HOW RAVENS' HOPE CAME ABOUT
Ravens' Hope began in Cambodia in 2010, not with a plan to start an organization, but with people whose stories I could not forget.
During my first trip to Cambodia, I had the opportunity to serve in communities facing extreme poverty. I participated in projects in underserved villages, feeding programs near dump communities, and efforts focused on protecting vulnerable young people from human trafficking.
WHAT I SAW CHANGED ME
I saw children living in circumstances no child should have to endure. I saw a mother sleeping on a sidewalk while nursing her baby. I met young women whose dreams were being overshadowed by poverty, exploitation, and a lack of opportunity.
One evening, I invited a young woman to dinner. She told me that she dreamed of becoming a famous singer, but believed her dream was impossible because of her family’s poverty. As we talked, she shared that she had been a victim of sex trafficking. Throughout her story, she kept repeating the same words: “It’s not for love.” She explained that behind what people saw was a young woman trying to survive and help people she loved. Then she looked at me and asked a question I have never forgotten: “What would you do if your mother was dying, your sister was sick, children in your community were starving, and there was no help anywhere? What would you do?” That conversation changed the way I understood poverty, opportunity, and the responsibility we have to see people beyond their circumstances.
THEN THERE WAS TEVORY, MY INTERPRETER
Tevory shared what seemed to her like an impossible dream: she wanted to travel to America. I believed that what seemed impossible to her was possible with God, and perhaps I could play a part in helping that dream become reality.
Tevory became one of the first Ravens to travel to the United States through our leadership program. Those two young women helped shape the beginning of Ravens' Hope. Their lives reminded me that sometimes hope begins when someone sees possibility where another person has stopped believing possibility exists. God used those encounters to place a desire in my heart to create something that would reach beyond temporary assistance. I wanted women to encounter Christ, discover who they were, develop as leaders, gain practical skills, experience opportunities beyond what they could see around them, and eventually help another generation do the same.
RAVENS' HOPE INTERNATIONAL WAS BORN
Today, Ravens' Hope International, founded by Karen Robinson, is a U.S.-based, Christ-centered ministry with a vision to equip women to impact their communities and the world. RHI primarily serves young women ages 18 to 30 through biblical studies and spiritual growth, leadership development, practical life skills, mentorship, and mission opportunities.
RAVENS' HOPE BUSINESS
Our work has also expanded to include Ravens' Hope Business, an initiative designed to help our young women become strong, capable business owners.
We believe leadership must also include the ability to create opportunity. Through Ravens' Hope Business, young women receive business education, mentorship, entrepreneurial training, and practical guidance to help them turn their ideas and abilities into sustainable businesses.
Our goal is not simply to help women earn an income. We want them to understand business, build with confidence, create opportunities for others, support their families, and contribute to the economic strength of their communities.
And the relationship does not end when a program ends. Through the RHI Sisterhood, women continue receiving mentorship, connection, leadership opportunities, and encouragement as they grow and invest in the next generation. What started with one trip, one interpreter with a dream, and one young woman whose story I could not forget has grown into a ministry developing women spiritually, personally, as leaders, and now as business owners.
We equip women. We develop leaders. We build business owners. We serve communities. And we believe one transformed life can help transform generations.
