“It’s déjà vu all over again.” – Yogi Berra
In 2009 I had my first taste of life in the Dominican Republic. (See posts here and here). In just under 2 months I’ll be back for seconds…and this time it’ll be more of a smorgasbord.
From October 2010 – June 2011, HOPE International is letting me cut my teeth in on-the-ground microfinance as a Dominican Republic Fellow. I’ll stumble through Dominican Spanish, commit many cultural faux pas, and attempt to implement a new cost measurement system in bank branches around the Caribbean nation.
HOPE is a Christian international microfinance nonprofit whose mission is to invest in the dreams of the poor in the world’s underserved communities so that they might be released from physical and spiritual poverty. HOPE doesn’t have the size as some of the “giants” of the microfinance community (i.e. Opportunity International, FINCA, Grameen Foundation), and yet it has a deep impact wherever it operates.
HOPE International's global reach
What distinguishes HOPE is its holistic definition of and approach to poverty - certainly a physical condition, but also emotional, relational, and spiritual. To some this might seem nebulous and unnecessary, but I think it reflects an understanding of what it is to be human – body, heart, mind, and soul. I obviously have much more to learn about the organization, but I’m very happy to be joining the HOPE team (which includes my cousin-in-law Chris Horst).
In the Dominican Republic (DR), HOPE operates through another nonprofit, Esperanza International. If you know a little español, you’ve realized that “esperanza” means “hope”. Despite this fortuitous coincidence, they are distinct organizations.
Over the next months I’ll be prepping for the 9-month adventure, raising support, and blogging about thoughts on microfinance, culture, economics, poverty, and…if we’re lucky…a few UFO sightings.
So stop back here like Chicagoans vote: early and often!
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Excellent news hermano! Hopefully I’ll be there sometime in the upcoming year to visit you :p