Small Steps: Chickens and Candy

One of the focuses of Ethne’ is to lift up families economically through micro-enterprise grants and loans.  This was the idea of our partner Nick Basco who said, “If we want to help the kids, we really need to invest in families, and one way to do this is small business training and investment.”  So […]

The Love of the Game: Himalayan Hoops

Nestled high in the Himalayas is one of the most fascinating places on earth: the Kingdom of Bhutan.  Over the last number of years, it was our honor to serve these amazing people through basketball.  We had the incredible privilege of not only meeting His Majesty but also some of the finest people on earth, […]

Christmas Lessons from a 6th Grader

One of the joys of working with Ethné’ is the holiday season and the chance to bring a bit of relief and hope to many of the poor kids in our partnering schools in the Southern Philippines.  Every Christmas the neediest kids of the local elementary school are invited to attend a party where they […]

HOW IT ALL BEGAN | PART 2

Ruel and I met in Davao City. I quickly learned he was an active community leader and pastor with a heart for the poor. As we got to know each other, I told him about the story of a young girl who had committed suicide a few years earlier. He remembered it well – as […]

HOW IT ALL BEGAN | PART 1

I remember the helpless and horrified feelings rush through me as I read her story: an eleven-year-old girl committed suicide with a coconut rope in a small, poor village in the Philippines. I wondered what could possibly drive a young girl to such desperate, tragic measures. As I continued to read, I learned that the […]