All it takes
to start a business is a dream and some elbow grease. But to be successful,
business owners may need something else. If that business is located in a
poverty-stricken country, the chance of getting a loan or finding a foothold to
grow a business becomes slim.
Homes for Hope and Hope
International believe the way to fight poverty is to secure small loans for
individuals in struggling countries. The loans are used to help people grow
their businesses to be economically viable. The loans are repaid and given to
other business owners in need.
The loans do
not need to be substantial to be significant. Just $50 was enough to change the
life of Ramona Ciprian, a colmado owner in San Pedro, Dominican Republic. About
18 years ago, she received her first loan.
Ramona worked
hard to build her business. Her colmado, a one-stop shop catering to an entire
community, now makes more in a day than her entire first loan. She stocks
clothes, food, school supplies and anything else residents might need.
Customers always leave satisfied because she has it all.
That feeling
of having it all extends to Ramona too. Ramona feels the loan was a blessing,
and she uses her store as a way to let others know the power of her faith.
Psalms 113:5, “Who is like the LORD our God, the One who sits enthroned on
high” is written along the front of Ramona’s colmado. She talks about Jesus to
customers as they pay, and she can often be found ministering throughout the
area.
For Ramona,
the store is not just a place of business. It’s a way for her to preach the
Gospel to those around her. She is a true example of how faith and hard work
can accomplish almost anything.
Visit www.homes4hope.org
and www.hopinternational.org to learn
how you can help make a difference and break the cycle of poverty in other
countries.
Until next
time,
