LATEST NEWS

12th January 2012

Ruach visits Bridge of Hope

A team of 17 people from Ruach church on Sydney’s north side recently spent one week in Manado with the primary aim to bless and encourage the Manado Bridge of Hope staff. A Staff retreat & training day was included in the program. The staff were hugely encouraged and it was clear that there was great spiritual impact in the lives of those people.

The trip included meeting loan groups;

And going to the rubbish dump at Sumompo and doing ministry with the children who scavenge off the tip; and a leadership training workshop for the Bridge of Hope staff.

Later in the week the team travelled up to the hills with BoH staff to conduct a retreat. Members of the team led sessions on Ephesians, esp true salvation, identity in Christ, fullness of the Holy Spirit, living the life, and spiritual warfare. There was also prayer ministry with some staff. The Lord really worked strongly into the lives of some who were struggling.

The week culminated in a 'Family Fun Day' for the BoH staff and their families. There was a lot of fun had by all. This also helped to cement relationships and build community.

Due to the success of this trip and seeing how much staff were ‘built up’, visits to Manado of this nature will now become a yearly event.

4th July 2010

New CEO

The management structure of Bridge of Hope had always included the role of CEO, but this has only recently been filled. The new man is Yanto Sutianto, who took up his post in the early part of this year.

Photo: Yanto Sutianto

Efendi Poernomo will continue in his role as Executive Manager. Efendi has been effectively covering both positions for many years, as well as covering for the periodic loss of staff at lower levels of the organisation. His workload had been too much and he will now be able to concentrate more on his core responsibilities and have a less stressful workload.

More news about Mr Yanto coming soon!

13th December 2009

Bridge of Hope joins forces with Hohidiai medical mission

Many Bridge of Hope loan recipients in & around Tobelo have received free medical treatment after BoH leaders organised with Hohidiai to bring their ‘mobile clinic’ to the village of Gamhoku in Nth Maluku. Hohidiai is based near Kusuri, about 1 hour drive south of Tobelo.
BoH Hohidiai2.jpg

Fifteen indigenous medical workers & assistants trained by Hohidiai came to minister to 156 people, of whom 126 were members of Bridge of Hope loan groups. The others were people who live nearby.

On the same day, the Hohidiai team also educated the people on living a healthy life. Information about HIV was also given.

Bridge of Hope feels it is of great benefit to work with another Christian organisation. It presents a united front of working together to show the love of Christ. Bridge of Hope and Hohidiai both work with Christian and Muslim people.
BoH Hohidiai.jpg

There are plans for BoH to partner three times a year with Hohidiai in running these medical programs.

30th June 2009

BoH - Current Developments & Opportunities

BoH now has offices in 4 locations, 3 in North Sulawesi and 1 in Maluku. There is incredible scope for growth, especially in the areas of the 2 latest branches - Tobelo & Kawangkoan. In Kawangkoan for example, although the office only opened in November last year, already over 800 loans have been made. The reasons for such potential for growth in this area are:

1) Kawangkoan covers a very large rural areas;

2) The area is very poor and neglected by the government and therefore there's very little infrastructure, welfare, or education;

3) The people are very vulnerable and the only available capital is from loan sharks & co-operatives that charge exorbitant interest. There are reports of child trafficking in this area. We hope that improving these people’s economic situation and spiritual lives will help to reduce or wipe out the desperation that leads to such a horrendous alternative.

If you wish to give, please go to our "How to donate" link to the left of the screen.

7th February 2009

New Branch of Bridge of Hope now opened in Kawangkoan - Minahasa District - North Sulawesi

Bridge of Hope’s new Branch located in the town of Kawangkoan was officially opened on December 2^nd 2008. Kawangkoan is in the highlands about 2 hours drive south-east
of Manado.

In order to give people in the local area a better understanding of BoH’s programs and vision, pastors from several denominations, local government officials, clients, and other local people were invited. BoH management staff and Board plus two donor representatives also attended. The launch was opened with a time of worship and thanksgiving to God.

Minahasa Branch actually began operation in October 2008. From then until its official opening in December, there were already 490 people receiving loans through this branch.

27th October 2008

In addition to having two loan groups operating on the Sumompo rubbish dump, BoH has been successful in integrating several children into the public schooling system. Two of such children are Leah and Diana. Diana is either 10 or 12 years old (depending on whether you ask her or her Aunt! – She was abandoned by her parents at birth) and, up until recently, has never been to School. Leah has not been to School for over 2 years. Each day these students are accompanied to School by a BoH staff member named Meldy, who sits through the classes with the children to help them become accustomed to the surroundings, which are very different to those of being a scavenger on the rubbish dump.

Diana (centre), Leah (right), with Meldy

Meldy spends 6 days a week between 9.00 a.m. and 1.00 p.m. building relationships with different people who live and work on the dump. Between this role and her job of running the small library built by BoH, she is having a marked impact on the life of those who live on the dump. (Incidentally, she does not see it as a job, she simply loves the people!)

Meldy

11th August 2008

Bridge of Hope's expansion into Maluku!

A Bridge of Hope office was opened in April last year in the town of Tobelo on the island of Halmahera in North Maluku. Tobelo has a population of only around 20,000 but is the major centre on Halmahera and serves tens of thousands of people who live and farm in outlying villages. One of the Manado Project Officer's, Jerli, has relocated to Tobelo and heads things up there.

There are now around 1000 people receiving loans in Tobelo.

This is an exciting step for Bridge of Hope, not only because we can see the blessing of BoH expanding, but also because the Maluku people are those we first sought to help in Manado after tens of thousands of them had fled there from extremist attacks in Maluku between 1999 & 2002. Although many refugees (actually ?internally displaced people?) have remained in and around Manado, many have also returned to Maluku since the attacks have subsided.

In many cases the standard of living is even lower in Nth Maluku than in Manado. A lot of farming and industry in Maluku was destabilised following the attacks and the amount of jobs reduced. Many families continue to struggle to earn enough money to rebuild their houses that were destroyed up to 7 years ago. And with so many people having being killed, especially men, many families are without a husband or father. Bridge of Hope hopes to make a difference in the lives of some of these people.

11th July 2008

Will Wrathall from the Manly community is currently living and working in Manado as a community education officer for Bridge of Hope. Here is a story of Will?s first day teaching children at Sumompo, the rubbish tip area of Manado:

The sun was shining at 3:00pm, as Will left the office of Bridge of Hope to start his first English class at Sumompo. Riding on his little Suzuki motorbike with Whiteboard on his back, he went over the key words in Indonesian he had to remember for this class. Arriving at Sumompo, he was welcomed by several eager students, sitting in trees next to the house of the village head, the place he was to teach. Sharing some fruit, they exchanged names and smiles. At 4:00pm all was ready for Will to begin.

There were 16 eager faces before him, aged between 6 and 16. He tried to remember their names ? Ockly, Santi, Titin, Aldo, Ezra?.remembering all but one! Typical to Indonesian culture the children were initially shy, however, through using games as the way to teach introductions and greetings, everyone got involved. At the end of the class, Will brought out a big gold box to the children?s great surprise. Yet it wasn?t a gift. This box was an opportunity for each child to suggest a name for the Community Education Resource Centre that Bridge of Hope is providing for Sumompo, through the funds raised by the Manly-Manado initiative in Sydney?s northern beaches. This building should be finished sometime in July.

It is exciting that it will be a name coined by the children of Sumompo, giving them ownership of this centre. This centre hopes to plant seeds of motivation and hope to the children of Sumompo through education. To date, there are 54 children who are working on the rubbish dump instead of being at school. Will remains hopeful in the belief that this education centre will provide an impetus toward broader horizons for the children and people of Sumompo.

13th April 2008

Will Wrathall of Seaforth has left to spend 1 year working voluntarily with Bridge of Hope in Manado.

He?s already got himself a motor scooter to get around Manado and lives in a small dwelling sharing a room with a few young men who are refugees from Maluku, themselves having amazing stories of survival. Although Will?s Indonesian language is quite good, he still has to contend with a lot of local dialect, slang, and sometimes totally different regional language.

Will has shared with us what his work entails in Manado:

"My work with Bridge of Hope is in 3 areas. The first and largest is in education at the rubbish tip of Manado. A study of this area found 54 children have dropped out of school to work full time to make more money for their family. We are seeking to get as many children back to school and provide greater access to education. Bridge of Hope will construct an Education Resource Centre on site with a full-time employee. I will be there 3 days a week teaching English to children in mornings, and adults at night. Secondly, I teach English to staff at Bridge of Hope. Thirdly, I assist with visitors to Bridge of Hope from Australia who come due to their involvement with the Manly-Manado Community Partnership".

Will does lots beside the above roles, like visiting a land opening for refugees to live on, visiting an orphanage, or just playing soccer with locals. He?s even managed to appear on local TV with a small acting role in an Easter drama!

5th February 2008

BoH workers in Manado were surprised to discover that up to 1000 people live off Manado rubbish tip scavenging for plastic and glass. There are also about 55 children who do not attend school as their parents cannot afford to send them. The children are also relied upon to contribute to the family income by working on the dump. We hope to set up a library to improve literacy among these refugees and pay for the uniforms and books so the children can attend school. We are also looking at building a training centre so the refugees can be re-skilled and receive health and life skills education.

12th November 2006

A Community Celebrates...

An exciting example of how Bridge of Hope is transforming communities recently took place in a village context just outside Manado.

One of Bridge of Hope?s Loan Officers organised 18 of the loan groups to come together over several weekends to participate in volley ball and local dance competitions. Remembering that most of the loan recipients spend their lives either working or sleeping, the opportunity to participate in these events was unique for most of them and the joy on their faces and childlike enthusiasm displayed in their participation was ample evidence of how much they appreciated the activities. Further, each of the loan groups used part of their group?s savings (which is a requirement for each of the loan groups) to purchase uniforms for their groups and, again, the sense of the group identity fostered by this initiative was a unique experience for each of the loan recipients.

The competitions were also watched by many members of the local community, who also then attended an evening service conducted in the local community hall. There were over 300 people in attendance at the service at which the local Mayor expressed his thanks to Bridge of Hope for the wonderful transforming work that was taking place in the community, as a result of the efforts of Bridge of Hope. A local Pastor then encouraged the loan recipients to not only use their new found financial resources for themselves but also for the benefit of the local community. In effect, he exhorted them with the biblical concept that they had been "blessed to be a blessing". This whole initiative was a wonderful example of how Bridge of Hope is not only impacting the financial wellbeing of the partner clients but is also having a significant social and spiritual impact on the wider community.

Obviously, whilst there is still a huge need within such communities, one cannot deny the new joy and hope that has been birthed in the lives of these Manadonese people.

15th July 2006
Here's the report of Action Against Poverty's recent trip to Manado:This report is on a recent Manly residents Insight Trip to Manado, and we meet Mr Abbas, an excited man who is only 5 weeks into his first first micro-loan and already seeing the benefits of being given the opportunity to help himself.....

Eight of us from Manly visited Manado for 5 days at the end of June. We went to see the work of Action Against Poverty?s partners, Bridge of Hope and Compassion and to meet the people of Manado, to be further inspired to advocate on their behalf. It was a wonderful heart engaging trip, filled with laughter and tears, as we met many amazing families and heard their stories.

For some of us it was out first opportunity to meet the children we sponsor in Manado through Compassion. Over 100 children are sponsored by members of the Manly community.

For others of us it was a chance to see the empowering micro-enterprise work of Bridge of Hope and how it breaks the cycles of poverty that families find themselves trapped in.

One such benefactor of Bridge of Hope's work is Mr Abbas. He is 50yrs old and lives with his wife Mirna of 39yrs in Koka, near Manado?s airport. We went to meet them and they kindly shared their story with us.

Before joining the local Bridge of Hope loan group called Pinasungkulan, Mr Abbas relied on irregular hard labour work at construction sites and helping out local people. For this he earned 60,000 Rph (A$8.80) per day but the irregularity of it meant that his average daily income was far less. He moved to Manado from a neighbouring island 11yrs ago looking for work and still supports his family back home.

Mr Abbas is only 5 weeks into his new micro business loan from Bridge of Hope, but has already opened up a new canteen at the front of his small wooden framed dwelling, where he sells the local speciality yellow rice, fish and crackers. He and Mirna run the business together, providing them a new regular income of around 25,000Rph (A$3.70) per day. They proudly showed us their new canteen table, water jug and glasses, while we tasted some of their local fare cooked in the earthen floor kitchen.

Mirna cannot think of the future, but is glad that today she has been given an opportunity to help herself. ?Yes, I feel relieved of the financial burden that we used to live under? she added. Both her parents have passed away. ?We are very happy to be able to make savings for the first time? said Mr Abbas ?and we hope that other people will get the same opportunity we have had, by telling our story.?

Mr Abbas is a fit, motivated man and a key driver in the new loan group of 20 micro business owners, all who have a strong vision of loaning to each other in difficult times. This is an advanced stage to be at so soon - showing interest in helping each other and those in the community around them ? it is ?community empowerment? working at its best. They have a dream of pooling their capital and savings together to create a new mini-mart in their village!

Mr Abbas is one example of the now 480 family businesses that the people of Manly are supporting by providing an opportunity for them to help themselves out of poverty and claim freedom from oppression.

We hope that you may be inspired to continue to partner with the people of Manado and advocate for other communities to take on similar partnerships with the developing world.

It was a privilege for us all to represent Manly on our recent visit and bring back with us the the sheer joy of openness and close knit community that we all experienced.

The Action Team
serving the Manly community

15th July 2006

We would like you to meet two amazing ladies who have recently received their first micro-loans through Bridge of Hope in Manado, giving them the opportunity to turn their lives around.

Hana is the name of a new loan group, consisting of 9 ladies who all run small family businesses in a poor area of Manado.

Mrs. Deity was expecting her 2nd child, when 3 years ago her house, where she also ran a beauty salon and kiosk, was burnt down because of a short circuit. Tragically the fire also killed her 3-year-old niece. Slowly, with her husband?s irregular income as a construction labourer, the family started all over again and worked on rebuilding their home.
Mrs Deity is using her first A$45 loan to help rebuild her beauty salon business so that she can contribute to the family?s income to improve their life and better care for her now 3 and 6 year old children.

Mrs. Yuliana is the eldest member of the Hana loan group. This energetic 64-year-old grandma still keeps herself up-to-date with current affairs for she never misses reading the local daily newspaper. Having been a widow for 26 years, she now lives with her eldest son.

In the past, she used to be a teacher but the government closed down where she worked. In order to survive, she started to sell vegetables, and for the past 40 years, she has been a vegetable vendor, working laboriously from 5am to 2pm each day. She is optimistic that her first micro-loan of A$45 will enable her to stock up with a greater variety of produce, giving her the opportunity to help pay for her grandchildren?s education.

These ladies are just 2 examples of the now 1763 family businesses that have received loans through BoH, providing an opportunity for them to help themselves out of poverty and gain self-respect and dignity.

See 'Stories of Hope' to read more about some of Bridge of Hope's loan recipients.

29th May 2006

'Action Against Poverty's' German Cultural Day raises over $7,000.

On Sunday 21st May, the German, Swiss and Austrian communities of the Northern beaches were represented at a Germanic business showcase and cultural day, held at the Queenscliff SLSC. Over 1,500 people visited the showcase which had 15 businesses represented such as the Bavarian Bier Cafe, Blue Moon bakery and a Swiss watchmaker. A large raffle was run along with some items being silent auctioned off. Much of the business profit from the day and all the raffle and auction donations amounted to some $7,000, all of which will go straight to helping family businesses in Manado, with micro loans, to help them break out of the poverty cycle.

Congratulations to Bernd Martin for initiating such a wonderful event that not only helps those families in Manado, but also made a wonderful day out for the Germanic community and all those attending.

25th February 2006

Constant torrential rainfall from 19^th Feb to 22^nd Feb has resulted in around 46 people dying as a result of mudslides and floods. Also in this, Manado?s worst natural disaster in 20 years, over 2,400 houses and buildings have been destroyed or damaged. Reports from Bridge of Hope?s Manado office are that no clients (loan recipients) or their families were killed. However there has been some material losses and impact on businesses. The severe weather also impacts businesses due to transport difficulties with many main roads closed due to flood damage or impassability. Some clients who live near flood victims are busy helping out those severely impacted (e.g. by providing shelters, kitchen access, food etc).

15th June 2006

Hope Honey is produced by Michael Aitken from Sydney?s Northern Beaches. Michael says "Hope Honey is a cottage industry from backyard hives in my local area and is extracted without any heat or chemical processes. 2005 was my first year of production. For 2006 I?m looking at all proceeds being able to go towards Bridge of Hope loan banks"

This year Michael will be distributing most supplies through a local school which is considering selling Hope Honey as a major fundraiser for Bridge of Hope.

However, orders can still be placed at any time directly with Michael at: michael@stmattsmanly.org.au, or 0411 443 752;

Small Jars $4 (~300g), Large Jars $7 (~600g).

Bridge of Hope is truly grateful for Michaels efforts and strongly encourages you to try Hope Honey for yourself. It won't be just your tastebuds that you're doing a favour!

13th February 2006

On 3rd to 5th February, Bridge of Hope conducted a staff retreat including training on "Transformational Leadership" in Tomohon city, a scenic spot about 2-hour drive from Manado. Fifi Rashando from Opportunity International, Australia, volunteered her time to train all BoH?s 17 staff and board members. The training objectives were to equip attendants with transformation and leadership principles (based on servant leadership, Mark 9:35) and to develop as well as empower BoH?s mission teams. Key learning points shared were transformation as an integral part of BoH?s vision/mission and activities, holistic goal setting, team building and conflict management. Everyone actively participated in group discussions and team building exercises and were blessed with new understanding and insights from the workshop and sharing.

19th January 2006

Bridge of Hope has broadened the horizons for a number of loan recipients in Manado with the implementation of pastry and cake making training. This training, at Bogasari Baking Centre Manado, allows these women to increase their income and community involvement by baking and selling their produce in their local area. Small skills like this can make a big difference to families living below the poverty line.

9th November 2005

Six youth from Sydney?s Northern Beaches are heading to Manado on Sunday 13^th November 05. The team, led by Pastor Ian Freestone, will visit orphanages and refugee centres to meet and encourage young people who have had to flee their homes in the Maluku Islands of Indonesia. They will also spend time with the community of Lata Lata who were captured, forced converted and circumcised (men, women and children), escaped, and now 4 years later, are still refugees.The aim is for young Australians to build relationships and bring a message of hope to these young Indonesians, some of whom are now facing life without parents. The message is that God has a destiny for them despite their circumstances. There will be plenty of fun with activities such as face painting, parachute games, soccer, and tie dying t-shirts. The Northern Beaches youth will also observe the work of Bridge of Hope and get to meet some loan recipients and experience their circumstances first hand. We believe that this trip will not only bring hope to the young people of Manado, but that the youth team from Australia will also be transformed by their experiences and be encouraged by the faith of those who have so little.

The aim is for young Australians to build relationships and bring a message of hope to these young Indonesians, some of whom are now facing life without parents. The message is that God has a destiny for them despite their circumstances. There will be plenty of fun with activities such as face painting, parachute games, soccer, and tie dying t-shirts.

The Northern Beaches youth will also observe the work of Bridge of Hope and get to meet some loan recipients and experience their circumstances first hand.

We believe that this trip will not only bring hope to the young people of Manado, but that the youth team from Australia will also be transformed by their experiences and be encouraged by the faith of those who have so little.

13th September 2005

A Manly community initiative called Action Against Poverty was launched today by the Mayor of Manly. The aim of the initiative is to create a partnership with the community of Manado and lift 1000 families out of poverty through self sustainable development programs. Bridge of Hope is one of the key partners, giving local people the opportunity to help themselves through micro loans, education and self-advancement. See the campaign website www.actionagainstpoverty.org.au for further information.

5th September 2005

Ian Freestone, Jim Goddard and Andrew Meier have just returned from a five day trip to Manado visiting Bridge of Hope. The aim of the trip was to take photos and video while scripting stories from interviews with loan recipients. These stories and footage will be used in the upcoming Action Against Poverty campaign launched in Manly on the 13th September. Bridge of Hope is a key partner of this campaign which aims to lift 1000 families out of poverty. Many of the stories that they scripted can be found in the Stories of Hope? section on this website.