I wanted to share a wonderful update from South Africa. Many of you will remember Minah, the incredible Tirzah leader from who visited Pulpit Rock this winter and shared with us on a Sunday morning.
Because of your faithful support, Tirzah is able to partner with Minah and her community center, Beautiful Gate, in a number of meaningful ways. One of the biggest is Tirzah’s microenterprise small business training program, where women receive practical business training, mentoring, and discipleship as they build small businesses to better provide for their families. The women in this cohort even gave themselves a nickname: Get Hope. A group of Pulpit Rock women were able to visit this cohort in person last Fall and support their small businesses that were already launched and underway.
A few weeks ago, this Get Hope cohort completed the 18 month program and graduated! Twenty women spent the past year growing not only as business owners, but as leaders, mothers, and women with a renewed confidence in what they can accomplish.
Throughout the year, Minah walked alongside them through business training, mentoring, discipleship, and practical coaching as they built and strengthened their businesses. By graduation, many shared that they now manage their finances with confidence, make better business decisions, contribute more to their family’s income, and believe they can create a different future for themselves and their children.
One of the highlights of graduation was hearing the women tell their own stories. Again and again, they described coming into the program unsure of themselves and overwhelmed by difficult circumstances, but leaving with practical skills, deep friendships, and a renewed sense of purpose and hope.
That doesn’t mean life suddenly became easy. Many still face economic hardship, crime, and the challenge of balancing business with caring for their families. But they’re no longer facing those challenges alone. Minah will continue meeting monthly with cohort graduates, helping them to keep growing in their businesses while encouraging one another.
The best part? A brand new cohort has already launched with 25 new women just beginning this amazing journey out of poverty.
Thank you for believing in Tirzah’s model of investing in local leaders like Minah. Because of your support, women are building sustainable businesses, providing for their families, and becoming leaders in their own communities. I wish every one of you could have been at that graduation to hear the joy and confidence in these women’s voices. It’s the kind of transformation that stays with you long after you’ve left the room.
