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From Executive Director John McCollum

Director’s letter  

Dear friends,

This year, we’ve been celebrating the start of our third decade. Looking back at our founding decade, and our fortifying decade, we are anticipating a decade of flourishing.

We believe that over the next ten years, God will deepen our impact and widen our reach, for the benefit of orphaned and vulnerable kids at Asia’s Hope — and in other places around the world as we mentor other organizations wishing to emulate the success of our family-style care model.

After the frustrations brought by a couple years of Covid-related travel restrictions, 2022 brought back a sense of normalcy in my ability to connect with our staff and kids. In fact, I visited all 35 of our homes in all three of our counties. And, we welcomed our directors from Cambodia and Thailand to the U.S. for the entire month of October.

I’m grateful for the opportunity to return to in-person work at the office in the U.S., and for the great executive staff we have here: Director of Strategic Partnerships Roxi Larsen, Director of Media Benjamin Hiltner, Fiscal Resources Manager Jeremiah Nguapha and Administrator Carol Wardell.

And, as always, I’m blessed beyond measure by the opportunity to work with our outstanding leadership team: the board of Asia’s Hope — Rachel Cobb, Glenn Kelly, Adam Heath, Keith Wong and Ron Biddle — and our country directors, Savorn Ou, Tutu Abourmad, Sunil Tamang and Amber Gurung.

Thanks to your generosity, the prayers of our staff and kids, and the goodness of God, we finished 2022 in a strong position, both financially and operationally. And we’re ready to flourish in 2023 and beyond.

I hope you’ll take a minute or two to read this year-in-review. I’m sure you’ll be encouraged by what God’s doing through the ministry of Asia’s Hope.

Warmly,

John McCollum, Executive Director
john@asiashope.org
614-804-6233

John McCollum, Executive Director
john@asiashope.org
614-804-6233

Asia’s Hope At-a-glance: Not Just Numbers

Each of these numbers represents real people, real places — real impact on the lives of orphaned and vulnerable kids and their communities. We’re so thankful for the opportunity to serve these precious people in these amazing places on your behalf.

2022: Kicking off a decade of flourishing

CELEBRATING THE START OF OUR THIRD DECADE

We had hoped to celebrate our 2oth anniversary in 2021 with a year’s worth of special events, but Covid made travel impossible. And we really wanted to be able to invite all of our national directors from Cambodia, Thailand and India to the States to commemorate the occasion.

So, we decided to wait a year and celebrate in 2022, the first year of our third decade. And so we were pleased to not only be able to have members of our executive staff travel to each of our three countries, but to invite key leaders to our home here in the U.S.

Unfortunately, our Indian directors Amber and Sunil, along with their wives Radha and Punam, were unable to attend due to visa application backlogs in their country. But throughout the entire month of October, we enjoyed hosting Savorn and Sony from Cambodia and Tutu from Thailand in our homes, churches and businesses.

To see pictures from their visit, click here.
For pictures from John McCollum’s 2022 trips to Cambodia, Thailand and India, check out his wrap-up here.

KEY OPPORTUNITIES FOR INNOVATION

In 2022 we identified three key opportunities for innovation at Asia’s Hope, and thanks to a successful year-end fundraising campaign, we plan to increase investments in each of these areas in 2023 and beyond.

These opportunities are STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), Music and Visual Arts, and Psychological and Social Support.

Science and Technology

In 2022 we started a partnership in Cambodia with SabaiCode, and enrolled 33 high school and university students in a 12-part, multi-year program to learn interface and app design and programming. In 2023, we will expand this pilot program to more students, to whom we’ll be offering courses in AI, machine learning, data science and Python coding.

We’re renovating an existing building on our Battambang, Cambodia campus; this will be the home of our first Asia’s Hope STEM Academy. We hope to build on this pilot program’s success to develop a model that can be implemented at all of our sites in our three countries by the end of our third decade.

If you’re interested in helping us secure funding for Science and Technology programs at Asia’s Hope, contact Roxi Larsen roxi@asiashope.org.

Music and Visual Arts

We’re currently working with our national directors to develop curricula and resources for a comprehensive arts education that can provide valuable job skills for our kids and give traumatized children valuable tools for self expression.

In the meantime, weve increased funding for musical instruments and art supplies, and we’re continuing our existing investment in music and art instruction.

If you’re interested in helping us secure funding for Music and Visual Arts programs at Asia’s Hope, contact Roxi Larsen roxi@asiashope.org.

Psychological and Social Support

Given their extraordinarily difficult start in life, most of our kids are doing remarkably well. But we recognize the need to increase the frequency and consistency of trauma-informed training for our home parents and caregivers.

In 2021, Rachel Cobb — a child abuse and trauma specialist with almost two decades of experience in counseling and instruction — joined our board. She’s been working with our staff to develop new, culturally-appropriate trainings which will launch in India in the fall of 2023.

We also plan to hire case workers, counselors and child psychologists who can help us track our kids’ progress and offer developmentally-appropriate interventions for kids who are struggling.

If you’re interested in helping us secure funding for Psychological and Social Support programs at Asia’s Hope, contact Roxi Larsen roxi@asiashope.org.

TELLING OUR STORIES MORE EFFECTIVELY

At Asia’s Hope we have so many amazing stories of transformation — not just among our the kids in our care, but also in the lives of our supporters, their churches, families and businesses.

In 2022, long overdue, we brought in our first Director of Media, Benjamin Hiltner. Benjamin grew up at Narrow Road Church, sponsor of our Kalimpong 4 (India) Home, and had been involved with Asia’s Hope as a supporter and volunteer for a number of years.

Benjamin hit the ground running, and traveled to all three of our countries with Executive Director John McCollum, gathering video footage which he’s used to produce a wide range of projects, from event promotions and social media updates, to partner support videos and longer-form documentary films.

Our most ambitious such project to date is our “Decades” short film, which documents Asia’s Hope’s founding and fortifying decades, and also looking forward to our current decade of flourishing.

FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION

Sarouen Sok, a young man who grew up at Asia’s Hope’s Prek Eng 1 (Cambodia) home, became a home parent, along with his wife, Ratha, and young son Jonh Dy, at our Prek Eng 3 home.

Sarouen now joins Chhem (Prek Eng 2 home mother), Wicha (Wiang Pa Pao home 1 father) and Janpon (Doi Saket 1b home father), as the fourth Asia’s Hope graduate to return as a home parent. And we couldn’t be prouder. Other graduates work throughout our organization in administrative, educational and childcare roles, and we look forward to seeing more and more of our kids take leadership roles at Asia’s Hope.

ONE OF OUR FIRST LEADERS PASSES ON

In 2022, we lost Dr. John Campbell, who had served on the board of Asia’s Hope for more than a decade and a half.

Dr. John was a dear friend and mentor to so many of our staff, and was an trusted counselor to our executive director, John McCollum.

Dr. John succumbed to his long-term struggle with Parkinsons’ Disease, surrounded by family in Portland, OR. John was preceded in death by his daughter Heather, and his wife Bobbi. He is survived by his three sons Peter, Brent, and Jacen, and his many grandchildren and friends.

We plan to use funds bequeathed to Asia’s Hope by Dr. John and Bobbi’s estate in a new, education-related initiative to be announced later this year.

Financial Overview

GIVING SUMMARY

In 2022, we raised $2,713,816, down $79,900 from 2021. With the “emergency phase” of covid ending, we’ve seen many of our supporting churches and organziations adjust to a new normal in their own finances, and that has affected partnership-based giving. We’re thankful for significant gifts from individual donors and a strong year-end giving campaign, which raised $457,000 — $107,000 above our $350,000 goal!

EXPENSE SUMMARY

In 2022, we spent $2,700,000. We saw increases in travel expenses over the previous year, thanks to the post-Covid opening of our countries of operation. We also added staff to our U.S.-based operations, which increased our compensation expenses.

Partnership Opportunities Abound

As we look ahead to 2023, one key to our ministry’s ongoing financial success is to find sponsors or co-sponsors for a number of currently-unfunded projects:

STUDENT CENTERS

Through these centers, we provide college-age kids who grew up at Asia’s Hope a safe, edifying living arrangement which allows them to stay connected with their Asia’s Hope family as they complete their schooling and transition toward independent adulthood.

• Student Center, Chiang Mai, Thailand: 10–15 students — $1,300 per month to sponsor

• Student Center, Kalimpong, India: 10–15 students — $1,600 per month to sponsor

• Student Center, Siliguri, India: 10–15 students — $1,300 per month to sponsor

• Student Center, Phnom Penh, Cambodia: 40–50 students — $3,400/month to sponsor

CHILDREN’S HOMES

Three of our homes in India need sponsors.

• Children’s Home, Kalimpong, India: 20 girls* — $4,200/month to sponsor

• Children’s Home, Kalimpong, India: 20 boys* — $4,200/month to sponsor

• Children’s Home, Kalimpong, India: 20 boys* — $2,100/month to co-sponsor

*Due to government regulations, all of our homes in India are single-gender

UNIVERSITY SCHOLARSHIPS

In 2023–24, Asia’s Hope will provide 207 full-ride university, vocational training and graduate-level scholarships for kids who grew up in our care. Many of the scholarships are funded by the existing sponsors of students’ home, but this year, we project needing funding for the equivalent of 97 full-ride scholarships.

• 97 full-ride scholarships — $242,500 yet to raise for 2023–24 school year

HIMALAYAN PARTNERSHIP

Most of our projects receive long-term, comprehensive support from a church, business or family participating in our “whole home sponsorship” funding model. This model has been — and will continue to be — the financial and relational lifeblood of our organization.

But there are so many who would like to enjoy the benefits of partnership — including the privilege of visiting the staff and kids of Asia’s Hope and the joy of receiving regular updates on children in our care — but cannot commit to sponsoring a whole home.

That’s why we created The Asia’s Hope Himalayan Partnership, and inviting churches, businesses, families and individuals to help us raise a total of $150,000 a year — above and beyond the funds the sponsors of our six homes in Kalimpong, India currently provide.

• 17 sponsorships —available at $500/month

For more info on any of these projects, contact Roxi Larsen, roxi@asiashope.org

2023 Budget: Continued Growth

Our strong year-end giving season and the renewal of most of our significant partnerships has provided us the funds we need to maintain all of our homes, student centers and schools, including those lacking full sponsorship. We’re also making the investments into stem and trauma-informed care we announced in the run-up to our 2022 year-end giving campaign.

We’re also approving full-ride scholarships for 44 first-year university students. Because 41 students are graduating, this represents a net increase of only three full-ride scholarships, for a total of 207 total scholarships in 2023. Nearly half of those scholarships are currently unfunded, so we will need to raise $242,500 in scholarship-targeted or unrestricted funds in 2023.

With these increases in mind, we’ve set our 2023 budget at $2,717,445. To meet this budget, we will need to raise at least $257,000 in our 2023 year-end giving campaign.

Our Sponsors and Partners

More than 70% of Asia’s Hope’s yearly support comes from sponsors — who commit to funding a specific project on an ongoing basis — and partners — who commit to a specific funding amount for a limited amount of time. We’ve also received generous grants from foundations and companies. Here are some of the churches, businesses, families and individuals who made all of our work possible in 2023.

HOME SPONSORS

Westview Bible Church, Montreal, QC|
Battambang 1 Home

Grace Community Church, Goshen, IN
Battambang 2 Home
Doi Saket 2 Home

Crossroads Community Church, Mansfield, OH
Battambang 3 Home
Battambang 7 Home

Wooster Grace Church, Wooster, OH
Battambang 4 Home
Battambang 9 Home
Wiang Pa Pao 1 Home
Wiang Pa Pao 2 Home

Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Grove City, OH
Battambang 5 Home

The Chapel, Akron, OH
Battambang 6 Home
Battambang 11 Home
Battambang 12 Home
Prek Eng 1 Home

LIFE Vineyard Church, Columbus, OH
Battambang 8 Home
Kalimpong 5 Home

Caringbah Baptist, Caringbah, NSW
Battambang 10 Home

Polina’s Promise, Columbus, OH
Battambang 13 Home

RW Supply, West Plains, MO
Prek Eng 2 Home
University Scholarships
Himalayan Partnership

Vista Church, Columbus, OH
Prek Eng 3 Home

Champion’s Circle
Prek Eng 4 Home

Hope for Cambodia, Sarasota, FL
Prek Eng 5 Home
Phnom Penh Student Center

Vineyard Columbus, Columbus, OH
Prek Eng 6 Home

Central Vineyard Church, Columbus, OH
Battambang Student Center

Anonymous Donors
Asia’s Hope Primary School

Holy Moses, Columbus, OH
+
Covenant Metabolic Specialists, Sarasota, FL
Doi Saket 1a Home

Anonymous Donors
Doi Saket University Scholarships

Chets Creek Church, Jacksonville, FL
Doi Saket 1b Home

Asia’s Hope Canada
Doi Saket 1c Home

Chow Family Foundation
Doi Saket 1d Home

Grace Community Church, Fremont, OH
Doi Saket 3 Home
Doi Saket 4 Home

Crimson Design Group, Columbus, OH
Wiang Pa Pao 3 Home

Lake Forest Church, Huntersville, NC
Kalimpong 1 Home

Narrow Road Church, Heath, OH
Kalimpong 3 Home

Scarlet City Church, Columbus, OH
Kalimpong 4 Home

GRANTS AWARDED

Charleys Kids, Columbus, OH

RW Supply, West Plains, MO

HIMALAYAN PARTNERS

Mike and Aimee Dent and Family

Joshua and Inna Brady and Family

Carson and Quentin King

RW Supply

TransFORM Construction

Samuel Shelton

Dr. Christian Ghattas and Family

The Sacred Space Champions’ Circle