Who we are
There has never been so much wealth in the world but there are still people living in extreme poverty. Thousands of people struggle, suffer and die each day because of poverty. That is not God's plan for the world. Christian Hope International exists to meet those in need with the love of Christ and a helping hand.
Our History
Christian Hope International was born out of the pain and suffering during the Rwandan genocide in Central Africa in 1994. Following the murder of the Rwandan president, violence erupted leading to the killing of over 800,000 innocent people and the displacement of over a million Rwandans to neighbouring countries.
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Moved by the harrowing news coverage, our founder, decided to do something about it and initially asked friends, family and people from local churches to donate clothes, shoes and blankets. So much was donated that it filled a whole shipping container! Amazingly, this outpouring of love and solidarity continued and Containers of Hope was born, shipping over 70 containers of aid to the region.
Thankfully the political situation in East Africa is now more stable. However, needs have changed rather than gone away. We have stopped sending containers and our name has changed to Christian Hope International. Today our focus is on bringing the true hope only found in Jesus Christ to the communities we work with and helping those in need along the road to self-sufficiency.
Our
Values
Our mission has always been to follow Jesus’ example of showing God’s love to those in need. That love looks different in every situation: whether it is a scholarship and a meal for a struggling pupil or seeds for a father who wants to grow vegetables to feed his family. It has been a joy to see individuals and families coming to Christ as they experience His love in their lives for themselves.
We demonstrate God's love in action by being:
- compassionate to all people
- servant-hearted and acting with integrity
- professional in the way we operate whilst remaining sensitive to people's needs and situations
- being genuinely thankful for each donation, regardless of size, and stewarding these resources well
- respecting our local partners by listening to them and learning from them
- giving glory to God for the impact this ministry has
Our promise to you
We are grateful for your support. In return, our commitments to you are:
To never take you for granted.
Every life transformed is thanks to your generosity and prayers.
To use your donations wisely.
We will seek long-term solutions in the communities we serve, not short-term fixes. The cheapest option may not always be best but we will strive to be cost-effective. We will regularly evaluate our work and fundraising to ensure your money is well spent.
To only partner with organisations that share our Christian values.
Our aim is to glorify God in everything that we do.
To respect our beneficiaries.
We will never presume we know what is best for an individual or community. We will invest time in making the right decisions with our local partners, rather than for them.
Our fundraising activities will always be legal, honest and respectful.
We are registered with the Fundraising Regulator, adhere to its Code of Fundraising Practice and uphold its Fundraising Promise.
To treat you as a person, not data.
We will keep you up to date on how you are transforming lives - if you want us to. Your personal information is safe with us. We will never share it or sell it to third parties. You can read our privacy policy here.
You can find our constitution here.
How we work
We work through local churches which means help is given to those who need it most. The pastors best know the communities and individuals and their daily struggles. Most importantly, they are there for the long term, supporting children and families over many years in order to build the trust and relationships that are needed to transform lives. Our Church partners regularly visit the projects and provide feedback to us. We often become aware of communities that need our help when we visit existing projects nearby. Typically, there is a small church with a desire to reach out to people but struggle to meet the many needs they see around them. We aim to strengthen and support the local church in meeting the needs of the community by funding sustainable projects that ultimately help them to become self-sufficient. When people come to Christ through the work of CHI, the local church is strengthened and God is glorified in the community.
Where we work overseas
Where we are based in the UK
Our office was once described as a shed with stairs! That's probably an insult to most sheds these days which can usually be counted on to be dry inside, have windows, and aren't held together by tape ;-)
We don't work at CHI for the fancy office or extravagant salaries but we do love Jesus and want to serve him, making sure every penny possible goes to doing the work on the ground.
It does however cost us to run the office, including the warehouse for all the knitting that goes to Eastern Europe, salaries, rent, utilities, stationary, printers that keep packing up and cables that the rats keep chewing through, etc etc.
We rely on the generosity of our supporters to fund everything we do. Without your support, this ministry would not exist. If you would like to contribute to our costs, that would be wonderful. If you would like to donate on a regular basis, we would be even more grateful!
Entrance to Hope House
Our mezzanine office (who needs windows?!)
Lorry being loaded with aid for Eastern Europe by volunteers
Entrance to Hope House
