Foundations Of Hope
For over 100 years, brutal ethnic fighting and political conflict have ravaged the Democratic Republic of Congo. Thousands of women of all ages have been sexually assaulted, subsequently abandoned by their husbands and left to provide for themselves and their children. The effect on women in this area has been physical, psychological, and emotional scarring compounded by rejection by their communities. They are left without hope.
Foundations of Hope International (FOH)
FOH is a branch of ASSIST Canada created specifically to focus on ministering to women like these. In 2010 FOH opened the Tabitha Women’s Center in Goma DRC. This center serves the victims of violence in the South Kivu province by providing them with training in small business concepts, through the Barefoot MBA program, small micro loans to grow their existing businesses or fund new business ventures and opportunities to take part in a thriving co-operative soap and sewing business operated by FOH leadership at the center.
The Tabitha center is also reaching out to the victims of violence in the rural areas through a new agricultural venture. FOH will provide the women with a plot of land to use, seed, tools and training to allow them to grow their own small cash crops. The crops grown will provide food for their families and the excess will be used by the Tabitha center in Goma to sell at market, providing much needed funds for future programs.