Tanzania Project
Empowering Tanzanian Women & Communities
Our partnership with Tanzania is highlighted through Alex Samwel, Director of Get HOPE Global. This collaboration is one of GCI’s most impactful in 25 years. Get HOPE Global’s biblically based curriculum has helped hundreds of women start successful businesses—78% of whom continue to provide for their families today.
TANZANIA EMERGENCY RELIEF ALERT!
Dear GCI Ministry Partners & Friends:
We have just received a heartbreaking post-election report from our long-time Tanzania Ministry Partner, Alex Samwel, in Mwanza, Tanzania. Alex and his family were directly affected by violent protests in conjunction with their national elections on October 29th. Thugs forcefully entered their home along with others in their community, carrying weapons and cans of gasoline – threatening violence, ransacking their house, and robbing them!
The many women that Alex and Rehema serve as the Directors of Get HOPE Global small business start-up initiative in the Mwanza area have also been affected since they were advised to close their businesses during the election period and have suffered loss of inventory and daily profits. As a leader in the community, Alex has been asked to help meet the emergency needs of others, including a 22-year-old mother in his church who died during the violent protests after just giving birth to their first child while isolated from medical care and her husband who was at work 90 Kilometers away due to government curfews. The newborn baby now requires canned formula at a cost of $60 per month, an expense that the young father cannot afford.
We are reaching out especially to those of you who had the opportunity to meet Alex and his wife, Rehema, last year when they visited the US. You may have met them at one of the events hosted by Get HOPE Global in the Denver Metro area, or here in South Central Nebraska as we provided them a chance to see what rural, agricultural America looked like on their first ever journey outside of their native Tanzania.
Please join us as we pray for our faithful ministry partners, Alex and Rehema; the HOPE women, and numerous village pastors that they mentor and serve on a regular basis during these chaotic and un-nerving times.
In closing, I share Alex’s closing thoughts as he ended his report to us:
“…Please continue to pray earnestly and without ceasing, for we do not know what lies ahead. None of us could have foreseen the events of the past few days, but God did, and His hand remains upon us.
Keep praying that God, who is the true comforter, comforts all those who have lost their loved ones, relatives, and friends. Pray for healing to all those who have been injured physically, emotionally, and economically. May He give us new strength to organize ourselves to continue living and accept it all in our hearts. Life has changed and things won’t go as they used to. There is a way that our desires and visions will be affected. The true freedom won’t be there, and we don’t trust among ourselves as it used to be. Though the earth and all within it may fade away, the love of God endures forever. Amen.”
Thank you for linking arms with us in this difficult time and know that Alex is among the best at working within mission strategies that promote a “HAND UP” instead of “HAND OUTS” in their regular, day-to-day relationships in their local culture.
What They Do
Get HOPE Global is a faith-based international nonprofit committed to transforming the lives of at-risk women and girls through business training and micro-loans. In Tanzania, the organization equips women with the skills, confidence, and spiritual foundation they need to build sustainable businesses that uplift their families and strengthen their communities.
Their Impact
Since its launch in the region, Get HOPE Global’s work has resulted in hundreds of new or strengthened businesses across both rural and urban communities. More than 500 women have completed the training, with many becoming leaders in their own communities and mentoring others. The growing network of local trainers and partner churches has created a ripple effect that continues to expand across the Lake Zone region.
Equipping Women to Thrive
Women in the program receive practical and faith-based business training that teaches them how to start, manage, and grow a small business. The curriculum covers budgeting, record-keeping, leadership, and customer care, with each lesson grounded in biblical values that reinforce hope, integrity, and stewardship. After completing the training, participants may receive micro-loans—called HOPE Loans—that allow them to put their new knowledge into practice. Loan groups meet regularly for accountability, encouragement, and prayer, helping each woman stay focused and supported.
Building Futures
In many parts of Tanzania, women face limited access to financial resources, business education, and opportunities for economic independence. Get HOPE Global addresses these challenges by offering training and capital that open doors to new possibilities. As women gain practical skills and access to small loans, they begin building livelihoods that bring stability and dignity. The faith-centered approach adds another dimension of transformation, encouraging women to pursue their goals with courage, integrity, and hope. Because the program is led by local staff and anchored in community partnerships, it creates long-term, sustainable change that benefits entire families and neighborhoods.
Other Projects
Hope for Kome Island Families
As Alex & Rehema continue working with a remote, deeply impoverished and very isolated fishing community on Kome Island in Lake Victoria; they could use additional resources to provide a much-needed feeding program and early, childhood education.
Empowering African Pastors
Alex also has a passion to help provide African pastors with “a hand-up instead of a hand-out” in order to help empower them to become self-sustaining.
Building Community-Led Giving
GCI has recently introduced Alex to a very successful, African-led ministry called Possibilities Africa where all decisions are made by indigenous, country boards and ministry staff in developing a culture of giving within their own communities.