Updates and stories
For the world, 2020 was a year the world closed down. For TOLI and our clients, it was a year of doors opening up — to new locations, to new avenues for ministry, to more hearts ready to hear the Gospel. Thank you for standing with us so faithfully during a challenging, but strengthening year.
With gratitude for you and thanksgiving to the Lord, we are pleased to share our 2020 ANNUAL REPORT.
“… you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith ... may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” — 1 PETER 1:6-7
In November, Pastor Earl Bowie, leader of our partner ministry in Central America, stood on his porch in the middle of a hurricane to film a message to share with the world. As the wind bent trees and the rain pelted his face, he proclaimed that God is good, in control, and worthy of praise.
Watch Pastor Earl's message HERE.
As if a storm of sickness, strife, isolation, riots, even wildfires and actual hurricanes hung over us for most of the year.
In a letter to early believers, Peter wrote that earthly suffering will bring kingdom results. The same is true today — question is, do we just hunker down and wait out the hurricanes, or can we actually participate in those kingdom results?
I believe we can — because our partners and our clients are showing us how. Pastor Earl’s video, praising God in the storm, has been viewed more than 142,000 times on social media. His faith, hope, and boldness in the middle of very real trials are resulting in “praise, glory, and honor” for Jesus Christ.
For TOLI, the stormy backdrop of 2020 causes its blessings to shine even brighter. We grieve what was lost, but we also celebrate the goodness God allowed us to find:
1. Our clients are strong. While lockdowns impact developing economies hardest, TOLI clients have shown resilience. Many TOLI clients and social workers battled COVID, but we give thanks to God that every one of them has fully recovered. Even better, most are back to work.
2. Our partners are committed. Volunteers and staff at our partner ministries in Egypt, Kenya, Nicaragua, and Ethiopia worked tirelessly, often in unthinkable conditions — police-enforced lockdowns, catastrophic hurricanes, blackouts, civil unrest — to show people Christ’s love with compassion and courage, overcoming obstacle after obstacle. In fact, TOLI ended up granting 37% more microloans in 2020 over the previous year — despite pausing our program for several months when the pandemic first hit.
3. Our donors are faithful. Throughout this tumultuous year, your support matched our ministry needs almost dollar for dollar, month by month. Whether through the COVID relief initiative or during the bump in demand for microloans that followed—God provided every resource needed to continue serving clients well, and then some. And He did it through YOU.
4. Spiritual food is real. At the start of 2020, the Lord prompted us to invest more deeply in spiritual development. Then COVID provided a way to put Bibles in the hands of every client, along with food packages, in their darkest time. The physical and spiritual food nourished these families the whole year through. In fact, one client in Kenya, armed with her own Bible for the first time, began holding church services and preaching in her yard while her local church was shut down.
5. Technology is a miracle. TOLI staff and partners now clearly see how isolated we were from each other before COVID. We’ve all embraced new technology that connects us “in person” now more than ever. That’s one change that will stick.
6. We’re all needy. In ministry and development work in the US, it’s easy to operate on the assumption that ‘we’ help ‘them.’ It’s a false premise embedded in the Western mindset, which under normal circumstances takes intention and practice to dislodge. This year, though, sickness and strife didn’t play favorites, and our own neediness, even as 'privileged Americans' was suddenly on prominent display. And so our empathy for each other, mutuality in our prayers, and unity in Christ grew between TOLI partners in profound ways. It is a gift.
That's just six, but I could go on and on.
So—were these blessings worth all the heartache of 2020? I'll leave that to God. What is left to us, though, is to point to goodness whenever, wherever it comes. To say it out loud. And to thank our God for it.
As we walk together into a new year, may the trials that lay behind and the inevitable challenges out ahead prove our faith genuine, and our Lord trustworthy.
Abigail McConnell,
Executive Director, TOLI
2020 GIVING STATEMENTS VIA EMAIL
This week you should have received your 2020 Year-End Giving Statements from us via email. If you didn't get it, be sure to check your spam or junk folder, or contact Erin Eilmes for assistance. (PS: This is a great time to make sure you've added us to your contacts!)
Hop on Zoom with us at 12pm MT on February 9 for our #TOLITUESDAY Prayer Gathering. This month, Lucy Njeri, TOLI Social Worker in Kenya shares what God is doing in clients' lives in her area and how we can pray. She'll also introduce us to NEW members of the Kenya TOLI team!
Email Liza to get this week's Zoom link or CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE PRAYER TEAM.
GOT A SECOND? Take our quick communications survey that will help us get you the information you need and want from TOLI. It only takes a minute and will help us a ton. Thanks in advance!
In this year of difficult stories, let me share a hopeful one.
Tereza lives in a part of Cairo marked by crumbling buildings and crushing poverty. But poverty is not how this story ends. Just before COVID, this young mom took a brave first step toward a new life: She took a TOLI microloan to buy a sewing machine and supplies, worth about $300. And then she got to work.
In just eight months, Tereza doubled her household income, paid off her loan, and invested in a second sewing machine. Tereza now employs two people and rents a commercial space instead of working out of her flat. And when her husband lost his job earlier this year, her income kept their family stable.
Tereza took many bold steps to achieve success. But, do you know what her first step was? To give it away.
She gave the profits from her first sales to the church to thank God for his provision. She attributes the blessings of the past year to his love and faithfulness. And she prays for her next steps: To hire more employees and open a factory to produce her kids clothing designs.
Tereza shows TOLI Program Associate, Katie Haar, her new workshop.
Like Tereza, we’re also grateful for God’s provision in this year of unprecedented challenges. Because of his faithfulness — and yours — TOLI provided help and hope in new ways this year:
> Supplying emergency food aid to 3,368 people and distributing 6,000 free face masks sewn by clients to TOLI communities through our COVID-19 Relief Initiative
> Adding 3 new TOLI sites in Egypt
> Providing Bibles to 600+ clients, as well as creating a digital, multilingual spiritual discipleship library for field staff
> Translating and implementing our new TOLI Business Basics Course in 3 languages (Arabic, Spanish, and Amharic)
In a year marked by loss and fear, people like Tereza have taught us about hope, generosity, and courage.
What better way to change the story of 2020 than by investing in more people like her? Please consider making TOLI part of your year-end giving plans.
The story you change just might be your own.
Abigail McConnell
Executive Director, TOLI
> PRAY with us. Join our TOLI Tuesday Prayer Gatherings via Zoom, (second Tuesdays from 12-1pm MST), which regularly feature guests from TOLI sites around the world. Join the Prayer Team here to get prayer reminders straight in your inbox.
> SAVE the DATE. We can't wait to gather again to share stories and grow support for the work God is doing through TOLI. Mark Thursday, September 23, 2021, in your calendar for our next Big Event.
> Become a MONTHLY INVESTOR! Our plans for 2021 are ambitious! By giving an automatic, monthly gift, you'll help fuel TOLI's work in a powerful way. Click here to sign up online — just click "Monthly" when prompted.
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:
SEPTEMBER: Business training class in the space they built on their own.
SEPTEMBER: Business training class in the space they built on their own.
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER: More than 80 completed the TOLI’s Business Basics Course in Kiandutu.
OCTOBER: A new Business Basics Course graduate
OCTOBER: The most recent class of Business training graduates in Egypt.
OCTOBER: Proud new graduate celebrates her accomplishment.
OCTOBER: The TOLI Business Basics Course is now in Amharic.
OCTOBER: A class of widows completed the course this fall in Addis Ababa.
October: Business training class kicks off in Nicaragua.
OCTOBER: Not your typical class; a warm up exercise gets everyone involved and laughing.
September: A training group meets in a banana grove.
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.
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.
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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Gold Star Pies' Heather Briggs, with TOLI client and fellow pie baker, Marcia, last year.
When Heather Briggs, owner of Gold Star Pies in Colorado Springs, first learned about TOLI’s model of providing microloans, training, and spiritual support to needy entrepreneurs in poor communities, it struck a chord deep in her entrepreneurial heart. So she decided to travel on a TOLI trip to Nicaragua in 2019 to learn more. Then it got personal.
"When I was on the site visit, I got to meet Marcia (pictured), a mother and pie maker in her community," Heather says. "She received a TOLI loan to purchase equipment and initial grocery inventory for a pie business. She brought pineapple and lemon pies for us to sample, and I could taste the love and devotion that went into making them. Our connection as small business bakers was sweet, and I was reminded of the goodness TOLI offers to so many creative, hard-working entrepreneurs."
Heather joined TOLI's board later that year. Her business experience, heart for people, and creativity have already made TOLI a better ministry. And the generous way she shares goodness through the pie truck has helped introduce scores of new people to our mission.
On October 13, Gold Star Pies will again host "Get Pie. Give Hope." For the third year in a row, Heather will make and donate pie to benefit TOLI. Attendees will “name the price for their slice,” knowing every dollar goes toward providing poor entrepreneurs with microloans. The really fun part? The highest payer is treated to a private Gold Star Pie Truck party hosted by Heather herself.
TOLI is so much more than a lending program. And in the same way, TOLI supporters are so much more than donors. To us and to our clients, supporters like Heather are friends, cheerleaders, teachers, learners, mentors, pray-ers ... family.
And through them, God has made our world a bit smaller, and a lot better.
Marcia is a TOLI client, pie baker, and mother of five.
Join TOLI staff, supporters, and partners at 12pm MT on October 13 for our monthly sharing and prayer time.
This month, you’ll meet Lucy Njeri, TOLI Social Worker in Kenya. Lucy will share latest updates from her region, including our new business training program she is providing to scores of budding entrepreneurs in the slum of Kiandutu, north of Nairobi.
To join us, email Liza to receive your Zoom link or click the button below to JOIN THE PRAYER TEAM.
This year has thrown us all a curveball. But TOLI clients in Nicaragua are rising to the challenge—together.
Last month our partners in Puerto Cabezas called a 'family meeting' to rally TOLI clients and brainstorm how to get back to work, even though COVID had crippled the economy in this small coastal town. While their businesses stayed shut, they knew they had to think creatively to get business moving again. But how?
Teamwork.
Local TOLI leaders and clients crafted a plan: Form neighborhood-based small groups to work together on simple, short-term microenterprises.
Using seed money from our COVID-19 Relief Fund, each team of 10 plans a four-week business project. Initial profit goes to repaying the seed money and expenses; subsequent profit gets split between group members.
The first of these 'Entrepreneurship Teams' set up a weekend soup sale in town, using a $150 loan from TOLI for supplies, then selling tickets to ensure a customer base. Early results are promising, proving the concept as well as turning a modest profit. The second sale is scheduled for this weekend.
But the payoff is so much more than profit. These teams will be a permanent feature of the TOLI program here, providing safe communities of social support, bible study, discipleship, leadership development, and business training long after the group business projects are over.
Getting people organized and mobilized in this context is a challenge, our social worker Gordon 'Junior' Mitchell tells us. But it's worth it.
"It's actually really tiring," he says, "but it’s a blessing, because ... you’re educating people about business, you’re educating them about leadership, you're teaching them how to be part of a team."
Six teams are now in development, and business project ideas range from selling fast food to kitchenwares. Each group has a chosen leader, and members divide duties according to their abilities and interests.
At a time when many feel isolated and powerless, we're inspired by how the TOLI family in Nicaragua is joining forces and recognizing the rich assets God has given them: each other.
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.
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."
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.
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.
"The seed is the word of God." — LUKE 8:11
Faith, a client in Kenya, shows her daughter her new Bible.
In late 2019, as we began to pray and plan for the coming year, we heard the Lord whispering, "2020 will be a year of spiritual harvest."
We couldn't have fathomed what was ahead: a global pandemic would paralyze the world, shut down every economy we work in, and force us to shift our program dramatically.
New microloans, trainings, and most TOLI clients' small businesses were suspended. But one thing didn't stop: our mission to reach families with the Good News of Jesus Christ. Suddenly that whisper became a loud command: "Sow the seed of God's Word."
Turns out God was already out ahead of us. In December, a generous donor approached us wanting to give a special gift — designated for Bibles and spiritual resources. In February, a chance meeting led to a significant donation of print and audio Bibles for TOLI clients in Egypt. And then in March, the coronavirus interrupted our normal programming — but opened doors for deeper client relationships, deliveries of emergency aid, and discussions about where we place our hope in crisis.
The soil had been turned over, and the seed was ready to be planted.
So, for the last month, planting is what we've been doing. From Egypt to Ethiopia to Kenya to Nicaragua, the seed of God's Word is being sown as Bibles are put in the hands of TOLI clients:
> Bibles in mother tongues like Arabic, Amharic, Kiswahili, Kikuyu, Meru, and Spanish.
> Solar-powered audio Bibles for those who can't read in Egypt.
> Bibles tucked into emergency food packages.
> Bibles delivered to every kind of client: new believers, house church leaders, heads of multigenerational households, single moms, business owners, farmers.
In all, more than 600 Bibles have been purchased and are being delivered right now — with more funded to provide for all future TOLI clients. Additionally, resources like study Bibles and other teaching tools are now being sourced for our local leaders so they can help disciple clients effectively. That seed, after all, must be watered.
Yes, 2020 isn't the year any of us expected. But TOLI's call remains the same — to bring dignified, sustainable, Christ-centered transformation to those living in poverty. And there is no better tool for transformation than the transforming power of God's Word. So now we water, watch, pray, and trust God for the fruit of that spiritual harvest.
"So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow." — 1 CORINTHIANS 13: 6
The COVID-19 RELIEF FUND continues to provide food, support, and opportunity to TOLI families and communities. Watch this moving video to see the impact of this initiative. Your support is making a profound difference.
When the Coronavirus pandemic struck, TOLI quickly teamed up with supporters and local ministry partners to provide relief to families hit hard by economic shutdowns. Relief includes emergency food aid; work opportunities and free supplies to communities through our Face Mask Project; perishable inventory replacement; and expanded microloan funding during recovery.
More than $35,000 has been raised to sustain this project. Here’s a glimpse at the impact that this relief — and these partnerships — have had. The work continues.
"… 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.
