Born and raised in Bukavu, Adolphine had known nothing besides poverty and life in a slum. Three of her seven children attended the ELI Academy and received scholarships because Adolphine and her husband failed at every business they tried to do. She believed the only thing she was good at was losing money.

A sense of resignation settled over Adolphine’s family as they believed they could not overcome their poverty and build a different life for themselves. Instead of trying to make money, they (ashamedly) relied on local aid to sustain their family. Day by day their dignity was being eroded. This once loving mom and dad found themselves fighting with each other constantly. They stopped believing in God because there was no evidence of His goodness, care, or provision in their lives.

So Adolphine was enrolled in the newly launched parent training program, and what happened next surprised her. Instead of beginning with business trainings, the group first unpacked what poverty is. They examined the connections between spiritual, emotional, social, and physical poverty, which helped her better understand what played into her own belief that her life would never improve.