The Hope-families is a project we started to help vulnerable families create a better future for themselves. More than 72% of the population in Zimbabwe is living in absolute poverty.

The idea behind this project came when we visited the Majasi-family who lived in the rural areas just outside Gweru. The first time we got to know this family was when Lene and one of our MCHP-sponsors, Therese, visited them in 2014. They met a small mud hut where 10 people lived. There was no food, torn clothes, and children had big open wounds on their body because of the lack of hygiene. Thanks to a donation from Therese and Kurt, Anita could go back a week later with clothes, food and clean the wounds. We bought equipment to start a vegetable garden.

Today this is one of our biggest role models, and also our main contributor when coming to vegetables at the orphanage. They are 100% selfsustainable with everything except school fees. Last year they harvested more than 1,25 ton (!!) of maize and 8 20 liter buckets of peanuts, in addition to other vegetables. The family went from not knowing what to have for dinner the same day, to plan for next years harvest even before planting this years. The children are awarded prizes for being best in class and best in school. Their oldes son, Solomon, is taking an agricultural course which has benefited his family a lot.

Each Hope-family gets a startloan of 100 USD to start their own project. In 2017 we started out with 10 Hope-families, and in 2021 we had 40 Hope-families.

Because of the covid pandemic only a few of the 40 families has actually received their startloans. This is because the pandemic forced us to stop all our projects, and focus on giving out emergency packages with basic food, soap and other things when the country went in total lockdown.

Despite them not receiving startup loans yet, the families has been working with what they have. This lady has not only got herself broiilers, but she also have layers. In addition she sells vegetables. She is one of the families who does not receive emergency packages anymore because she’s able to sustain herself.

In January we started a brand new training program for the Hope-families. In the four weeks program they will learn everything from entreprenourship, innovation and budgeting to marketing and future planning. We’re hoping this will make them better off to succeed even more with their businesses.

Together with a very generous donation from Empower and Vestre for about 5.000 USD for this project we’re going to test out paying back through plastic collection for recycling. We’re excited to see this.

All the families has already improved their living conditions through this project, only by being given a chance and motivation to start.

Do you want to support this project? Click the donate button below.

Together we can create a better world - not only one child at a time, but also a family at a time!