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It is the right thing to do. We have a mandate from our Savior and we are reminded of this by our prophet to love the people and help them become self reliant. 2. How are we different from other similar organizations? Cause For Hope differs from all other organizations in that our focus is to use a number of programs that will bring about permanent and lasting changes in the lives of people and that will help them become self reliant. 3. How are we different from other humanitarian organizations? Our primary focus is to permanently improve the employment situation of individuals and families living in poverty. We do this by creating or facilitating the establishment of vocational and technical training, helping small businesses find necessary funding, training small businesses, and providing employment in factories or operations afflliated with Cause For Hope. We also provide pre-mission assistance to enable young people to have a missionary experience. 4. Doesn't the Perpetual Educational Fund Program of the LDS church do the same? While we work closely with the Perpetual Education Fund (P.E.F.), our vocational loans are provided to a much larger pool of qualified members. Our vocational lending programs are designed on the same basic principles as the P.E.F., however they extend to those who don't meet the P.E.F. age criteria (older and younger). In addition, our local project managers also help those who do meet the criteria of the P.E.F. program to apply for P.E.F. funds. 5. Why can't the fast offering funds be used to provide some what we do? The Fast Offering funds are nowhere near adequate to meet all the needs. The people make so little money that just to provide some of the basic needs of local families they must draw on General Fast Offering Funds of the church. Moreover, the use of fast offering funds is only for a temporary situation and the definition of their use would make it difficult to use them. We are currently in Honduras and Nicaragua. We chose areas in those two countries where "Hurricane Mitch" caused the most damage when it passed through in October of 1998. Many families have never recovered from the devastation caused to their homes and lives. Our plan is to serve more areas in Central America in the future. 7. Aren't there needs in the United States that we should be helping with? There certainly are needs in the US. However, in Central America there are not the same resources as those in the US or Europe. Unemployment sometimes reaches 50%, and underemployment is another 20-30%. The average income is only $100 - 200 a month. In the areas we work there is very little hope for opportunity. 8. How are our programs financed? All of our programs are financed with private donations. Cause for Hope is registered as a tax exempt 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Various individuals and organizations (such as returned missionary organizations) are the sole source of funds. See the "Get Involved" page for more information. 9. How much of my money will go to those who need as opposed to being used for operational costs? Our organization is run almost entirely by volunteers, so there is almost no administrative overhead. Approximately 10% of the money goes to administrative overhead leaving 90% of the dollars donated to be used to help those in need. We have a total of 4 managers in Central America and one in Utah. The managers are an integral part of the organization and are the persons who actually carry out the programs such as dispensing funds, preparing young people for missions, organizing training classes, and making contacts with local businesses, vocational schools, and banks. The bulk of your donations go to the recipients we are helping in Central America. See the "Get Involved" page for more details.
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Copyright © 2004. Cause for Hope Foundation, a 501 (C)(3) non-profit entity. All Rights Reserved.