Blog Posts - Newvines International

Mark

10/26/2023

Mark is a member of a local Self-Help Savings Group that NewVines helped start. With years of experience raising cattle, Mark understands the different prices in different local markets. He regularly takes out a small loan from his group, and looks for a good opportunity. When he finds a cow priced at a certain level in one market, he'll buy it, then take it to a different market and sell it. Repaying the loan, he then keeps the difference as income. He's been doing this for several years now with the help of his group - and making a good living! Mark's story is just one example of how Savings Groups, when paired with meaningful training, can create a sustainable system to allow the poor to lift themselves out of poverty.

Grace

10/25/2023

Meet our dear friend Grace, a widow in the hills of Kenya. She was one of the very first group of women who received grants from NVI. She planted onions and earned a substantial profit, then she used part of the money to buy a heifer. Now she has two cows that produce about 15 liters of milk per day. She sells sour milk and oil obtained from milk. This plus milk sales provides enough to meet her family needs and even support other people!

Anne: Teen Challenge Training

12/2/2021

A quick impromptu video from our recent Teen Challenge training session: Anne is one of our liaisons with Teen Challenge Nairobi, and at a Leadership dinner the evening before the training we were discussing the impact in her's and other's lives. Listen to what she said in the video. Her whole understanding of how to be a good steward has changed.....

Valentine from Western Kenya

10/13/2021

Valentine is a widow from western Kenya who sells produce in the local market. As an NVI Member, she learned to save, to manage her money, and use better marketing methods. Using her new savings, she built a better display stand and got her produce off the ground, attracting more customers and increasing her sales!

We love sharing stories like Valentine's! Our 2021 year-end campaign will again focus on funding widows or single women, like Valentine, to build or re-build their businesses. Our goal to raise $30,000 will help us fund approxiamtely 200 vulnerable women.

Please consider helping us to help them with both your financial support, and your prayers! You can provide financial support at:

1) The NVI website: https://www.newvinesintl.org/fund-a-new-small-business.html

2) By sending a check to NewVines International, P.O. 2971, Salem, VA 24153

Rael's Interview

10/5/2021

New Sprouts in the Vineyard!
One year ago, many of you attended NewVInes International’s virtual concert benefitting widows in East Africa whose businesses had been hurt by COVID-19 lockdowns. Then, in March of this year we began distributing the first round of the grants you generously provided– with the specific purpose that the funds be used by those women to build (or rebuild) sustainable businesses for themselves.
This July we visited several of our grant recipients to see how they are doing. One of our beneficiaries tells her story in the attached video. Her creativity is inspiring!

Our 2021 year-end campaign will again focus on funding widows or single women to build or re-build businesses. Would you please consider helping us to help them with both your financial support, and your prayers?
You can provide financial support at:
1) The NVI website: https://www.newvinesintl.org/fund-a-new-small-business.html
2) By sending a check to NewVines International, P.O. 2971, Salem, VA 24153
3) Through PayPal (NewVines International)

John from Kisii-Kenya

9/22/2021

I received the following the other day from our Director of Training in Kenya, along with a video and some pictures:

"This is John from Kisii-Kenya. And like many youths in Kenya, he was jobless when he came for our first introductory training on using wisdom in savings. After receiving training he learned the essence of keeping small savings from his little and unreliable sources of income like working for people in their farms. He used his savings to erect a simple structure for poultry and bought some few chicks. With discipline that he learned in the business he has managed to reinvest into the business and can now supply eggs to vendors within his neighboring town and church members. He is much grateful for the training that he received and look forward to receive other sessions of training."

You can hear the story in John's own words on this short video here:

We are so grateful to be able to share these success stories with you!

Bearing Fruit

9/15/2021

A while ago a pastor contacted me... He had been fasting for his churches, and the Holy Spirit gave him some English words. He looked 'em up and .... they were our ministry name! Eventually NVI started training a group from his church. Recently I received the following pictures and text from him (stuff in parenthesis are mine):

"Greetings to you servant of God:
We had a busy day today in church worship and I was unable to share with you (text you about) our Saturday saving group members I visited to see how they are fairing on. It was a joy when I saw some of the members have tried to put in practice the training principles they have learned. On the first photo we have J.M who has maize stock to sell for a profit from her savings (she saved enough to start a small cereals and grains business). Next we have L. G. who (used her savings and a small) loan and bought calf which is now a milking cow! It's very encouraging and we thank God for your wonderful teachings."

In other words - these are two examples of the group from his church who have put scriptural principles of savings and business into practice, and are seeing tangible results in the form of improved income and security! New vines, bearing fruit!

Praise God!

Where it really starts...

7/9/2021

Over the last several weeks we've been posting pictures of some of our successful businesswomen. These pictures show the end product of a long process - successful small businesses.

But NVI's real strength is in the process that goes ahead of this - training that transforms minds, hearts, and perspectives.

This is a picture of some of "our" women in Western Kenya going through our training module on Managing Business Money. Most of these women have not completed beyond 6th grade, nor do they speak either English or Swahili. But they have good business sense nonetheless - they just need a little guidance. NVI has been able to use/develop training geared to their level of training and experience, as well as to previously train a local Kenyan who speaks their own tribal language.

So here we have a group of women learning things that will improve their businesses and their lives, that were previously unavailable to them. Thank you, Lord!

If you wish to help others start small businesses to get out of poverty, please consider donating to this initiative at https://www.newvinesintl.org/fund-a-new-small-business.html

Carren

6/30/2021

Meet Carren, one of the widows NVI recently funded with a post-COVID grant. Carren sells fresh orange juice at a local market. She realized that if she had a cooler and a blender, she could keep her juices cooler, and add fresh fruit to create custom smoothies! Here she is with her new equipment - set up and doing business!

We love helping women this way!

Rebuilding after Covid

6/10/2021

Last Fall we held NVI's Virtual Concert for widows in Africa whose businesses were destroyed by COVID lockdowns. Since then, we have gone through a training and interview process, and earlier this year gave out grants to the first 20 widows. We are beginning to receive pictures of "our" women setting up their new businesses and couldn’t be more excited.
One of our widows, Rose, has a poultry business. She asked for funds primarily to acquire an incubator, which will significantly expand her business and diversify her product line. Pictured here, you can see Rose in one of her poultry runs, the incubator and a full load of eggs in it. This will make a great impact in her business! We can’t wait to share more stories with you as they come in, so be on the lookout!
If you want to support other widows like Rose who are restoring their businesses, please go to https://www.newvinesintl.org/fund-a-new-small-business.html. Thank you!