Can you remember a time in your life when someone came alongside you to walk with you through a struggle?

Maybe it was a friend constantly comforting you in the midst of grief. Perhaps a mentor came alongside you as you navigated a new challenge in your career. No matter the scenario, support of community brings hope, restores dignity, and reminds us we are not alone. 

Now imagine being that person for someone else. What if you journeyed alongside someone in the same way you once received support?

We are here to invite you to do just that. 

Just as we need people to walk beside us through challenges, families and communities need a helping hand on the journey out of poverty. Without compassionate people willing to walk alongside communities for the long term, families are caught in inescapable and devastating cycles.

Eric’s Journey Out of Poverty

Eric, a young boy in Burundi, knows this well. His family used to rely on outdated farming methods, and their land didn’t produce enough food to eat. Hunger led to chronic sickness, isolation, and despair. Eric's father vividly remembers the hardship:

“Physically, we were weak and often ill due to poor hygiene, sanitation, and nutrition. Emotionally, we felt insecure because of food scarcity and the constant illnesses in the family. Socially, we were isolated, as our interactions with other community members were very limited. Spiritually, we didn’t see God as our protector in our daily lives.”

But their lives began to transform when they invited FH to walk alongside their family. 

FH empowered them with tools and steps to overcome poverty. Through Cascade training groups, Eric’s family learned about basic practices for staying healthy, like building latrines, using compost, starting a kitchen garden, using mosquito nets, drinking boiled water, and washing their hands. Eric's father said:

With time, the cycle of poverty was broken. Over around ten years of partnership with FH, they were empowered with skills and tools to improve their livelihoods. Their community, too, received resources like clean water, better education, and improved local leadership. Today, they are thriving—and eager to walk alongside other families, just as they themselves were helped.

“My personal life has changed tremendously because now I have a clear direction for my family's development,” Eric’s father shared. “Physically, all family members are healthy thanks to the behavioural changes we've adopted through FH. Emotionally, we are balanced because we now live with hope of producing and developing, whereas before, we were in despair. Spiritually, we have made God the center of our lives; we praise Him, thank Him, and ask for His protection in all that we plan and do.”

What’s different about Journey Partners?

What makes Journey Partners unique is a long-term focus. Journey Partners help communities thrive emotionally, physically, and spiritually so they can become self-sustainable through consistent support. Their monthly gifts help FH walk alongside families like Eric’s and provides training to boost food security, education, clean water, and drive community-led change.

But the journey out of poverty hinges on consistent support that communities can count on. That’s where Journey Partners come in. They’re a global community of monthly donors who provide reliable support communities can count on, no matter what crises come their way. 

As a Journey Partner, your monthly commitment gives us the confidence to make long-term plans—plans that walk families out of poverty and into possibility.

Take it from Bill, one of our first Journey Partners:

“My wife and I value FH's Journey Partner program because it puts our gift where local leaders see the most potential for real transformation. This community-needs approach is wise stewardship which helps the community at large. And monthly giving is so easy. We set it up and payments go out faithfully without requiring us to remember. Thank you, FH, for doing community development well!”

As a Journey Partner, you can join passionate Canadians like Bill to help families move from poverty to possibility. It’s a community of Canadians dedicated to the lasting change of communities around the world. 

What can Journey Partners expect?

As a Journey Partner, you’ll receive exclusive video stories from communities, along with invitations to webinars and local events. The communities you’re supporting will provide you updates, and even opportunities to visit!

You’ll also benefit from:

• Helping families move from poverty to possibility
• Walking alongside other Canadians who believe in lasting change
• Receiving exclusive video stories from the communities
• Being invited to webinars and local events
• Getting seasonal updates from the communities you’re supporting
• Having opportunities to visit partner countries in the future

When you join Journey Partners, you become part of a global community that believes poverty doesn’t get the last word. Together, we can help families move from despair to possibility, from hunger to wholeness, from surviving to thriving.

The journey out of poverty is long, but no one should have to walk it alone. Will you take the next step and walk with them?

Join the Journey