February 2011
A recent interview with Catherin Occelien who received a microloan after the earthquake:
How did it make you feel to be a successful microloan recipient? After the earthquake I thought I was going to be a beggar on the street. When I first came to Pignon, I had no clothes, my husband had lost his job and I was left to care for our small child. I felt like there was no hope. But now I feel like life is normal. I don't have to beg on the street. I still have some needs but at least I can eat. I don't have to beg for food. With the counseling center and the loan I have a normal life. It has been such a blessing to my family.
What would you say to the family who donated the money for your loan? I pray that God would bless them. I know the loan is not only from them but also from God. It was not something they could have done by themselves. It has to be from God. And I know they have their own problems so I pray that God would bless them and if they would live 80 years I pray that they would live 100 years. Even though some people still don't pay their loans I pray they wouldn't be discouraged. I pray that they would have patience. I want to thank them for their sacrifice. Their blessing isn't coming from people repaying their loan but from God.
September 2010
In the past few months, Bright Hope has begun shifting its focus from immediate relief to more long-term development activities for the victims of the earthquake. As a result of Bright Hope donor's generosity, 200 earthquake orphans will be receiving a one year school scholarship. This scholarship will include tuition, uniform, books and school supplies. What a blessing this will be not only to the orphans, but also the adoptive families who have taken on the responsibility for these children.
Additional development efforts include providing micro-loans to 430 families who have been displaced by the earthquake. These micro-loans are actually a series of escalating loans over the next 18 months. If the recipients show good stewardship of the loans and repay them on time, at the end of the 18 month program they will be given a gift of $250 US dollars to be used as they wish (house down-payment, expand existing business, etc.) They are not aware of this gift now, but it is our hope they will be blessed by it as they receive it at the end of the program.
STM Technologies has donated a high-speed internet system to one of our partners in Haiti. This generous donation has not only improved communication between the partner and Bright Hope, but has been a source of income for our partner's ministry. For the month of August, the internet café had a profit of $242.
Thanks to the generosity of an organization called Sun Ovens, a large solar oven was donated to one of our Haitian church partners. It will be serving a dual purpose of providing fresh bread to local school feeding programs and also provide income for the church. Bread production is beginning to ramp up as the local children go back to school in early September.
