Kenya – Hannington, a thirteen-year-old boy with an easy smile and a confident demeanor, lives in the Mathare Valley slum in Nairobi with his mother and younger brother. His mother works selling secondhand clothes and shoes at a large open-air…
Zambia – Last year at this time Matthew*, who was born with a circulatory problem that forced doctors to amputate both of his feet and one hand, couldn’t walk. He couldn’t run and play with his friends or go to…
The Pitman’s Story Last fall, we introduced the Bright Hope Coin. When we conceptualized this program, we envisioned mature adults purchasing these coins for their children and grandchildren and presenting them as gifts that initiate a heritage of generosity and…
Francis lives in Uganda. He grew up in a large family with twelve siblings. Despite how hard his father toiled to provide for them, there was never enough. Their community looked down on them because they lived like beggars. Though…
The term “sustainability” is used quite often here at Bright Hope, and it’s a value that we believe in. We’re all familiar with the term, but perhaps we’ve not given a lot of thought to what it means. “Sustainability” is…
Making a decision to start living with his 18-year-old girlfriend, along with having a distorted image of marriage, was the beginning of Lawrence’s trials. The young man grew up in a polygamous family with an alcoholic, abusive father, who usually…
I have always been a lover of the outdoors and of my neighborhood but, because of my busy schedule, I have only been able to get to know a few people around my community. On Sundays, my family usually takes…
The greatest threat to the extreme poor is not the coronavirus itself, but the economic gridlock caused by restrictions meant to slow the virus’ spread. Poor families depend on day-labor jobs, subsistence farming, and small businesses to make ends meet.…
I grew up in a poor village with no electricity. We scrounged for whatever food we could find. We had no bathrooms and showered behind bushes. My parents couldn’t afford school fees so at the beginning of each term, they…
Paulette, Haiti—Water has been an issue in Paulette for a long, long time. Whether drinking from filthy, polluted sources long ago, or drinking from salty wells just earlier this year, the people of Paulette have had a never-ending struggle get…