Our Summer Message

A photo taken on my first trip to Honduras.  1999 (not at the prison, no cameras allowed)

Over 15 years ago, during one of my first trips to Honduras, I was visiting in the women’s prison. We spent several hours talking, praying (thank goodness prayer transcends language) and sharing time with the women who called this cold, dirty, and lonely place home.  I was deeply struck by the hopelessness I felt, it was thick and felt extremely heavy around me.  Before we left, several women wanted to speak words of gratitude to our group.  One women, who I had spent some time with and who I will never forget, stood, looked at me and said, “Thank you for coming all the way from the United States to visit me; it is nice to know I have not been forgotten." I remember the bus ride back to the city, a lump in my throat, tears in my eyes, thinking that, for that woman, our sole purpose for coming to Honduras was her…  This is I know, our actions do not need to be grand to make the earth quake or to squeeze out sparks of light through the darkness; they just need to be intentional and genuine.  This was definitely one of the seeds of the beginning of Mi Esperanza.

For 14 years, Mi Esperanza has worked to build a ministry that gives hope to marginalized women through providing skills training and job opportunity.  We are honored to be able to offer this education and training free of charge to women currently living in poverty.  It is our goal to equip our women with the tools they need to find employment, enabling them to break the cycle of poverty in their families.  Justice is not just a good idea. We must act.

This summer we are calling for a HOPE revolution.  A call to say {I will Be Hope.} I will no longer turn my head, but instead be intentional about knowing the poor.  Through my actions, I will say you are not invisible..you are not forgotten.  When you participate with Mi Esperanza, you join with us in being hope by elevating women out of poverty.

2016 Summer Campaign {BE HOPE} Key Chain 

This summer our campaign is “Be Hope.”  We have designed a keychain that will be for sale in our on-site store and online store that expresses this sentiment.  It will serve to remind you of your buy in and commitment to BE HOPE.  Each keychain is handmade by the women in our Jewelry Program.  For our women, it is a fair wage job with all proceeds from the sale of this keychain returning back into the programs of Mi Esperanza, thus enabling us to offer this hope of education to many more women in the year to come.

Peace, Lori