While visiting HOPE’s partner, Esperanza International, in the Dominican Republic with CBN, we got to talking about fishing — and why the Chinese proverb might have got it wrong.
“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime” –is how the saying goes. While a starting point, teaching someone to fish isn’t enough.
Working over 12 years in international development, I’ve learned you can’t fish without a fishing boat, a fishing rod, and a fishing net.
To “fish,” the poor need access to tools.
Christ-centered microfinance—which offers savings, small loans, and biblically based business training—is one tool helping the poor go from being recipients of charity to becoming providers in their communities.
As the year draws to a close, I want to thank you for journeying with HOPE as we seek to follow Jesus Christ’s call to see the poor released from physical and spiritual poverty!
