Help TOLI bring courage and hope
Last month I met a remarkable woman named Kebebush, a young widow in Ethiopia. Less than a year ago, she was scared and struggling to provide for her young daughter.
Then she joined TOLI, and things began to change.
“Before (TOLI’s business training) I was living to survive,” she says. Her little coffee stand was barely covering daily needs. But the training sparked new ideas and equipped her with better business practices. She graduated from the weeklong course, and received a microloan of about $250 to expand and improve her business. Now she specializes in selling aromatic spices to flavor coffee, a popular and more lucrative product.
In just a few months, her income doubled. Better yet, her confidence skyrocketed.
“Now I have hope and courage,” she says. She’s now saving and dreams of starting her own supermarket one day. “People in my neighborhood ask me, ‘what changed’?” She encourages them to take the training, too.
The change in Kebebush from struggling and scared to courageous and confident didn’t just come from new knowledge. She needed someone to believe in her.
That someone was Hiwot, a field staffer serving with Life Center, our partner in Ethiopia. Hiwot, along with her colleague Hailu, are TOLI Social Workers, who serve clients as business coaches, teachers, loan officers, and counselors. But beneath all those roles is love.
“What we share is our hearts and ourselves,” says Hiwot. “So if we don’t have love, it won’t work... That’s what makes (TOLI) impactful, because we are sharing our lives.”
This relational investment by our incredible field staff is the true power in TOLI’s program. That’s why this year we invested in equipping our global team through a series of regional conferences focused on servant leadership, spiritual growth, team building, and worship — WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW!
Even though 2022 was full of challenges—global inflation, war, lingering impacts of the pandemic—our clients and ministry partners were resilient, creative, and full of faith. And, like Kebebush, TOLI grew a lot this year too. We’re humbled that God used this ministry to bring transformation to more people than ever before, as we:
> Equipped more than 1,060 clients with microloans, and more than 1,900 with small business training.
> Expanded to new locations within Ethiopia, Uganda, and Egypt.
> Doubled our program size in Kenya.
> Grew our team to 42 field staff and 4 US staff.
> Gathered more than 100 TOLI leaders from six different countries for leadership training at Regional Conferences in Nicaragua, Egypt, and Kenya.
> Added a full-time Communications and Administrative Associate to the US office.
> Celebrated client baptisms, new professions of faith, and deepened relationships with Jesus.
And as we head into 2023, we’re investing even more in growing our program and our people. So if you’re praying about where to direct your year-end giving, please consider TOLI. Your gift will be an investment in the transformation of men and women like Kebebush — an investment that yields eternal dividends.
With gratitude and joy,
Abigail McConnell,
Executive Director
Merry Christmas from our TOLI family to yours!
TOLI leadership and volunteers gathered in Nicaragua (top, June 2022), Egypt (middle, September 2022), and in Kenya (November 2022).
Ever wanted to travel with US?
We have four Learning Trips coming up in 2023 … maybe God’s calling you to join us? TOLI Learning Trips are the best way to experience TOLI’s impact. As a TOLI traveler, you’ll meet and learn from our global staff, worship alongside our ministry partners, and meet and pray with TOLI entrepreneurs. These trips are designed to help you discern how God may be calling you to get involved in TOLI’s work more deeply. Space is very limited, and trip applications are required. Interested? Email audrey@toli.org or click on the button below.
