Donathe – Providing for Others and Feeding the Hungry

Donathe’s family home in 2011

After the genocide of 1994, Nyiraminani Donathe and her husband added four adopted children to their family. Including their four biological children, the family of ten lived in a well-kept but humble home. After taking a loan from Urwego Bank – HOPE International’s Microfinance partner in Rwanda, Donathe started a small dry goods boutique, selling salt, rice, and beans by the kilogram.

Through the years, Donathe has been able to access multiple loans and has started multiple businesses, including a restaurant that four of her children manage and a wholesale store that provides staples to small businesses in her community. She also rents out six homes to a variety of tenants. Today she has seven full-time employees, and all seven of her adult children are thriving and developing their own businesses with Donathe’s help.

During Covid lockdowns, when her tenants were unable to work, Donathe graciously refrained from collecting rent and even fed the families herself. Within the greater community, Donathe has provided food, clothes, housing, and school fees. She is living out what she believes to be her purpose in life – “to provide for others and to feed the hungry.”

Donathe’s new home in 2021

Even as Donathe has given to others, she has been blessed. In 2020, her family moved into a spacious, newly built home.

When asked about her generosity, Donathe said, “During Covid period as a person who sells dry food my business continued. Given that I was among the luckiest to do business in such times, my heart ached for others, especially those residing in my rental homes and neighborhood – a total of 32 people. Since all these people survive on daily work and income, with Covid, they had nothing. I could not eat alone, so I made food for everyone who could come.”

Donathe has experienced both need and generosity in her life, and learned how important it is to be a blessing to others. Praise God for all the ways He is working through Donathe to serve her family and community in this current time of struggle and for generations to come.

If you or someone you know would like to support the work of HOPE and the people we serve around the world, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Homes for HOPE’s executive director, Matthew Baehr at mbaehr@homes4hope.org or 717-719-0313.