Why dignity makes all the difference

“You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor.” // PSALM 8:5

Few people understand the meaning of dignity as well as Mercy, a TOLI entrepreneur in rural Kenya.

Mercy and her husband had struggled to provide for their four children. She took out high-interest loans just to send them to school. She felt helpless to care for her family, dependent, invaluable, and undignified.

But with TOLI, that changed. Through the program she says she feels seen by the Lord. Like God reached down in His great love to lift her out of helplessness. “I feel lifted…” she says, “...TOLI has lifted me quite big!”

“I learned so many things,” Mercy said, “TOLI has lifted me quite big!”

Through TOLI, Mercy stepped into her God-given creative capacity. She turned a $260 microloan into a thriving general store, a steady income with savings that provide for her children, and, ultimately, into a confidence of her value. 

TOLI is built on the truth that all people are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). All people have dignity. Tim Keller explains it like this:

"The image of God carries with it the right not to be mistreated or harmed.... Regardless of their record or character, all human beings have an irreducible glory and significance to them, because God loves them.... So we must treasure each and every human being as a way of showing due respect for the majesty of their owner and Creator."

This truth transformed Mercy's life, and now she's transforming her community. 

Mercy volunteers her time and travels on foot from savings group to savings group to teach people principles she learned in TOLI’s Business Basics Course. She encourages each group to save and in her own words “introduces them to an organization that will give them a boost [TOLI]."

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"I am ready for the community to learn and uplift themselves…because when one person grows, another person grows, and the community grows and uplifts.” 

– MERCY, KENYA

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As Mercy shares TOLI's revolving loan model, she explains how repayments provide a dignifying microloan to another needy person in their community. 

She tells them that one person can uplift the lives of three…

And three people can uplift the lives of 23…

And eventually, their whole community can be lifted out of material poverty. They can experience a restored view of self. They can walk in their God-given capacity. They can know their own dignity. And it makes all the difference. Just ask Mercy.

Help fund a microloan, and change a community.

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TRAVEL with TOLI

TOLI Learning Trips are the best way to understand TOLI's impact in communities around the world. This summer, we're traveling to Kenya and to Ethiopia. Head to our website for dates, information, and the trip application.

Marking a milestone

Celebrating the 1,000 mark

“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.” // Habakkuk 2:14

In Chuka, a rural town on the base of Mount Kenya, there are 1,000 people to celebrate. Here, 1,000 entrepreneurs have started their own businesses – stepping out of material poverty through TOLI’s program. That’s 1,000 graduations, 1,000 new dreams, 1,000 changed families, and 1,000 lives transformed. 

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Watch this video for a glimpse into the TOLI program in Kenya:

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Around the world, one in 10 people live in extreme material poverty, living on less than $2.15 a day. But a lack of material resources is only one aspect of poverty. Material poverty deeply affects how people view themselves. Those in the grip of extreme poverty often say: “I feel hopeless.” “I’m embarrassed.” “I feel ashamed.” 

Our partner ministries and TOLI Social Workers meet clients in their material poverty, and with Scripture and a microloan, they teach clients they have worth, dignity, and creative capacity. TOLI entrepreneurs who graduate from the TOLI program have said: “I feel empowered.” “I believe in myself.” “I feel strong and visionary.” “I feel at the top.” “I have become hopeful.”

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Meet Esther – our 1,000th client in Kenya. Before TOLI, Esther’s only income was from her small seasonal farm. Completely dependent on rainfall, Esther felt stuck and lived day to day. One day a TOLI Social Worker came and talked to her savings group about TOLI. With hope, Esther entered the program. She completed the Business Basics Course, learned how to run a business, and, just last month, took a microloan to start her own retail store. Already her business is growing, and she’s saved enough money to buy a goat for security. 

And even though her journey has just begun, the biggest transformation is her heart. Esther’s now hopeful, looking forward to her future, and giving all the glory to God.

So we praise God for Esther, for the 999 clients who came before her, and for the next 1,000 clients to come! 

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Nicaragua News

The TOLI Board recently had to make a very tough decision: After 5 years of providing the TOLI program through our partner Verbo Ministries in Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua, we have been forced to end our program there. Please click below for the full report, and how to pray.

“I am very grateful to God and the TOLI program for giving me the privilege of belonging to this beautiful TOLI family. The relationship with you transformed my life and that of my family. We’ve never experienced so much love and support. Thank you very much. I think I have an economic and spiritual foundation to continue undertaking and continue supporting my children and family.”
– Brenda, TOLI entrepreneur in Nicaragua

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Mark your calendars for TOLI’s Global Day of Fasting and Prayer on October 24th! Your prayers make a difference. Join us for a global Zoom call, communion at the TOLI office, and, most importantly, 24 hours of prayer – praying for clients, TOLI Field Staff, and partner ministries by name. Sign up for a specific hour of prayer below.

Why partnership is priceless

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’" // MARK 12:30-31

Wherever there's a TOLI program, there’s a local church or ministry already at work in the community. And that's why TOLI works, because these local Christ-centered ministries, who love God and who love people, use our program as a tool to transform their communities. 

Ministries partner with TOLI to reach people they wouldn't reach otherwise. While we provide a proven model and initial funds, it's our partners who hold the vision for their community. They assemble the local committee to champion the program, hire field staff to implement it, and encourage clients because they want to see people's hearts and minds transformed. They want to reach the poor and share with them the gospel. 

But don't take our word for it! Hear it from our partners as they share their heart for TOLI and for the nations:

“There are millions of widows who are waiting for help in Ethiopia, many of whom don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus. I believe that serving with love and humility will transform lives with the gospel of Jesus Christ. I believe the loan program helps us to spread the Gospel and bring the kingdom of heaven to the earth. One at a time, individuals will be changed, then the community, through which we will change nations.”
– Mulu Woldetinsae // Life Center Ethiopia // ETHIOPIA

“TOLI has opened my eyes to new areas in Egypt that are shouting “come over and help!” My church is positively impacted by TOLI because it opened for us a big door to help the needy community in Egypt, and also it helped us in trying to change the mentality of the Egyptian churches to give donations to the poor.”
— Bassem Raouf // Heliopolis Evangelical Church // EGYPT

“My favorite thing is to see a poor person guided through an entrepreneurship program, then grasp the concepts of dreaming big, good customer service, good marketing skills, etc., and assimilate them into their lives. I’ve seen clients internalize this, start businesses, and progress. That makes my day. Seeing them slowly transform from poverty, making daily steps towards self-sustainability, humbles and empowers me to do more.”
– Humphrey Kanga // Kenya Connection Kids // KENYA

“My heart is with children. TOLI has brought more children to Sunday School and this is a huge blessing because they’re growing spiritually. For one client, Grace,
the first client to pay off her loan in Uganda, TOLI improved her life,
her children's, and her children's children."
– Angie Atta // Volunteer // Goshen Gospel Ministries // UGANDA

“TOLI is very effective because we have a lot of poverty here. Giving spiritual guidance without any practical help doesn't work to solve poverty. The Church used to just give money but that didn’t work. This system works.”
– Pastor Emad // Towah Evangelical Church // EGYPT

And thank you for your partnership as well! Your prayers and financial support help equip these local partners reach more people and transform more lives. Thank you!

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We’re back… Thank you for praying

This month, a TOLI team travelled to our site in Central America to visit with partners. We visited clients, encouraged staff, and held a Regional Conference – which was an amazing time of fellowship and leadership training with Field Staff and committee members. Thanks to our Prayer Team and supporters for covering us in prayer during this journey.

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New addition to the TOLI US Team

We’re so excited to welcome Amy Cullins as TOLI’s new Associate for Stewardship and Engagement! Amy has a welcoming heart for people, a passion for Jesus, and a gentle and humble spirit. Her rich experience in leading women’s ministry, event planning, volunteer engagement, teaching, and hospitality will be a huge asset to the TOLI team. Amy's focus will be on serving and praying for our donors, helping them meaningfully engage with the ministry and planning TOLI events. Amy, we’re thrilled to have you on the team!

Harvesting hope

How small-scale farming can spark large-scale transformation

Did you know that about 30% of TOLI clients work in farming? 

In Egyptian villages, goats are raised on rooftops and then sold for milk and meat. Piggeries in rural Uganda turn a reliable profit. In Kenya, farmers specialize in different poultry products: broilers, layers, and even organic “Kienyegi” chickens.

For most of these clients, farming is not a new skill, but a way of life that’s nearly second nature. But paired with TOLI’s business training and improved agricultural techniques, these chickens, pigs, goats, cows, ducks, rabbits, beans, bananas, or maize are no longer supplementary backyard crops, but become viable, scalable businesses. 

Farmers in our program learn the value of saving and reinvesting, the importance of segregating personal and business expenses, and the value of specialization and marketing. In one community in Kenya, a group of neighboring TOLI clients with goat-keeping projects have recently attracted large wholesale goat milk buyers who wouldn’t normally buy from a single small scale farmer. Now the local goat milk market is expanding and these TOLI farmers are the beneficiaries. 

TOLI farmers also learn improved agricultural techniques from our partners and from each other. Often, simple and inexpensive changes produce massive results. For example, using a $300 TOLI microloan to invest in a well-built cowshed or a mechanized chaff cutter for livestock feed can double, triple, or even quadruple milk production — and therefore profits.

Hellen Muthengi is a volunteer TOLI leader in Kenya who also happens to be an expert in advanced farming techniques, working for the Ministry of Agriculture. Hellen coaches our farming clients on best practices and new technologies, helping them dramatically improve yields.

But Hellen doesn't see TOLI clients as businesses to fix — but as people to love. So along with her advice, she also offers a listening ear, a supportive presence, and a prayerful heart. She praises God when she witnesses clients improving their farms, increasing their profits, providing for their families, sending their kids to school, and becoming leaders in their community who give back, teach others, and share HOPE.

Please join us and Hellen as we pray for these hard working TOLI farmers — as they breed, raise, plant, grow, reap, and sell — that they would see themselves working hand in hand with the Creator, stewarding all that He's given.

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We are hiring!

The US office is expanding. If you know anyone who'd make a great addition to our ministry team here in Colorado Springs, let us know — and help us spread the word!

CURRENT OPENINGS
> Associate for Stewardship and Engagement
> Administrative Coordinator

For complete details go to www.toli.org/careers.

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Meet the newest members of Team TOLI around the world

Our international team has added a lot of new faces lately. Here's a quick introduction!

(right to left/top to bottom:
> Ehab Sobhy is the new Regional Coordinator in Upper Egypt. He has a desire and vision to reach more sites and unite sites together.

> Bonface Muriuki formerly served as a Social Worker for TOLI in Kenya and has now returned to lead the Kenya team as Regional Coordinator.
> Hiwot Soloman is the newest TOLI Social Worker in Ethiopia. She has a heart for teaching and guiding others.
> Peter Kingecha is the new Financial Administrator in Kenya. He has an extensive background in business and management.
> Florence is the newest Social Worker in Uganda. She loves people so well!

We can't wait to see how God will use these people to grow TOLI and to proclaim the Gospel. Please pray for each of them — and the rest of our dedicated field staff — as they serve clients and the Lord.

Beauty in the ordinary

Leaves and dirt seem ordinary, but Lucy showed me how to take the ordinary and transform it into something beautiful. 

Once a week, Lucy comes back from the next town with her arms wrapped around a heavy bag of wholesale Kenyan tea. Her arms ache from the load, but she smiles because her kids are at school and her business is growing. When she gets home, she stoops over her workspace and the huge bag of tea, and separates the leaves into custom bags. Then she delivers tea to her loyal customers and sells it in the markets.

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Watch this video to see Lucy at work:

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Before TOLI, Lucy sold tea, but as a single mom, she couldn’t provide for her two kids and save for their future. Her income was unstable, and she lacked loyal customers to buy from her each week. 

When Lucy joined TOLI, completed her business training, and took a microloan worth $200, she felt determined to transform her business. But what she didn’t know was that so many other aspects of her life would change as well. 

In fact, the TOLI Microloan Program is designed to affect four main areas of change. As a result, clients experience holistic transformation, increasing their ability to:

          > Grow their business
          > Support their family
          > Increase Financial Stability
          > Grow Spiritually 

GROWING HER BUSINESS

For Lucy, she learned how to grow her business and her brand. With increased access to capital, Lucy increased her buying power. That means she more than doubled her income, upgraded the quality of her tea leaves, and built a loyal customer base who drink Lucy’s tea every day. 

SUPPORTING HER FAMILY

Lucy now supports her two children in elementary school. She’s saving for their future and wants them to flourish. 

 “My dream is to see my children complete their school, get employed and purchase their own cars,” she said. “I would be very happy to be cared for by my children.”

“My dream is to see my children complete their school, get employed and purchase their own cars. I would be very happy to be cared for by my children.”

INCREASING HER FINANCIAL STABILITY

Lucy now has enough money to support her family, to save for the future, and to pay back her loan installments. 

But what’s even more amazing is that she has money to invest in other projects. She expanded her small farm, where she grows beans, maize, and bananas. And she even expanded her home for her sons with thousands of bricks she made with her own two hands, using dirt and water and the heat of the sun. (Check out the end of the video to see how many bricks she made). 
 

GROWING SPIRITUALLY

Lucy is a tea dealer, farmer, and brick maker. But, most importantly, she’s a child of God.

Lucy knows God took her human brokenness and ordinariness, called her His own, and redeemed her to live in relationship with Him. God made Lucy’s brokenness beautiful.  And because of this, Lucy can turn ordinary things into beautiful things, too. She creates in the shadow of her creator. 

Through Lucy, I learned that leaves can make a warm drink and a beautiful business. Dirt can make a home. A microloan can lead to long-lasting transformation. I learned there’s beauty and change in the ordinary – in the smell of tea, in yellow bags, and in Lucy’s strong arms as she scoops leaves, turns dirt into bricks, and hugs her kids. There’s beauty in the growth of Lucy's business and in her dreams for the future.

And that beauty is far from ordinary.
 

In Christ
Audrey Putney
Communications Fellow

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— Come pray with us —

TOLI TUESDAY PRAYER GATHERING
Tuesday March 8 at 12pm MT

Join us via Zoom: Email Audrey for your link OR
Come to the TOLI office: 5785 N. Union, Colorado Springs, CO 80918

An unexpected legacy

How one grandmother's bold move changed a whole family — and their future

Veronica was 80 years young when she took on an unlikely new challenge — to become an entrepreneur. 

For decades, this proud mother of five and grandmother of six, along with her husband Antonio, had raised chickens at their home in rural Kenya, selling some here and there to make meager ends meet. But when she heard about TOLI’s microloan program, she began to dream of something bigger. 

So in 2019, despite the fact she had never learned to read, Veronica signed up for TOLI’s Business Basics Course through her community-based savings group. Her husband and daughter-in-law, Judy, joined her. The course, which is designed for learners of all levels, gave them practical tools for growing a thriving small business, and the Biblical foundations to integrate their work with faith in Jesus.

After finishing the course, Veronica and Judy were granted microloans of about $250 each to invest in poultry inventory and the equipment needed to grow their businesses.

Now 18 months later, what started as a family flock of a few dozen chickens is today a full-fledged poultry operation, numbering more than 850 chickens between them. They rear birds for eggs and meat, and have expanded to both wholesale and retail sales.   

Veronica and Antonio have been married for 58 years.

Antonio loves to brag about the power of TOLI’s training and how it changed their life. 

“The way he talks about TOLI is like magic,” says their TOLI Social Worker, who has walked alongside the family throughout the program. Antonio now spends time teaching and mentoring his kids and grandkids in the poultry business, passing his know-how and vision to the next generation. 

As for Veronica, she admits this whole venture was a risk at first. But she wasn’t afraid.

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“If you fear doing something, you’ll never do it. But God will do it through you. God does not want people to fear.”

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“If you fear doing something, you’ll never do it,” she says. But if you take the risk and believe, then “God will do it through you. God does not want people to fear.”

What’s most remarkable about Veronica and Antonio’s story is not their risk-taking, their late-in-life success, or their newfound financial security. What's most remarkable is how they show us that big dreams unfold one brave step at a time, through one person at a time, and — with God’s help — have the power to change generations to come.

Antonio with some of their flock. They hope to add a second story to this chicken coop and double their inventory.

Veronica is the mother of five and grandmother of six.

Veronica's daughter-in-law, Judy, shows off her completed Business Basics Workbook.

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JOIN US FOR TOLI TUESDAY.

TOLI Tuesdays are a unique time to meet TOLI staff around the world to pray for them and their clients. This month, we welcome a team of three social workers — Lucy, Judy, and Hellen — working with TOLI clients in Kenya, including Veronica and her family! They will share updates from the field and prayer requests for their ministry. You'll also hear the latest prayer needs and updates from our other locations around the world.

WHEN: Tuesday JUNE 8, 12pm MT on Zoom
Email Liza for your Zoom link. Or join the Prayer Team here to get prayer reminders straight in your inbox.

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Help us spread the word so we can bring microloans and hope to more families — LIKE and SHARE TOLI with your friends on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn:

Fighting for a better future. Together.

Instead of shutting down, TOLI groups around the world are training up

The pandemic may have shut down economic growth in TOLI communitites, but it hasn't shut down the desire to learn, change, and dream of a better future. 

Proof? When we proposed offering our business training course this fall in the Kiandutu slum in Kenya, nearly 100 people signed up, ready to learn entrepreneurship and small business skills.

However, it was a challenge to find a space large enough to meet safely. After plans for two different meeting rooms fell through, these hopeful students took matters into their own hands: They found some iron sheets and wood poles and, in a nearby empty lot, built a training space with their own hands.

Since then, this ‘classroom’ (pictured above) has hosted more than 80 students, who've all successfully completed TOLI’s Business Basics Course. Their next step? Microloans and new businesses that will help them provide for their families and community.

IN PICTURES: TOLI students get equipped for a new future

TOLI groups around the world have capitalized on this season to train up current and future emerging business owners. Go on a PHOTO TOUR of small business training happening now at TOLI sites around the world:

Kiandutu slum // KENYA

SEPTEMBER: Business training class in the space they built on their own.

Kiandutu slum // KENYA

SEPTEMBER: Business training class in the space they built on their own.

Kiandutu slum // KENYA

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER: More than 80 completed the TOLI’s Business Basics Course in Kiandutu.

Towah // EGYPT

OCTOBER: A new Business Basics Course graduate

Towah // EGYPT

OCTOBER: The most recent class of Business training graduates in Egypt.

Addis Ababa // ETHIOPIA

OCTOBER: Proud new graduate celebrates her accomplishment.

Addis Ababa // ETHIOPIA

OCTOBER: The TOLI Business Basics Course is now in Amharic.

Addis Ababa // ETHIOPIA

OCTOBER: A class of widows completed the course this fall in Addis Ababa.

Puerto Cabezas // NICARAGUA

October: Business training class kicks off in Nicaragua.

Chuka // KENYA

OCTOBER: Not your typical class; a warm up exercise gets everyone involved and laughing.

Chuka // KENYA

September: A training group meets in a banana grove.

Chuka // KENYA

SEPTEMBER: Training starts with worship for this women’s savings group.

MORE THAN A BUSINESS COURSE

In the last two months, groups in Egypt, Kenya, Nicaragua, and Ethiopia have taken advantage of TOLI’s Business Basics Course (BBC). Our curriculum was revised and customized this year, and translated into 3 languages (Arabic, Spanish, and Amharic). This unique small-group experience was created specifically for non-literate or low-literacy learners, and is contextualized for local culture. It weaves together:

> Worship and Biblical foundations
> Explorations of identity, worth, capacity, and creativity
> Basic business topics like marketing, savings, budgeting, and customer care
> Confidence-building, goal-setting, and leadership development
> Team building and group bonding

Equipped with this powerful training — training that transforms both the mind and heart — these students are now ready to apply for a TOLI microloan to help build their own small business.

As economies recover from COVID and families look for ways to thrive, this training is more valuable than ever. Thank you for helping us deliver it to the people and places it’s needed most.

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Join us Tuesday — live from Kenya

Join us Tuesday at noon (MST), and you’ll meet Humphrey Kanga, founder and CEO of TOLI partner KCK Ministries in Kenya. He’ll share the latest updates on our microloan program there and specific ways we can be praying. To join us, email Liza Cunningham to receive your Zoom link.

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Got Pie. Gave Hope. …THANK YOU!

This year’s Get Pie Give Hope event blew us away. The COVID-friendly “pie-through” in October raised more than $10,000 to support TOLI. You bought every last piece of 51 incredibly delicious Gold Star pies (that’s 357 slices, if you're counting), and turned them into more than 37 microloans for poor entrepreneurs through your donations.

A BIG thank you to Heather Briggs of Gold Star Pies, who baked and donated all the pies, as well as the grand prize Gold Star Pie Truck Party. And thanks to our awesome volunteers and everyone who came out to support TOLI and savor sweet pie together.

Gold Star Pies' Heather Briggs and TOLI Executive Director, Abigail McConnell, at last month's Get Pie Give Hope event.

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Courage to restart

How TOLI clients are now bravely investing, adapting — and getting back to work

Even in normal times, being an entrepreneur means taking risks. These days though, it takes an extra dose of courage. As life inches back to normal — or adapts to a new normal — TOLI is beginning to grant new microloans again to clients who are ready. In communities where restrictions are now lifting, our local partners are helping clients bravely kickstart new businesses and rebuild existing ones. In fact, 27 new microloans have been granted in the past few weeks in Egypt and in Central Kenya. 

Meet four courageous entrepreneurs in central Kenya, who are boldly investing in their dreams: 

MAGDALENE // Cosmetics Shop. Magdalene is a brand new TOLI client, launching a cosmetics shop in her community. Her loan of $300 will allow her to stock her shop with the inventory and supplies needed to build her business.

LENA // Veterinary Services. Last fall we shared how Lena launched a veterinary services business with a $300 microloan. Since then, she's continued to build her business, even through the worst of the pandemic restrictions, and paid off her loan successfully. This month she received a secondary $300 loan to increase her inventory and earnings.

HUNTINGFORD // Banana Farmer. Huntingford just took his first TOLI microloan to purchase water storage tanks to help irrigate his banana crops. With reliable irrigation, he will now be able to increase crop yields and provide steady income for his family.

JANE // Wholesale Shop. Jane just received a second microloan to grow her wholesale shop's inventory, expanding the products available in her village.

Each of these clients is equipped with small business training and the coaching of a TOLI social worker. As they earn income and pay back the loan (most are less than $300), those funds are 'recycled,' providing another loan to a family in the very same community. And our local partners walk with them every step of the way, while bearing witness to the lasting hope that only Jesus Christ provides. 

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"Those that will trust upon the Lord, despite the challenge, they are still going to achieve their dreams." — NICHOLAS, TOLI SOCIAL WORKER, KENYA

So how are these clients prepared to face the challenges ahead? Through training, determination — and faith, says Nicholas Kirunja, a TOLI Social Worker in Kenya. 

"Those that live in fear and doubt are not willing to start or even expand their businesses," Nicholas tells us. "But those that will trust upon the Lord, despite the challenge, they are still going to achieve their dreams. So long as they adhere to all the precautionary measures, God is going to give them victory."  

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In August, we expect at least 40 new microloans to be granted in locations where it's safe to do so. Now is a great time to invest in our courageous clients, as they start or rebuild a small business to provide for their families. 

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We're looking for Monthly Investors

Every new monthly donor in August gets a little thank you from us

Did you know that for as little as $25 a month, you can help provide a life-changing microloan every single year? These "Monthly Investors" fuel TOLI's ministry in a powerful, sustainable, and budget-friendly way. 

Right now, we're looking for 10 new Monthly Investors to join this core team of support. And if you sign up in August, we'll even send you an awesome TOLI WATER BOTTLE as our way of saying thanks. Will you join the team? Click the button below, or contact Erin Eilmes for assistance. 

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"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." — JOSHUA 1:9

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"You were God sent."

— COVID-19 Fund UPDATE —

"… I will be honest, I had rough times wondering where food will come from. Business is shut down, I didn't know where to go. But you were God sent and saved us..."

These are the words of Scholastica, a client in Kenya who received food aid last week through our COVID-19 Relief Fund, in the video above. The need and impact has overwhelmed us, and it continues. But because of your help, kids are not going hungry, clients are being sustained, and families are sharing with neighbors even needier than themselves. Scholastica continues: 

"You have saved many, because I cannot watch my neighbor sleep hungry while I have that flour or rice or beans..." 

Scholastica is multiplying the blessing that began with your generosity. You've given $34,197 for COVID-19 Relief, surpassing our original $30K goal. And here's how it's helping: 

> 260 packages of Food Aid (a 3-4 week supply of food per family) have been provided to clients in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Egypt
> Food Aid will continue and expand to include Nicaragua next month
> 4,000 face masks were produced and distributed (and 2000 more ordered) through our Face Mask Project, which is employing 16 needy TOLI clients and widows. Masks are handed out in villages by TOLI social workers as they provide critical health education.  
> Food packages will now include a Bible. Thanks to a US donor and a Bible ministry in Egypt, 625 bibles will be delivered during this crisis. (What's better? Clients began asking for bibles this month, not knowing God was already preparing this gift for them!)
> Due to lockdowns, some TOLI clients have been forced to literally eat their inventory. When things reopen, the Relief Fund will help replenish lost inventory and revive businesses.
> New microloans are slowly being granted again in Egypt, as the economy reopens. But demand is huge: In one area, there's a waitlist of 37 ready to join TOLI's program. The Relief Fund ensures we'll be able to meet this demand when conditions allow.

And that's just the beginning. To hear more details and stories of how we are at work in these hard hit communities, please join us for a special COVID-19 Report and Prayer Gathering on June 9:

The direct, tangible results above are easy to list. But what may be more powerful and lasting are the indirect, intangible ripple effects:

> Families receiving help are turning to their neighbor to share and multiply the blessing. 
> Clients are hungry for God's Word, and they're receiving it.
> Social workers are powerfully ministering in crisis.
> Clients who were at risk of giving up have recommitted to the program after experiencing TOLI's unrelenting love.
> Whole communities are paying attention to how unconditionally and effectively our Gospel-driven partners serve.

And God is getting the glory (2 Corinthians 9:12).

So we agree with Scholastica, who said to each of you in her message,

"May God bless you and remember you, just like you have remembered us."

Above, Scholastica and her young family. Her soap business just started in January, shortly after the birth of her third born. The COVID lockdown has meant all sources of income and food security ceased. The support she is getting from TOLI's COVID-19 Relief Fund has been a lifeline and source of tangible hope for her, and for her whole community. Together they are determined to thrive, bless others, and come out stronger.

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We've extended the COVID-19 RELIEF FUND as needs continue. click here for complete details.

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This is what loves looks like.

— From Our Executive Director —

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Just a short few weeks ago I was sitting with a woman named Jane* in a slum near Nairobi. Our team of seven squeezed into her tiny home — a one-room shelter pieced together with scraps of wood and metal. As we piled in, she told us about her new soap business, her six kids, and the many nights they used to go to sleep hungry. 

“And now,” she said, pointing to a teenager, a baby, and a toddler sitting in the dirt alley outside the doorway, “they live here with me, too.” 

The teenager, Alice*, is a single mom of the two babies. She was suicidal when Jane first met her a few weeks back. Jane pleaded with her not to go through with it, and even though she was basically a stranger, she offered to take her and her two kids into her own home instead. Alice agreed.

Ten people. One room. No plumbing. In a dangerous and desperate slum. I'm sure my jaw dropped as I listened to her. The generosity didn't quite compute.

New friends Jane* (left) and Alice* (right) and her baby.

Fast forward four weeks. So much has happened since we met Jane. Our team got out of Kenya just before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down air travel. Social-distancing is the new normal. People around the globe are ‘sheltering in place.’ Businesses worldwide — from multinational corporations to microenterprises like Jane’s — are slamming to a halt. And no one is exempt from the impact of a disease that is changing life as we know it. 

And TOLI is pivoting to meet the challenge. Our field staffers are still connecting with clients every month — now by mobile phone — to give advice on hand washing and health guidelines, to help clients think of creative ways to adapt their businesses to weather this crisis, and, most importantly, to share the love of Jesus Christ and the rescue and refuge only he can provide.

Of course we’re worried about our clients. Their lives and livelihoods were already fragile, lacking the safety nets and security we take for granted. But we also take heart that TOLI clients are in a much stronger position going into this crisis, prepared with training and support that they didn't have before. 

Jane, for example, has savings for the first time in her life. Until TOLI, “I never saved before,” she told us. Before her soap business, her only work was day labor — doing laundry or odd jobs — but it wasn't enough, and her kids would often go hungry. Now, her small business is covering her family expenses, and there is even money leftover. 

But does Jane really have ‘enough’ to share? I wouldn’t have thought so when I first met her — not enough room, or money, or food. But she shared anyway, and it saved a life — probably three. 

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“In a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability.”

— 2 CORINTHIANS 8: 3-4

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How will this all turn out for Jane, and for Alice, and their kids? We don’t know. On the face of it, the odds may seem stacked against them. But the odds can’t compute the game-changing power of generosity or courage or creativity — or God’s intervention. 

That’s as true for Jane and Alice as it is for all of us right now. 

Before we left her home that day, Jane asked us to pray for her. Her request? “Please pray for my ability to love with Christ’s love,” she said. “and for protection from diseases.” 

That’s our prayer, too, Jane. That’s our prayer, too.

Abigail McConnell
Executive Director

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There’s never been a more important time to share your support with TOLI. We know that your resources during this time are precious and we don’t take it for granted. Please prayerfully consider sharing so that TOLI can continue to minister to those who are most vulnerable. 

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Jane opened her home to us last month to show us her new business inventory, tell us her story, and pray.

*Names have been changed for privacy.