“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]."
"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
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.
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.