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A special Annual Report message From David McKenzie, Executive Director of HOPE International Development Agency

Simply put, we’re outnumbered!

In a world where poverty kills 35,000 children every 24 hours… in a time when more than 1.4 billion people are forced to live on less than one dollar a day... it’s hard to find enough people willing to face the challenge of poverty.

The poor don’t have a choice as to whether or not they will face poverty; it challenges them head on by laying claim to their lives.

You, on the other hand, do have a choice. And that’s why we at HOPE International Development Agency are so thankful that you’ve chosen to befriend the poor through your generous giving.

The challenge of poverty cannot go unanswered. If it does, people perish.

As people of compassion, we are compelled to decide – with full knowledge of what’s at stake – how much we are going to help, not if we are going to help.

Being outnumbered serves to remind us of just how big the challenge is and how big our hearts need to be if we are going to rescue as many people as possible.

Friend, if you’ve ever wondered how much of a positive difference your giving makes, you’re about to find out.

The evidence of your compassion and the power of your giving are present in each of the 60 life-transforming projects described in our most recent Annual Report.

You are helping families write a new story – a story of hope!

Because of people like you, mothers in a remote village, nestled in the hills of Ethiopia’s Derashe region, now walk just 5 minutes to gather disease-free drinking water. A year ago, finding water meant a gruelling 2-3 hour trek through the mountains to gather water from a parasite-infested pond at the end of a treacherous trail.

Abrihet is one of these mothers. Today, she gathers clean drinking water from a tap located just minutes from her door – you can read her story of hope in our Annual Report.

You can also read about the fulfilment of a commitment we made to the people of Derashe more than a decade ago. Today, because of friends like you, nearly all of the 200,000 people who live in Derashe have clean drinking water!

But even as we rejoice in what has been accomplished throughout the world and Ethiopia, we know there are more families enduring terrible suffering right now who need help.

In Bonke, Ethiopia, a region that neighbors Derashe, there are nearly 200,000 people who desperately need access to clean water. Right now, they gather their drinking water from filthy ponds where cattle drink and bathe. It costs $325 to provide clean water for one family for life! A gift from you of $100 or more would go a long way toward helping a family gain access to safe drinking water.

In addition to our efforts to save lives in Bonke, we are deeply concerned about other families and children in Ethiopia.

In rural areas like Bonke, a lack of income is keeping families trapped in a cycle of poverty. A gift from you of $60 would help a family purchase livestock that they can raise, breed, and sell as a source of sustainable income. The cycle of poverty can be overcome when a family has a reliable source of income.

In urban areas like Ethiopia’s capital city, Addis Ababa, orphaned and abandoned children are left to fend for themselves on the streets and back alleys – the consequences of which can be deadly. A gift from you of $80 would help rescue at-risk children by providing educational support and care. With your gift these children will have a future full of hope rather than despair and death.

Friend, our Annual Report acknowledges what has been accomplished, but it also shows just how much more needs to be done if poverty is to be eradicated.

Today, as you rejoice with us I hope and pray that you will find it in your heart to give generously so that more can be done to stop the suffering and dying.

Friend, we are not discouraged by being outnumbered. We accept the challenge to do more because we know what is at stake. We hope and pray that you will too!

David McKenzie, Executive Director