Dear Friends of JustHope, As the Founder of JustHope almost twenty years ago, it is a bittersweet privilege to now be writing the last letter of our journey together. I write you on behalf of the whole Board of Directors of JustHope. First, THANK YOU for your faithful support of JustHope as we work through the process of transferring our programs and projects to the Mujeres Unidas (Women Together) group in Chacraseca! We are delighted to share with you that they are now managing the 15 or so microcredit banks that survived both Covid and the expulsion of most of the non-profits in Nicaragua, AND have started a new microcredit bank specifically for persons (men and women) with disabilities. In addition, they have assumed supervision of JustHope’s University Scholarship program and are supporting our final two students through their last year. Beyond that they are hoping to attract new sponsors for new students to keep the program going. Finally, they have taken over management of the land that once housed the model farm, renting it to a rotating list of women farmers. It’s an exciting time for them, and we are thrilled to be watching JustHope give birth to its next incarnation! We are also excited to share with you that at least two partner congregations will be continuing their relationship with Chacraseca beyond JustHope’s closure. The first is Messiah Community Church in Denver who have partnered for several years with the sector of Boca de Cantaro supporting women’s microcredit, building homes, and providing scholarships for University students. Their longest and most beloved collaboration has been to provide backpack scholarships for all of the elementary students in the sector. They are committed to continuing their support for these backpacks, and welcome your $65 gift to provide a backpack filled with school supplies and a school uniform! The second congregation is University Congregational Church in Wichita, Kansas. They have supported a variety of projects in the past, and are committed to taking a group to Chacraseca in January to explore ways to “carry the JustHope torch” into the future. They will be collaborating with Elba and Mujeres Unidas to undertake projects that are grounded in community need and managed by community leaders. Both congregations are committed to the same core values as JustHope – Solidarity, Mutuality, Collaboration, and Sustainability. If you would like more information about continuing your connection to and support for Chacraseca with one of these partners, please contact me at leslie@justhope.org. Based on your particular interests, I will pass your contact information along to either Barbara Richten at Messiah or
Rev. Paul Ellis Jackson at University. As we finalize JustHope’s closure process, we will stop receiving donations as of May 31, 2026. Your amazing support to this point has allowed us to complete all of our legal and ethical responsibilities in the U.S. and in Nicaragua, including providing Julio, Elba, and Juan Pablo with retirement benefits; funding the final year of support for our current university scholars; transferring ownership of the model farm; supporting Mujeres Unidas through the legalization process; and paying Elba to manage the transfer of our programs and projects. We can all be proud not only of the way we lived our non-profit life in Nicaragua for the past 20 years, but also of the way we closed our operations with dignity, generosity, and compassion.
Any donations we receive beyond May 31 will be turned over to either Messiah for backpack scholarships, or to University Congregational Church to support future projects in Chacraseca.
This will be our last “official” communication with you. But it is not ‘the end’ because who we have been continues to live and grow in each and every person who was a part of JustHope. What we have been and done together has changed us – some in small ways, others in ways that are beyond description. And I believe that those kinds of changes are the only way to ever really change the world!
A plaque hangs in my home that quotes the Jewish Talmud: "You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it." And so it is with the work of Justice and Hope. We have done a share of it together - far more than I ever imagined 20 years ago. As the Founder, I couldn’t be more grateful for or more proud of what has been – or more aware of how much there is yet to do until Justice and Hope become one. I hope our paths will cross again as each of us continues that work in different ways. With Gratitude and Hope, Rev. Leslie Penrose
Founder & Board Secretary Kathy McCallie, Board President
Michael Quintin, Board Treasurer
Lynne Bradley, Board Director |
