Fall 2023 Update
Graduates in Malawi
We're excited to announce that 32 entrepreneurs have completed their training at the Business Technical Institute (BTI) in Malawi! Over a span of five months, these dedicated individuals met bi-weekly, refining and enhancing their business acumen.
Looking to the future, BTI is committed to developing an in-depth incubation training program. This will provide sustained support and resources, ensuring the continued growth and success of these graduates' ventures. This initiative holds great promise for transforming local economies and offering individuals living in poverty a genuine chance to experience flourishing.
In addition, we are eager to announce the formation of the Hope Business Hub in Malawi – a new legal entity geared towards fostering relations and the exchange of ideas between entrepreneurs. Led by Africans, this new organization is a significant step in empowering Malawians as the primary leaders of their development. Such endeavors create more job opportunities, stimulate local economies, and offer pathways out of poverty for numerous families.
2023 Malawi BTI Entrepreneurs
Hope and Hopelessness in Haiti
Haiti stands at a critical juncture, facing not just political and social transitions but a deep-seated economic crisis. A staggering 60% of Haitians live under the national poverty line, surviving on less than US $2.42 a day.
In 2019, we partnered with Calvary Chapel & Université Espoir to begin the Haiti Entrepreneur Project. Thirty-five entrepreneurs were trained to start and grow their own lost-cost, self-sustaining businesses enabling them to overcome these barriers and increase their income, capacity, and heart to impact their community. However, due to unforeseen challenges brought on by COVID-19 and the nation’s continuing civil unrest, progress has been slow.
Despite these dire circumstances, there have been four generations of entrepreneurs trained through Université Espoir in the past four years. We celebrate the perseverance and tenacity of McGarry Rousseau, Pastor Seige Poteau, and their colleagues.
In the face of profound challenges, many of Haiti’s entrepreneurs remain committed to the success of one another. Our Haitian brothers and sisters are teaching us that through wisdom, enterprise, and perseverance, we can break the cycle of generational poverty.
A New Start in the Philippines
Confronting the challenges of economic disparity, limited resources, and the ever-looming shadow of poverty in the Philippines, the urgency to instigate positive change is more pressing than ever. We’re excited to share our early-stage efforts to pave a way for Filipino families to overcome these challenges. By championing the start and growth of businesses that inherently contribute to their communities, we aspire to make a tangible difference. Collaborating closely with Extreme Response, a dedicated community development organization, we are gearing up to launch an entrepreneur training program in the capital city of Manila in January. Joshua Benavidez, the Asia Director of Extreme Response (below), underscores the profound impact of such initiatives.
