HOPE International (HOPE) is a Christian faith-based, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization focused on alleviating physical and spiritual poverty through microenterprise development. HOPE ministers to the poor in over a dozen countries, working in the hard places and thriving there. HOPE's microfinance programs offer a sustainable alternative to the short-term forms of charity that have often left a wake of disempowerment in developing countries. Microfinance isn't a hand-out but a hand up. It demands ownership and active participation from the beneficiaries of the intervention. Microloan recipients can take pride in knowing that their own hard work has made the difference between poverty and provision.