Let's start at the beginning.

Touch of Love International was established after Dr. Emad Eddie Yassa, a Cairo native living and working in California, returned to his home country for a family holiday in 2001.

Heartbroken by the poverty and hopelessness he saw in Egypt's poor villages, he returned to the US feeling called to do something about it. Something sustainable, something life-giving, something built on God's love for each individual, no matter their circumstances. And Touch of Love International was born.

God has blessed his vision for TOLI abundantly. The first round of microloans were distributed in 2006, in the village of El Kom el Akhdar, through a relationship with Habitat for Humanity Egypt. Since then, more than 800 microloans have been invested in this small village alone. As loans are repaid they are reallocated to new beneficiaries who create new businesses in the village. More importantly, families are provided for, quality of life has improved, children have a new hope-filled view of their future and the community is transformed.

This model has been replicated now in more than a dozen communities across Egypt, and has expanded to other countries including Kenya, Ethiopia, and Uganda. With God's help and yours, our dream is to bring hope and dignity to needy communities around the world.

The Touch of Love International story is a story about saying yes: Yes to God. Yes to human dignity. Yes to hope. And we believe it is still just the beginning.