"I'm Interested in Helping the Poor"

Thanks for taking the time to visit us.

Bright Hope World is absolutely focused on alleviating poverty among the poorest of the poor in a way that preserves dignity and avoids dependency. We also want to encourage people to address harmful world views and live life to the fullest by coming to know the God of the universe.

These two facets - the physical and the spiritual - are what combine to achieve holistic mission, which is the space in which we work. Our belief is that ignoring either produces inadequate results.

We've organised some of our key information - both about us and our partnerships - so that it is most relevant for you based on what you're looking for.

Click the links below for more information:

The most important thing to know about Bright Hope World is that our partners are exceptional.

We find extraordinary leaders in struggling communities around the world and we get to know them over a period of years before they become our partners. These are not people with big ideas they will hopefully get to 'someday'; these are people who are already working effectively in their communities. Our role is to help resource and develop - and hence grow - what they're already doing.

Bright Hope World currently has 248 partners in 32 countries.

They work in a variety of settings (rural and urban) and in a wide range of ways. We are particularly interested in 'grass roots' ministry such as microloans and microenterprise as well as more effective farming methods. These simple interventions can help communities thrive with very little external financial input.

We also look for opportunities to help our partnerships become self-sustaining through income generation. If we can help a partnership start a business, grow crops, raise animals or otherwise generate funds, their dependency on outside donations is reduced, and their dignity is enhanced. This is not always possible, but we pursue it where it will work well.

Bright Hope World is committed to managing investments into poverty alleviation wisely. We are extremely careful in our due diligence and maintain close relationships with our partners. We never take more than 10% of donations for administration, and often take nothing.

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Thank you so much for considering donating to Bright Hope World!

Our commitment to all our donors is that we use funds effectively. One of our core values is being a 'low overhead organisation'. This means we do not spend a lot of money on marketing or expensive offices, but instead ensure funds get where they are needed. None of our team are paid by Bright Hope World, and almost all pay their own travel expenses when visiting partners.

This means we never take more than 10% of donations for administration. If you give to our General Fund we take no administration at all.

While we are happy - and indeed very grateful - to receive one-off gifts, our emphasis as an organisation is on ongoing relationship. We are committed to our partners over the long term and it helps us greatly when we have donors that are prepared to go on this long-term journey with us. As we are in the business of stimulating community development, we are used to seeing change happen over years and decades.

When you give, we will do our very best to keep you updated as to how partnerships are progressing, and what is happening on the ground. If you require more information, please contact us.

Above all, know that your donation makes a difference, because our partners are - in our view - the best of the best. They are working in partnership with God to change the world, and your funds ensure that this continues to happen.

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Bright Hope World is a relational organisation.

We tend to work - both at a partner and a team level - with people we know well. So, if you are interested in getting more involved with us at a 'hands-on' level, the best thing to do would be to make contact and get to know us! Our Global Impact Update events are a great place to do this.

One of the best ways to help us (other than giving financially) is to provide us with opportunities to tell stories about our partners to a wider audience. We love speaking to churches, interest groups, home groups, and any other kind of group interested in seeing the poorest of the poor being lifted out of poverty. We have team members based all around New Zealand, so we are usually able to take up opportunities to speak.

It is worth noting that we are not a 'sending ministry'. We work almost exclusively with local people who know the language, culture and nature of local issues. Our team members - who are volunteers and pay their own travel costs - tend to travel to visit partners annually, and report back as to how the work is progressing.

Another way in which people can get involved with Bright Hope World is to promote (or just buy) La Mai coffee. This is a great product we bring in from one of our partners in Thailand, and it makes a huge difference in poor hill tribe communities in the north of the country. The more we are able to sell, the more we can buy from Thailand, supporting local hill tribe farmers. All the profits go back into community projects in Thailand.