Hope Rises International

"Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth." — 1 John 3:18

This month, you've seen what happens when compassion reaches into hidden places. A church leader who refuses to look away. A farmer who found healing when someone showed up. Communities learning to care for one another.

None of it happens without you. Thank you for walking with us. 🙏

This is what compassionate care looks like behind the scenes. In DR Congo, community members learn how to care for their own skin through self-care training led by local health workers.

Simple techniques. Lasting impact.

Did you know? Many neglected tropical diseases first show up as changes on the skin — a patch of discolored skin, a painless wound that won't heal, unexpected swelling.

These early signs are easy to miss. But when community members and local leaders are trained to recognize them, people can be connected to treatment before the disease causes lasting damage.

Early detection changes everything.

Koffi is a farmer in Côte d'Ivoire. When a wound on his leg wouldn't heal, he spent months moving between hospitals with no improvement.

Then a community health worker showed up, connected him to care, and a skin graft was fully covered — at no cost to him.

Today, Koffi is healed and back on his farm. This is what compassionate care looks like.

Germain is a farmer and a local church leader in Côte d'Ivoire. When someone in his community is sick, they come to him. When he sees signs of disease, he connects them to care — no cost, no delay.

People like Germain are often the first link between hidden illness and healing.

Every day, His mercy meets us right where we are.

Did you know? Many people living with leprosy wait months — sometimes years — before seeking care. Fear and stigma can keep someone from coming forward, even when treatment is available and the disease is fully curable.

That's why community awareness and trusted local leaders are so important. When people know what to look for, hidden illness doesn't have to stay hidden.