There's a version of an annual report that's full of numbers, charts, and carefully worded summaries. And then there's the kind that stops you mid-scroll because you're reading about a family in Ethiopia who now sends their kids to school, or a church in Birmingham that's raised over $100,000 for communities most have never visited.

Our 2025 Annual Report is the second kind. And today, it's here.

Our next simple summer activity is all about exploring global flavors right from your own kitchen—by making a meal from one of our partner countries! This time, we’re headed (culinarily speaking) to the Dominican Republic to make Mofongo, a classic comfort food with deep cultural roots.

Welcome to Simple Summer—a season of fun, purpose, and doing good together as a family! Over the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing creative ideas, simple projects, and meaningful activities that invite your whole crew to make a difference in the world. But before we dive into the tutorials and hands-on fun, we wanted to start with something foundational: why it’s so important to share a lifestyle of generosity with your kids, and how you can weave that mindset into your everyday life.

Simple Summer: Doing Good as a Family

Summer is here—and with it, the perfect opportunity to slow down, soak up the sun, and lean into what really matters. This year, we’re inviting you to make it a Simple Summer—a season full of fun, connection, and meaningful moments centered around doing good together as a family.

Help One Now began in 2007 on a trip to Zimbabwe. 

I stumbled upon homeless, hungry children living alone in a gas station. An exchange with a young boy at the gas station caused me to question my privilege, purpose, and even my ability to even begin to make a meaningful impact in the lives of those children, and the millions more just like them around the world. 

If you asked 10 people how to end extreme poverty in the world, you’d probably get 10 different answers… Some say it’s access to clean water, some say food security, some think it’s housing. These are basic human needs, for sure, but they don’t solve long-term problems and create sustainable change in a community. Education does. 

Dear Help One Now Family,

I am honored to share an update on the impactful work done in Kidmia in 2024. Despite significant challenges and funding shortages, our team remained steadfast in their commitment to serving vulnerable children, families, and communities. 

You may remember our friend Ashike Zema. We shared her story of confidence and uncontainable joy that came from Ashike completing the Family Business Program and finally opening her own business. Her future was bright, and she believed that everything could now be possible for her and her family.

Our team recently traveled to Ethiopia and got to see the incredible work of our partners in Gunchire, Wolaita Sodo, and Debre Zeit. They got to meet families who have been through the Family Business Program and are years into self-sustainability, as well as families who are currently in the program and on their way to building a better life! Hear from some of the travelers below about their experiences:

Meseret is 35 years old and lives in Bishoftu, Ethiopia, with her spouse and two daughters. Meseret’s story is an amazing example of the resiliency of the communities we love and serve and the incredible, lasting impact of the Family Business Program.

The universally accepted law of cause and effect reminds us that every action produces a reaction – no matter what. Every single effect within our world, upon the earth, has a cause, an original starting point. This concept is woven throughout every thread of our societies.

Over 60% of Help One Now donors heard about us through a friend or someone they trust. It’s further proof that relationships matter more than almost anything else on earth. And yet, we so often feel trepidation about going deeper in relationships with people.

What comes to mind when you think of the dinner table? Does it carry memories, emotions, holidays, discussions, family, friends, community? For some, it may not carry fond memories; it may carry hard moments, moments of loss, loneliness, and moments we would soon like to forget. But for all of us, the table carries meaning. It is a place that becomes part of us. A place that holds our stories and transports them to those who share the table.

September marks the two-year anniversary of the official launch of The Circle, and we are celebrating your impact by highlighting one of the talented students you have empowered! We are excited to introduce you to Sharlot Fernandez! Sharlot is an outstanding student who just graduated from James Davis High School in 2022. 

I remember my first big AP Biology test, circa 1994. In the final question, we were asked to draw and label a diagram of the cell cycle. I was at a loss. I didn’t even know cells had a cycle, so I proceeded to meticulously draw and label a bicycle. My teacher was not impressed. I broke the cycle. Little did I know that I would eventually dedicate my life to breaking another cycle…the cycle of extreme poverty.

Meet Munyaradzi Nhemachena! 

Munyaradzi is a diligent, 18-year-old student in Form 4 at Cherutombo High School in Zimbabwe! When his parents tragically passed away, he could not afford the cost of school. However, through our education programs, Munyaradzi was able to go to school, provided with all the resources he needs to pursue his education! 

Meet Tatenda Chiyanike, a 19-year-old boy in the Gatehouse Farm Transition Program. 

Tatenda is enjoying being a part of the program! He is growing all different types of vegetables like spinach, beetroot, carrots, lettuce, and potatoes. He is focusing on poultry and agriculture, and is on track to be the highest student in the 2020 class!

Grace Mubvuma is an incredible woman and business owner! She is a single mother an one of the first members of the newly-founded Zimbabwe Family Business Program. With the skills she learned in the program, Grace launched her chicken business and has already made enough profit to grow her business and buy another round of chickens!

Friends! Aschalew Abebe here, Help One Now Global Empowerment Director and Ethiopian Local Leader!

After casting the vision for the Family Business Program years ago, I’ve seen the incredible impact this program has made on my community, and I now have the pleasure to travel to Help One Now’s seven other partner countries, meet with their leaders and oversee the empowerment work. I recently had the pleasure to visit my good friends John and Orpah Chinyowa in their beautiful country, Zimbabwe!

Welcome to the final part of our series, Walking Together in Hope. I chose the title of this series very carefully. While we have unpacked a lot of challenging information in this series, I ultimately knew that hope would be the common theme through it all; finding hope amid suffering by leaning on God and our community, discovering hope by working through our feelings, and asking ourselves difficult questions, and finding hope and joy by depending on God.