In a world of big problems, it’s easy to assume that big organizations hold the keys to change. Massive budgets, global reach, corporate partnerships. These things dominate conversations about international aid and development.
But at Equipping Hope International, we believe in something smaller. Slower. And perhaps even more powerful.
We believe in the power of presence.
In the earliest days of Equipping Hope International, before we had formed a board, launched a program, or drafted a mission statement, I kept returning to a simple but powerful idea, the kind of idea that’s easy to say but hard to live: teach a man to fish.
In refugee camps like Nyarugusu, the conversation around skills is often framed in terms of survival. Learning to sew means income. Learning English means opportunity. Agricultural training means food security.
All of these are true. But at Equipping Hope International, we believe there’s more to it.
We believe work has spiritual meaning.
At Equipping Hope International, we don’t hide the fact that we are a Christian organization. It’s not a label we add on top of our programs. In fact, it’s the foundation underneath everything we do.
From the structure of our English and tailoring classes to the tone of our leadership and our long-term goals in Nyarugusu Refugee Camp, our commitment to Jesus Christ shapes both the why and the how of our mission.
Here’s what that means, and why we believe it matters more than ever.
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.
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.
When we set out our goals for 2020, a global pandemic wasn’t on the list. Like so many others around the world, we’ve had to adjust, pivot, and pray our way through every change COVID-19 has brought. In the Nyarugusu refugee camp, where our work is located, the effects of COVID may be particularly difficult to navigate. The camp is densely populated. Healthcare resources are limited.
But amid all the challenges, one thing has remained unchanged: our commitment to equipping hope. And through that commitment, a new opportunity emerged — one that combined our existing programs, responded to the global pandemic in a proactive manner, and empowered our graduates to serve their community in a tangible way.
We call it Protecting Hope.
A few months ago, the world paused.
Airports emptied. Schools closed. Streets fell quiet. Nations went into lockdown. And for the first time in a generation, a single crisis touched every continent, every economy, every home.
In the face of COVID-19, many of us find ourselves asking: What now? How do we continue serving when everything feels uncertain? How do we move forward when the world seems to be standing still?
At Equipping Hope, those questions met us right in the middle of our calling.
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.
In 2018, Equipping Hope International was born out of a simple conversation between two friends. One had spent two decades of his life in a refugee camp. The other was a volunteer trying to help one family adjust to a new country. Together, we asked what could be done for the thousands who remain displaced and overlooked. One year later, we’re still asking that question, and now we’re building answers, too.
