The Fruit of the Spirit in a Place of Waiting
In many places, “waiting” is an inconvenience. A delayed flight. A paused career move. A line at the store.
In Nyarugusu Refugee Camp, waiting is a way of life.
Tag: scripture
Why We Employ Refugees to Teach and Train in Nyarugusu
At Equipping Hope International, one of our foundational commitments is simple: we hire local. That means when we need someone to teach English or train tailoring students in Nyarugusu Refugee Camp, we look first — and often only — to the refugee community itself.
We don’t fly in short-term instructors from the U.S. or recruit professionals from overseas. Instead, we invest in the talents, skills, and leadership already present within the camp.
Here’s why that decision isn’t just practical — it’s essential to who we are and how we believe real transformation happens.
Meet the Team: Elise Harvey, Vice President & Marketing Director
Every thriving mission needs both vision and care. At Equipping Hope International, Elise Harvey brings both — along with wisdom, warmth, and a deep commitment to sustainable, Christ-centered work.
As a founding partner and behind-the-scenes advisor, Elise has helped shape Equipping Hope from the very beginning. She is the quiet strength behind the strategy, the voice of encouragement in hard seasons, and a faithful advocate for dignity-based ministry.
Meet the Team: Executive Director & Cofounder, Alexander Harvey
Some people step into missions work with a formal title or a long resume. Others step in with a simple yes. For Alex Harvey, that yes began with a handshake, some rusty high school French, and a family newly arrived from Nyarugusu refugee camp.
Today, Alexander is the Executive Director and Cofounder of Equipping Hope International and one of its steady, strategic leaders. But before there was a nonprofit, there was a friendship — and a deep conviction that we are called not just to respond to need, but to walk alongside people with love and hope.
Why We Teach to Fish: A Reflection from the Cofounder
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.
The Theology of Work in Displacement: Why Skills Matter Spiritually in Nyarugusu
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.
Why Our Christian Identity Matters as an International Nonprofit
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.
“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.
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.
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.