Hope Rises: New Name, Same Mission
Hope Rises International, formerly American Leprosy Missions, exists to bring physical healing and enduring hope to people suffering from neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) like leprosy. Our work has evolved and expanded since our founding in 1906 and since we adopted the name American Leprosy Missions in 1950.
Formally launched in March 2025, the name Hope Rises International more fully represents our work around the world and illuminates our founding purpose of living and proclaiming the gospel in partnership with the Church. After 119 years, our mission remains unchanged. We still exist to see the gospel demonstrated and proclaimed to persons affected by leprosy and similar NTDs, helping them to be healed in body and spirit and restored to lives of dignity and hope.
Hope Rises in Jesus’ name at Karigiri Hospital, Tamil Nadu, India. Photo Credit: Tom Bradley
As we move forward into the next 100 years of ministry, the name Hope Rises International focuses on the outcome we seek: one in which hope rises, all over the world, in Jesus’ name.
One multi-year initiative with a recognized partner organization – Evangelical Medical Institute in Kimpese, Kongo Central, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) demonstrates how, where, and with whom hope rises anew each day.
Pastors and Community Leaders as Change Agents
Out of a population of 84 million, approximately 50 million people in the DRC live in areas of high endemicity for NTDs like leprosy, Buruli ulcer, yaws, and lymphatic filariasis. However, many lack access to quality care and often go to their pastors and church leaders for help. If they can’t get the information or care they need, then people affected are at risk of disabilities that leave them unable to work or attend school, creating a vicious cycle of stigma and poverty. The lack of trusted expertise and care is not just an individual issue: it threatens whole communities.
NTDs are a diverse group of conditions caused by a variety of pathogens, mainly prevalent among impoverished communities in tropical areas. In addition to disability and morbidity, they cause stigma and can reduce quality of life. Given a very high percentage of the population in the DRC identifies with Christianity, and because churches are often seen as trusted institutions, a pilot project was implemented to Build Church Networks Capacity to End NTDs (BCNCE).
Photo: Change Agents: BCNCE community lay leaders and pastors
Since the faith community is a trusted resource for health care, especially in areas with limited services, Hope Rises International equips its on-the-ground partners – Evangelical Medical Institute, Kimpese, and the lay workers, pastors and faith leaders of the broader church community – to support people affected by NTDs, mobilizing congregations and communities to:
- Find people affected by NTDs
- Refer suspected cases to doctors
- Teach critical self-care practices
- Provide ongoing spiritual and emotional care for people affected
These activities are reaching over 80,000 people across hard-to-access areas. Covering three health zones in DRC, the pastors and lay leaders in this Faith Leaders/BCNCE project are from areas where skin NTDs like leprosy and Buruli ulcer are prevalent. With the project in its fifth year, we’ve trained over 500 men and women who:
- Recorded hundreds of suspected NTD cases for diagnosis and treatment; 87% of those people visited a clinic or hospital for evaluation
- Accompanied nearly 200 people with ongoing emotional and spiritual support
- Are catalysts and change agents in building community, church-health system connections
To view the recent BCNCE article in the Christian Journal for Global Health, visit Holistic management of skin NTDs through church networks for additional information.