Hope Happens Because of You.

Today starts the combined GivingTuesdayNow and GiveBIG campaigns. The generosity received during the next 48-hours of giving will keep the beauty unfolding in Liberia.

It is YOU who’s big giving makes a way for the seemingly impossible things to happen, day after day, month after month, year after year. It is YOU who chooses to give not just on a special Tuesday or in response to a campaign, but from your hearts, even when you are not always sure you have extra, and yet, somehow you do. This type of generosity is not lost on us. 

Below are two students who your generosity impacts. Please meet Samathe Tiah and Smith Samah. These two personify your gifts. The exchange of currency for education, dreams, and futures.

It is you, and us, and our team in Liberia in some unique amalgamation that equals HOPE. It is today on Giving Tuesday, it is tomorrow on GiveBIG, and it is all the other days after too. We are grateful every single day.

Samathe Tiah, 3rd-grade
Meet 3rd grade Hope International Student, Samathe. Her favorite areas of study at school are Math and English. Samathe says she loves the way Hope International staff teach and care for students. Her father, Sampson, is a teacher at Hope International and her 2 brothers are students as well. Samathe dreams of one day becoming a nurse.

Smith Samah, University 
Smith is in his final year of studies in mechanical engineering at William V.S. Tubman University. Smith also completed an internship where he acquired hands-on technical knowledge and skills as he prepares to enter the professional working environment.

In addition to his studies, Smith is the 10th President of the Student Government Association at William V.S. Tubman University. He is the youngest President in the history of the university. Smith also gives back to Hope International School where he serves as part of the Alumni Association.

When you GiveBIG May 5th-6th, you give to 1,200 students like Samathe and Smith. All donations will benefit the students and staff of Hope International School in Liberia, West Africa as they chase their dreams of an education. We would be grateful for your GiveBIG partnership.

News From Liberia.

In the last week alone, there has been a 43% jump in the number of reported COVID-19 cases in Africa, and the World Health Organization warned the continent of 1.3 billion people is poised to potentially become the next epicenter. This is our deepest fear at The Hope Project, yet with your generosity, we continue to assist in keeping our Liberian friends safe and fed.

Because of you, $10,000 has been raised to create a community hub for the staff, students, and community members surrounding Hope International. The final $5,000 was recently wired to Liberia. The hub is open and provides emergency portions of rice and sanitation supplies. In addition, Our Sew Much Hope students have produced 1,800 masks that have been distributed throughout the community for it is now required to wear a mask in Liberia. Your gifts have life-saving impact, thank you. 

Together, we will be ready for what comes next. Thank you for your continued partnership in HOPE.

Love From Liberia.

Together we are making the impossible, possible. In just a few short weeks your generosity has generated over $10,000 for COVID-19 relief efforts in Liberia. With those funds, we built a community hub to ensure our Liberian friends have emergency food and sanitation supplies. Your gifts also purchased fabric for 1,800 masks, sewn by Hope International students, and distributed to teachers, staff, and community members. I am in awe of your giving heart. 

Like so many organizations, we had to cancel our previously scheduled May 31, 2020 celebration and fundraiser. Not only is this an evening of celebration, but it is our biggest fundraiser of the year. The funds raised at this event are a significant part of our general operating budget which keeps school in session
and teachers paid.

Our goal for the event was to raise $25,000 net profit for our school operations. Not only is this goal more than we have ever raised at an event, but now we have the added hurdle of it not being in-person. Gulp. But the theme of the night was to be “Making the Impossible, Possible”, so that feels just about right.

One of the things that I was most excited to share with you was this video. It was a work of love during our recent trip to Liberia in January 2020. It was a tangible way for our Liberian friends to thank you for the opportunities that have been afforded through the generosity of our Hope Project supporters like you. Please stop reading and watch before continuing.

Did you feel it? Did you see it? Joy. Possibility. Gratitude. Hope. 

So, What Now? 

Our goal has two parts:

1.  Raise $25,000 to support The Hope Project.

2.  Thank Liberia.

How?

Join Our Community of Hope:

• Become a Pledged Hope Partner. Making a recurring monthly, quarterly, or annual donation ensures that The Hope Project receives ongoing support. If you are already a Hope Partner, please consider increasing your pledge. These gifts provide the stability needed to budget, plan, and dream. Join The Hope Project today.

• Make a one time gift. If you desire to share your resources in a way that brings real benefit to real people…we can promise you that is happening. Give today. We would be so incredibly grateful.

Make a Video to Send to Liberia:
At our event, we planned to film a thank you video. A call and response of sorts. They thanked us, and we would have the opportunity to thank them. A video to thank our Liberian partners for their commitment and care for the children of Hope International. A thank you for their examples of tenacity, joy, community, and taking good care of each other. And mostly, thanking them for letting us participate in the beauty unfolding in Liberia. Are you ready? Let's dance!

• Make a thank you sign, play a little Love Train by the O’Jays, grab your family, and dance like no one is watching. Need a little inspiration?  Watch my video here.

• Email your 30-second video clip to info@hopeproject.org. We will put the clips together and create a gift of reciprocity for our Liberian friends, made even more poignant during this time of fear and pandemic.

Really bold and beautiful things are happening in Liberia: scholarships, micro-loans, vocational certifications, a growing school campus…but the heart of what we do is the daily operation of Hope International School. A school created to provide education to students who would not otherwise have the opportunity, in the 4th poorest country in the world. Through your partnership and generosity, together we will work to empower and educate Liberia's next generation of dream chasers.

You make the impossible, possible. For that, I am so very grateful.

Jackie Frazier