For Project 35 - Microenterprise with Macro Impact, we have partnered with Hope International, a Christian, non-profit organization focused on alleviating physical and spiritual poverty through microenterprise development. HOPE International has worked in the Dominican Republic since 2005 to provide Christ-centered microfinance for the least served entrepreneurs in the country.

For this project, our donor community will be giving recovery loans to micro-entrepreneurs affected by the COVID crisis allowing them to reopen family businesses. Funding from eMite will extend 70 loans to life-sustaining businesses including agricultural initiatives, colmados (convenience stores), construction, bakeries, fruit stands, and more!

However, we are not only talking about a microfinance project to meet physical needs. HOPE believes that microfinance can be a powerful force in changing the world for the better and that loving people as Christ loved others means caring for both physical and spiritual needs. That’s why HOPE-network staff minister to the spiritual needs of those they serve by sharing the gospel and praying with them over needs in the families and businesses.

Get involved in Project 35 by donating today! Your gifts will have an impact in families for years and years to come!

Project Scope

Country:  Dominican Republic 

# Served: 70 businesses

Need: $20,000

January Update

Many Haitians come to the Dominican Republic looking for better opportunities for work and education, and instead, they find discrimination and struggle to earn more than $2-4 a day. Focused on serving those on the margins, our partners Hope International and Esperanza provide Haitian women and men with financial services to start or expand businesses and provide for their families. Currently, Haitians make up 48% of Esperanza's borrowers.

One community group called "La Construction" is filled with entrepreneurs who meet bi-weekly for discipleship, training, and repaying and receiving loans. Albarito, an Esperanza staff member [pictured in green polo], shared a short lesson with the group about the value of honesty in both personal and business situations. “La honestidad vale mucho y cuesta poco”: “Honesty is worth a lot and costs a little.” In a country where it can be challenging to run a profitable business with integrity (ranking 115 of 190 countries for ease of doing business, World Bank), these biblically-based lessons impact associates' lives and their communities.

October Update

Meet Serevia - one of our boots on the ground for Project 35. Unlike how you may picture loan officers in the U.S., Serevia doesn't spend her days in an office but instead travels to remote areas to reach the communities that our partner Hope International serves. Not only does she collect loan repayments, she also trains families in biblically-based business principles and shares God's Word with families. 

Serevia has seen many small businesses ranging from barbershops to corner stores grow their revenue and be able to better provide for their families.

AUGUST UPDATE

Meet Euri Tusen de la Cruz. She was able to get assistance loans to grow her cafe. “Hope International is a very good institution because it does not focus only on economics, but always tries to help physically, mentally, and spiritually as well.” 

We are so happy that our partner Hope International is changing the lives of many small business owners in the Dominican Republic. Besides financial services, they also provide business training, health training, vocational courses, dental health and hygiene, and cervical cancer screening. 

By providing these services, we are taking a comprehensive approach to poverty alleviation.

JULY UPDATE

Hope International provides loans to families to invest in their futures, from paying school fees or investing in a business. Because many families living in poverty have minimal access to education, Hope International also offers Biblically-based training, mentoring, and coaching to help people start or expand their businesses. 

Meet Maria. Maria runs a small clothing business out of her home in the Dominican Republic. Unfortunately, she couldn’t afford to buy clothing in bulk - making it a challenge to profit from her business. With her group members, Maria meets bi-weekly with their Esperanza loan officer to pay back a portion of their loans. With a $150 loan, Maria expanded her business and grew her profit, directly benefiting her family and community. 

If Maria continues to have a strong repayment history and business growth, she is eligible to apply for a larger loan once she pays off the current one.

Because of our giving community, there will be 70 more success stories just like Maria’s. Thank you for making that possible!