HOPE Congo – MARA (SEIBERT) CHAN

There and Back Again

I’ve been trying to write about being back for a while. Thinking about it, the idea pulsing in the back of my mind waiting to shine brighter if I would really examine it. But that’s just it. I’d have to examine it- being back that is. Back from Brazzaville. Examining it however, doing that deep, [...]

Of Queens and Hope: A Loan Officer’s Story

I always liked her name. Reine. Queen. A name like that affects how you carry yourself. Head held high, a clear, steady gaze and a determination that has carried her through life. “Ever since I was little, I’ve never viewed life like everyone else,” Reine says. Reine has always seen things differently. She is one [...]

Look at My Hands

Look at my hands. If I don’t work, it’s like I don’t exist Two cabbages appeared on Annaelle’s desk. She called me downstairs to investigate. Large, healthy plants, I took the cabbages in my hands and examined them. A client named Papa Moïse had brought them in along with several photos to leave with Annaelle, [...]

Sunbeams, Pens & Cars: Christie’s Story

The sun in Brazzaville covers the city like a blanket of heat. Drying muddy puddles after a heavy rain, warming up concrete buildings and burning your skin. One particular day a few months ago the same sun was blazing down as I stepped out the HOPE Congo gate, clanging the metal door behind me as [...]

A Life of Service: Jean’s Story

It was a Wednesday and I had been there before. I learned it had been a house once – but that was before the war. Destroyed by arms and bombs, the land had been reused. Now it was a church that seemed to claim defiance over its past life with the name “Victory and Life.” [...]

Video from the Field

The other week I decided it was time to show you all what exactly a repayment meeting can look like- check out the video clip below!

In Her Footsteps

Fridays at HOPE Congo are different. Our usually bustling courtyard feels empty without the typical 60 clients awaiting loan disbursements. Fridays are instead reserved for client trainings, repayment meetings and other staff meetings. It is also the day that loan officers venture out into the field for the client selection process, and I decided to [...]