There is great reward when we embrace others in need and equip them with skills (not handouts) so that dignity and sustainability can be passed on to others!
Without an investment there can be no return. From prayer to a variety of caring actions, the door to make a difference is open for you, your family, and your friends.
I will crush poverty with HOPE!
Your network is a powerful tool! Explore the incredible difference you can make when you advance the cause through your office, church, small group, VBS, school, clubs, business, alumni networks, family, the web, social media, and more.
Barhanyanywa Family
The Barhanyanywas were a happy family living in Bukavu. They were a family of seven: five children, a mom, and a dad. They loved each other, but they had a very difficult life. After giving birth to five children, their mother, Anne, began to have some physical challenges. Anne became ill and deteriorated very quickly until, sadly, she passed away. In many African cultures when a mother dies, the responsibility of raising her children gets passed to a younger unmarried sister. In this case, Anne’s younger sister, Munyerenkane, was willing to care for the kids, and she embraced this responsibility wholeheartedly. After helping the children’s father take care of all five children for some time, they decided to get married. Eventually, they had four children of their own, bringing their total to nine!
Unfortunately, this poor family then faced another tragedy. Mr. Barhanyanywa got very sick, and after some time he too passed away, leaving Munyerenkane with nine children to support on her own. She did her best to provide for all of the children, but each day became more and more difficult until she could no longer manage it. Seven of the nine children moved back to their village because they believed that was their best chance at survival.
However, Ampa and Alimungu, the youngest of the five children from Anne and Mr. Barhanyanywa, decided to stay because they didn’t want to leave their beloved school. Their father had been an advocate of Empowering Lives International Academy and had volunteered his time to many activities through the years. But after his death, the family's financial struggles made it uncertain whether the brothers would be able to continue attending. One day their grandmother, who was very involved in their lives, came to the ELI Academy to ask for help for Ampa and Alimungu. The school sent the social worker to visit the family, and he found that the family was indeed in dire straits. They needed help quickly or the boys would not be able to continue their schooling.
A meeting was scheduled at the school with the staff, the grandmother, and Ampa and Alimungu to discuss what could be done to help them. The two boys shared that they had a great idea: they asked to borrow enough money to buy two plates of 30 eggs that they could boil and sell in order to earn money for their tuition. The staff loved this idea and worked together to raise the capital for the boys, who began selling the eggs after school. Their little business started with an idea and two plates of eggs, but has grown so much that they can pay their tuition. They even help provide food for the rest of their struggling family!
The Barhanyanywa household was so devastated by the loss of their parents and by their many years of barely surviving. But the boys’ business changed everything. They are now happy and thriving, living joyful lives! Ampa and Alimungu are so grateful to ELI for the emotional, physical, and financial support and encouragement they received from the staff, and they pray each day for those that help support the ministry.
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How You Can Impact One Person
$10 provides in-village awareness workshops
$60 provides 5 days of life-skill training
$35 provides a year's worth of coaching & mentoring
Change the Future
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Empowering Villages with Hope!
$25/month or $300/year empowers emerging leaders to impact their villages
(for every 25 people who give $25/month, another village can be empowered)
Invest Now with a Special Gift
Empowering Villages with HOPE!
$90 trains a woman to leave illegal brewing
$250 provides a village outreach/evangelism weekend
$1,800 empowers a village cohort to lead a community
$8,000 provides Family HOPE to an entire village
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Sign Up HereBarhanyanywa Family
The Barhanyanywas were a happy family living in Bukavu. They were a family of seven: five children, a mom, and a dad. They loved each other, but they had a very difficult life. After giving birth to five children, their mother, Anne, began to have some physical challenges. Anne became ill and deteriorated very quickly until, sadly, she passed away. In many African cultures when a mother dies, the responsibility of raising her children gets passed to a younger unmarried sister. In this case, Anne’s younger sister, Munyerenkane, was willing to care for the kids, and she embraced this responsibility wholeheartedly. After helping the children’s father take care of all five children for some time, they decided to get married. Eventually, they had four children of their own, bringing their total to nine!
Unfortunately, this poor family then faced another tragedy. Mr. Barhanyanywa got very sick, and after some time he too passed away, leaving Munyerenkane with nine children to support on her own. She did her best to provide for all of the children, but each day became more and more difficult until she could no longer manage it. Seven of the nine children moved back to their village because they believed that was their best chance at survival.
However, Ampa and Alimungu, the youngest of the five children from Anne and Mr. Barhanyanywa, decided to stay because they didn’t want to leave their beloved school. Their father had been an advocate of Empowering Lives International Academy and had volunteered his time to many activities through the years. But after his death, the family's financial struggles made it uncertain whether the brothers would be able to continue attending. One day their grandmother, who was very involved in their lives, came to the ELI Academy to ask for help for Ampa and Alimungu. The school sent the social worker to visit the family, and he found that the family was indeed in dire straits. They needed help quickly or the boys would not be able to continue their schooling.
A meeting was scheduled at the school with the staff, the grandmother, and Ampa and Alimungu to discuss what could be done to help them. The two boys shared that they had a great idea: they asked to borrow enough money to buy two plates of 30 eggs that they could boil and sell in order to earn money for their tuition. The staff loved this idea and worked together to raise the capital for the boys, who began selling the eggs after school. Their little business started with an idea and two plates of eggs, but has grown so much that they can pay their tuition. They even help provide food for the rest of their struggling family!
The Barhanyanywa household was so devastated by the loss of their parents and by their many years of barely surviving. But the boys’ business changed everything. They are now happy and thriving, living joyful lives! Ampa and Alimungu are so grateful to ELI for the emotional, physical, and financial support and encouragement they received from the staff, and they pray each day for those that help support the ministry.
Change the Future
Empowering Villages with Hope!
$25/month or $300/year empowers emerging leaders to impact their villages
(for every 25 people who give $25/month, another village can be empowered)
Ignite World Changers
Empowering Villages with HOPE!
$90 trains a woman to leave illegal brewing
$250 provides a village outreach/evangelism weekend
$1,800 empowers a village cohort to lead a community
$8,000 provides Family HOPE to an entire village
How You Can Impact One Person
$10 provides in-village awareness workshops
$60 provides 5 days of life-skill training
$35 provides a year's worth of coaching & mentoring