transition to motherhood. Later, after the birth of her child, we were able to partner with Wakisa to provide a scholarship for Peace so she could continue her schooling without having to pay for it herself. Her pregnancy wouldn’t hold her back from an education.

Peace dreams of becoming a doctor. Her biggest dream is to build a hospital where she can give back to her community and treat other HIV patients. She wants to help people and bring them back to health, to give them a chance at the redemption she experienced through her own involvement with Wakisa. Her dream is closer to reality because of the scholarship she received, which allows her to go to school. We talked to Vivian about Peace and her story, and she provided this quote directly from Peace:

“My mother was not able to take us to school but now I am in school. I am happy because I am reaching my destiny. Education is giving me so much hope. I am hopeful now.”

Peace has been able to take one step closer to her dreams through the provision of the scholarship. While many aspects of her life aren’t perfect, she’s still one step closer. And that matters. She continues on, knowing she has a chance of reaching her end destination, thanks to the gift of a scholarship and the hope it brings.

Healing in the Heartache.

Wow. That was my first reaction to Lovinsa’s story. She’s a 15-year-old girl in Uganda, and the things that have happened in her life are heavy. Lovinsa’s story is one of extreme heartache, but even more so, it’s one of beautiful redemption happening through healing.

You see, Lovinsa was living with her mother, but when she was seven, her father came and took her to live with him and his family, which included her stepmom and step siblings. Even after this switch of households, though, Lovinsa’s mom was still the one financially supporting her through the means of her market vendor job. So Lovinsa was under her dad’s roof, but she wasn’t necessarily under his care.

This became even more evident when her stepmom left the house to go to a funeral one day, and her dad took her into another room in the house, away from all her step siblings, and had sex with her. He threatened her and told her not to tell anybody about what happened. He claimed that he had spoken with a sorcerer who had instructed him to rape her if he wanted his business to flourish. This happened several more times and Lovinsa became pregnant.

After the news came out that Lovinsa had conceived, her father denied having any part in the pregnancy. Her father, who was supposed to protect her, instead exploited her and left her helpless. After his repeated denial, her sister finally reported him to the police, and they took him to prison. So her father was gone, but she still had to deal with the effects of his actions against her. She eventually gave birth to a baby boy, but he was rejected because the form of his conception was culturally unethical. Not even her family she lived with wanted to associate with him.

Lovinsa’s mom wants to be able to care for her daughter, but she faces struggles financially and she just doesn’t have the means to take care of her, so Lovinsa went to stay with her grandmother.

What was she supposed to do? She wasn’t educated, she didn’t have the finances to cover her cost of living, which meant she couldn’t pay for school, and she had to take care of her baby boy as a 15-year-old without the help of the father—her father. She faced deep emotions of betrayal, confusion, and hurt. But Lovinsa’s story doesn’t end here in the heartache…

She became the recipient of a scholarship from The Hope Venture through our partnership with Wakisa, a pregnancy center in Uganda for teenage mothers. She had been able to attend Wakisa and receive help from them throughout her pregnancy, and once she gave birth, we partnered with Wakisa to help her even beyond the raising of her child.

She now goes to school at Buloba Primary School, and it’s more than just a formal education for her. She takes classes and grows her knowledge, but she’s also healing. It’s a safe space. It’s therapeutic for her to go to school… to learn about things she enjoys, to build healthy relationships with her teachers and classmates, and to work toward a diploma that can help her in her pursuit of a stable career.

She has also gotten involved with the Girl Guides group at school, which is similar to Girl Scouts in the US, but has an emphasis on sharing the word of God and taking care of one another emotionally, spiritually, and physically. They also take care of the school premises and make sure it’s clean. They play games and have fun with one another, fostering a fun, safe, and healthy community.

There seems to be a sprout of hope pushing through the ash in the midst of all the betrayal and hurt Lovinsa has walked through. Redemption is happening. Healing is happening. She laughs. She’s made friends. She’s found community. Her teachers love having her in class. The scholarship that was provided for Lovinsa is reaching far beyond the classroom—it’s providing an opportunity for deep parts of her heart to be mended and restored.