At JustKindHumiliy, we exist to provide and share faith-based resources that inspire, encourage and challenge us to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God.
This week, we get to learn about an organization that holistically serves the most vulnerable children around the world, Children’s HopeChest. We interviewed Lillian Lee, a recent graduate of Pepperdine University who has worked with this organization for several years.
Thanks for sharing about this great organization with us, Lillian!
What should we know about their history and work?
This is an amazing organization that I have been fortunate to be very involved in for the past 5 years. HopeChest was founded in 2006 in response to the devastating needs of orphaned children in Russia, following the fall of the Iron Curtain. From that time until now, it has spread across the entire world to reach the most vulnerable children. By 2016, they were able to get 10,000 children sponsored and have continued to do this year in and year out.
How are they advocating for justice, loving kindness (mercy) or helping us walk humbly with God?
HopeChest is very clear, on their website and in person, that they exist to glorify God by releasing the potential of orphaned and impoverished children and their communities. They aim to empower these children and their communities through relationships that cultivate holistic transformation and sustainability. They use a unique Community-to-Community model that connects communities in the U.S. and Canada to communities overseas with a high population of orphaned and impoverished children.
Can you share about your personal experience with the organization and what has inspired you about their work:
For the last 5 years, I was able to travel to a CarePoint in Shone, Ethiopia to visit and build community with the most at risk and vulnerable children in that area. To say my experiences were life changing is a huge understatement. But to sum things up, it was a very eye opening experience for me and, as much as I loved hanging out with the kids, I saw that the importance of being there in person was to connect community to community. From 2015 until 2020, we have been able to get a good number of children at the CarePoint sponsored, and we have also been able to raise enough money to build a public latrine and water well extension out in the community. I’m so grateful I was able to get to go, but I know that without the well thought out models of HopeChest and implementation of them, the trip would not be as nearly as effective and positively impactful.
How can the readers participate with them?
One of the most effective ways readers can participate is by sponsoring a child in any of the worldwide CarePoints. Obviously, I am partial to my children at the Shone, Ethiopia CarePoint and can tell you all about them - but you are able to help any child around the world who is involved in the program. Sponsorship is $40/month and this money goes to great use and the ripple effects on the community are immeasurable.
Anything else you would like include?
Here is a link to HopeChest’s website as I find this is the most helpful to new viewers: https://www.hopechest.org/about/
And here are some photos from Shone, Ethiopia:
