Keys for first completely rebuilt home in Puerto Rico presented to homeowner.

Joany has lived through many hurricanes, but Maria was one of the worst — destroying many homes in the Puerto Rican village of Villa Esperanza, including Joany’s. From a friend’s home in another village, Joany could see everything being blown away at home.

“It was a really crazy experience, because coming back and not having anything and seeing everything destroyed, you feel like you have nothing else to hold onto,” Joany says.

Convoy of Hope arrived in Puerto Rico just days after Hurricane Maria struck the island and began distributing relief supplies to families in need. As the response transitioned from meeting immediate needs to longterm relief, Convoy began helping repair and rebuild homes destroyed by the storm.

Groups from all over the U.S. came to Puerto Rico in partnership with Convoy as Field Teams. The teams helped in the rebuilding houses around Villa Esperanza — from laying the foundation to the final coat of paint.

Joany’s house was the first of many to be completed in that area. As the Convoy team handed Joany the keys to her new home she was overcome with happiness.

“I started to cry,” says Joany of the moment she received the keys to her new home. “But I was crying happy tears, because I have a house.”

The continued support of people like you makes these moments of hope possible. For Joany and many others in Puerto Rico, home is where the hope is.

On August 25, 2017 Hurricane Harvey struck the Texas Gulf Coast. Within hours of storm making landfall, Convoy of Hope’s Disaster Services team was on the ground distributing emergency supplies like food, water and hygiene items to survivors.

In an unprecedented manner, the storm lingered over Texas dropping trillions of gallons of water. According to officials with the state of Texas, around 800,000 homes were affected.

In the months following the hurricane, Convoy of Hope led volunteer teams in debris removal operations for homes that had been flooded. Currently, Convoy of Hope has transitioned into delivering building supplies to churches and long-term recovery groups. These organizations then distribute the supplies to affected families.

Jessie Mouton

One family affected by the storm was Jessie Mouton’s. Jessie, her husband and their two young sons — ages five and 18 months — live in Winnie, Texas. They had been in their new home less than a year before Hurricane Harvey hit.

“New baby, new house, flood — that was the timeline” Mouton says.

The family left their home on August 26, as they evacuated from the storm. Little did they know, they would not be able move back in until December 8.

The Mouton’s home flooded with more than 12 inches of water, forcing them to remove all of the drywall in their home. They estimate they lost about 75% of their belongings —including furniture, appliances and pictures.

While their home was being restored, the Mouton’s alternated between staying with family members, in a hotel and in a camper.

Mouton describes this process as being very confusing for her five-year-old son. She remembers him being very sad the first time he saw their home, saying it was “broken”. She agreed it was broken, but promised him they would put it back together.

With the help of their local church, the Mouton’s were able to receive the drywall they needed from Convoy of Hope. Mouton describes receiving the drywall as very “unexpected and overwhelming”.

As things are starting to get back to normal for the Mouton family, they recognize there is still work to do, saying they’re “all in until it’s all done”.

Learn more about Convoy of Hope’s response to Hurricane Harvey here!

Matilda and her son, Junior, live in the beautiful country of Tanzania. Each morning, Matilda opens up her shop, confidently expecting another successful day of business. But, not too long ago, life looked very different for Matilda and Junior.

Despite working long hours making and selling donuts, oftentimes Matilda would not earn enough income to provide for Junior or herself … forcing both of them to go to bed hungry. Junior watched his mom struggle, and with wisdom beyond his years, he would encourage her that the next day would be better.

After Junior enrolled in a school benefiting from Convoy of Hope’s feeding program, Matilda enrolled in the Women’s Empowerment program. From then on, everything changed!

Now, Matilda sells many different items in her shop! She makes enough money for today and has also learned how to budget to save for the future.

Because of friends like you, women like Matilda — and their children — are receiving opportunities through Convoy of Hope that enable them to live better lives.

Thank you for helping change her story.

Click here to help us empower more women like Matilda.