NewVines
NVI Ugandan Training Graduation
Africa, a culturally rich continent home to a vast number of historical traditions and natural resources, faces unique economic challenges. About 490 million Africans live under the poverty line, especially in rural communities where access to basic necessities is heavily impacted by extreme climate events and a lack of public infrastructure.
Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the continent's most poverty-stricken regions. Due to limited educational programs and socioeconomic barriers, less than a third of residents in this area are financially literate. This issue hinders economic empowerment and financial inclusion, restricting people's ability to escape cycles of generational poverty. NewVines International (NVI), a global faith-based mission headquartered in Virginia, is working to surmount a myriad of factors preventing Africans from improving their quality of life.
For over a decade, NVI has utilized a network of compassionate individuals to spearhead biblically-inspired training, tools, and capital across both East and West Africa. NVI empowers individuals to lift themselves out of poverty of all types–financial, spiritual, relational, and personal–and step into greater financial security.
NVI’s heart-centered mission was born on a Kenyan mission trip in 2012 between two American businessmen. Virgil Hughes, CEO of NewVines International, established the nonprofit two years later after recognizing the need for more effective tools in impoverished communities. His diverse background in executive leadership positions across healthcare, venture capital, and economic development along with his passion for giving back inspired him to establish NewVines International.
“I was diagnosed with cancer while serving as a CEO of a prominent healthcare facility,” Virgil says. “As I fought to regain my health, I felt called to serve the less fortunate. From that day forward, I’ve used my knowledge of financial systems and hands-on experiences with locals to build programs and support networks that have improved countless lives.”
Biblical truth, training, culture, and local institutions are the pillars of the nonprofit’s solution for tackling generational poverty. Through local churches and NGOs, NVI takes a unique approach to guiding African communities toward healthier financial outcomes. They partner with NVI’s commitment to fostering self-sufficiency within individuals and planting seeds for future generations to prosper from the knowledge shared today.
NewVines approach is heavily informed by Biblical principles. These shape the business training, personal financial management, and local economic development courses they offer. NVI also infuses scripture into its other practices, encouraging individuals to adopt behaviors in line with biblical values. Some of these include cultivating personal assets, engaging in entrepreneurship, and prioritizing financial stability, and independence.
The final pillar of NVI’s values encompasses the institutions that can either support or inhibit economic and social development. NVI engages with ethical leadership organizations that can enhance education, hands-on training, positive financial behaviors, and micro-lending, encouraging the elimination of poverty across the African continent.
Alleviating financial hardships faced by millions of Africans is a complex challenge for any public or private organization. Leaders across the globe are struggling to find proven, pragmatic solutions to this issue. NewVines International achieves this through comprehensive programs tailored to the cultural behaviors that perpetuate financial insecurity, effectively stopping the problem at its root.
In addition to business and individual training, NVI grants micro-loans to fund small businesses and operates the NVI Mercy Fund and Adopt A Widow program to address the diverse needs of African communities.
For $50 a month, a empathetic donor can sponsor a woman to join the Adopt A Widow program, providing her with money for food while she completes the NVI training program. She will receive a monthly stipend to start a small business during her second year in the program. Widows are generally in the NVI program for two years.
As the nonprofit finalizes its training centers in Uganda and Kenya, it anticipates growing its charitable footprint further. By collaborating with community leaders and organizations, NVI will spark change in the lives of millions, adding more heartfelt stories of transformation to its legacy of service.
Media Contact
Name: Kathleen Hughes
Email: [email protected]
