inspiration

Tailoring apprentices and master tailors working together on sewing machines at Nyarugusu Refugee Camp in Tanzania. The apprenticeships are a part of Equipping Hope Interanational's Business of Hope program.

February 1, 2021June 28, 2025

“Fishers of Men… and Tailors and Farmers”: The Vision Behind Equipping Hope

In Matthew 4:19, Jesus says to His disciples, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” It’s a call to transformation, to a life spent not just surviving, but leading others into hope. At Equipping Hope International, that call shapes everything we do. But in a refugee camp where survival itself is uncertain, becoming a “fisher of men” takes on a deeper, more tangible meaning.

Yes, we want to help people encounter the love of Christ.
But we also want them to learn how to fish — and sew, and farm, and teach.

In other words: we aim to equip not just spiritual growth, but practical, daily resilience. This is our vision.

Nyarugusu Refugee Camp residents wearing masks provided by the Protecting Hope Project from Equipping Hope International in Tanzania.

November 10, 2020June 28, 2025

Sewn in Faith: The Impact of the Protecting Hope Mask Project and the Return of Hope

Earlier this year, we shared about a new initiative born from a challenging season — our Protecting Hope Mask Project. As COVID-19 swept across the world and into the Nyarugusu Refugee Camp, we knew our mission had to adapt. That shift led us to repurpose our tailoring program, hiring graduates to sew protective face masks for their fellow camp residents.

Months later, we can say this project did more than meet a need. It ignited hope. It created jobs. It protected families. And through it, we saw again that God is always at work, even when the world feels uncertain.

refugee in Nyarugusu refugee camp reading the Bible. Taught English by Teaching Hope, a program of Equipping Hope International in Tanzania.

January 15, 2020June 28, 2025

The Word That Leads Us: How Scripture Is Guiding Year Two

When we launched Equipping Hope International in late 2018, we stepped out in faith, trusting God to provide where we could not. We didn’t have a detailed blueprint, a full staff, or a robust donor base. What we had was a clear calling — to equip refugees in Tanzania with tools for dignity, self-sufficiency, and spiritual growth — and a deep conviction that God’s Word was enough to lead us.

Now, as we begin Year Two, we’re still building. We’re still learning. And we are still being led by Scripture — not just as an inspiration, but as our blueprint.

In this post, we want to share some of the verses that are shaping how we move forward, what they mean to us as a team, and how we see them playing out in the lives of the people we serve in the Nyarugusu refugee camp.

“Fishers of Men… and Tailors and Farmers”: The Vision Behind Equipping Hope

Sewn in Faith: The Impact of the Protecting Hope Mask Project and the Return of Hope

The Word That Leads Us: How Scripture Is Guiding Year Two

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