Build Relationships. Break Poverty.
Build Relationships. Break Poverty.
Walking With CarePoints: Jen deBruin on Graduation and Transformation
Jen deBruin has walked alongside three CarePoints for over a decade. In this episode, she shares what graduation means for the communities, children, and families she loves—and how relationships and transformation make it all possible.
Learn more about CarePoint Graduation by visiting hopechest.org/carepoint-graduation.
Want to catch up on our full #PathToGraduation series? Check out our blog and podcast at hopechest.org/blog-and-podcast!
Welcome back to Build Relationships Break Poverty, a podcast from Children's HopeChest where we share stories of transformation and explore how strong, sustainable relationships help break the cycle of poverty. I'm your host, Wil Crooks.
For over a decade on the advancement team, I've had the privilege of building relationships with churches, schools, and businesses that help make this work possible.
Today, we're bringing our series Path to Graduation to the podcast to talk about something truly exciting, "CarePoint Graduation." We'll hear from partners and staff, explore their perspectives, and dive into what this milestone means for children and communities around the world. Enjoy the conversation and be sure to check the show notes to learn more about CarePoint Graduation.
Wil: Well welcome everyone, honored to bring you a conversation that really brings this topic to life. And with me is a good friend who's walked this path as a partner, now a HopeChest staff member, passionate champion, and recurring guest of the podcast. Jen deBruin, HopeChest Now Travel and Sponsorship Specialist, but always the HPL Extraordinaire. Welcome, Jen. How are you doing?
Jen: Hey, well, great. Thanks so much for having me.
Wil: And you! Again, love your insights. You've been with HopeChest for well over a decade, and what your CarePoints have been able to do is really quite remarkable. Through the partnership, our vision to ignite hope, it really is a great example at Ogoloi, Bukedea, and Ongongoja. How did it all start?
I know you've been on before, but can you just give a brief synopsis on how you got connected with HopeChest from the beginning?
Jen: Yeah. Well, I think the way that we began, Dylan and I and our business partner were like, "Hey, we really want to make a difference in the world. We know that we as a community have more than we need, and we know that there's people in the world who are barely surviving. We're like, 'How can we go make a difference in the world?'"
And through a bunch of research, actually, we read one of Tom Davis's books, Red Letters, I believe, and at the end it talked about this Connect Community and we're like, "Hey, this sounds cool," so we did some research and jumped on a plane. Dylan got to go visit a bunch of CarePoints, fell in love with Children's HopeChest and your vision and our staff in Uganda, and we're like, "Yeah, we'd love to be a part of this."
Wil: And then the graduation, was that even a part of the initial conversations or was it, "Hey, we just want to do something"?
Jen: I think at that point it was like, "Hey, this is a tenure commitment," so that was 14 years ago. Our goal was that, but we didn't know what that looked like, so I think it was part of the conversation and part of what we loved about it because the goal was a two-way transformation, right? Like, we are connecting personally with the community, getting to transform our community, and help transform their community.
Wil: Yeah, and so you've seen kind of the graduation strategy evolve over the years, is that right?
Jen: Yeah, I'm more excited to see it now start happening and see how it looks moving forward. I think we still don't know what it looks like.
Wil: Yeah, I know that there's a lot of marks that each CarePoint needs to hit and your CarePoints are getting close, and you have dates even for graduation, right?
Jen: Yeah, 2028 for Ogoloi and Bukedea, 2033 for Ongongoja.
Wil: Yeah, so actually having that in mind must make it kind of feel real to you.
Jen: Yeah, it does. I feel like a lot more, I feel like the pressure is probably more on the communities, but a lot more pressure to make sure that we are doing what's the most effective work, right? We're helping them focus on what's the most effective and most purposeful.
Wil: Yeah, I think that's where we're from. And has your narrative and communication changed then at all to the sponsors? You know, you have hundreds of supporters and sponsors—HopeChest friends there in Uganda. Does the narrative change now in these final years?
Jen: I mean, I think our narrative has been very focused on helping the communities become sustainable and providing for themselves. That's been our narrative for at least five years. Like, all of our fundraising has been focused on how can we come alongside them, support them, help them, have the dignity to provide for themselves.
So it hasn't necessarily changed, but I think the pressure now is more in the community. Our communication with the community has changed. Our meetings—every time we visit, our meetings with the management staff have been like, "Hey, what's the most effective for you? How can you do that more? How can we support you in that way?"
And then talking to the communities at large and the villages, Dylan's always been very good at like, "This is your community, your people. We're here for a small amount of time, but your job is to provide for your children and your community." So I think that communication has changed more than even just our communication to sponsors.
Wil: And if you felt—you talked about being excited for this—have you sensed that the communities you've come alongside these past many years share that enthusiasm?
Jen: I think we have mixed reviews. I would say that one community has much more excitement. We had a meeting with one of the village management committees, I would say it was two years ago, discussing this idea. We asked, "How are you going to do it? What's your plan?" They said, "We'll find another partner to come in and take over." We're like, "Oh, that is not going to get us there. We got to think this through."
And then we made some strategic staff changes since then and changed some management committee members. Now they're definitely on track as well. So I think we're more excited than some of them are. I think it's just unknown and a little scary for them.
Wil: Yeah, and I know that we'll have some of these graduations and becoming community-based organizations. Some of that is when that light bulb goes on of, "Hey, we started with the end in mind, and we're getting to that point." But that doesn't mean that the relationships end. And that's one of the exciting things about alumni that have already graduated from the CarePoint—those relationships continue to exist.
Jen: Yeah, that's what I love about the fact that two of our CarePoints are graduating, but we get to continue to go for at least five more years after that. We'll get to continue those relationships for sure each time we visit and stay connected. It doesn't feel as much emotion for me like, "Oh no, we're saying goodbye now," because we know we'll be back.
Wil: No matter what.
Jen: And I do know that the connection we've had with the alumni is even better than when they were students because now they aren't expecting anything. It's more of a true friendship than transactional, which I love. Those relationships now—it’s certainly different, isn’t it? The relationship with older youth, with young adults and some adults as they've matured—the relationship changes.
Wil: Yeah, yeah, it's been beautiful. And the fact that that continues and will continue. One of the things that maybe our listeners have heard is the development of this alumni app, for communication between youth who have graduated all over Uganda, but also with the HopeChest friends, so they can stay in communication in a safe way.
Jen: Yeah, I do love the idea of that alumni app because it helps those relationships stay true friendships rather than them trying to ask for things. At first, I was like, "Oh, well, we have Facebook, we have WhatsApp. Why do we need a special app?" But that app gives the challenge for them to want to ask for things, and we don’t want that. We want it to be true friendships and relationships.
Graduation is kind of personal to you, don't you think, with kids that you have in your home?
Jen: Yeah, my youngest is graduating this year, so I'll be losing my youngest child. And then our two youngest at the oldest villages in Uganda—all within the same year—so that will be an interesting year.
Wil: I do know I was thinking about the excitement I have every single time we have a graduation at our CarePoints—how much excitement in the community, how much dignity and anticipation that each student and their entire communities have during this graduation. I can't even imagine how much more that’s going to be when it’s an entire community, not just 15 of the students.
Jen: I love that. Yeah, that makes it personal to all of us, because you talk about your youngest, about ready to graduate. You had a graduation, I think last summer, with your oldest son.
Wil: Yeah, and it's the same feelings, right? And in terms of their preparation, it's a milestone.
Jen: Yeah, and I've even experienced the challenge of after you graduate, you're trying to move forward in life, you hit some bumps. So I think we'll have that with CarePoints as they graduate as well. And HopeChest will continue to be there to support them in whatever way we need to be. We’re not like, "Oh, you’re graduated, you're done now." We'll still be there as loving support, however they need.
Wil: Mm-hmm.
Jen: See, I’m the oldest kid that just graduated, right?
Wil: Right.
Jen: But it’s different, and it changes. That’s part of the beautifulness of this story—not in a paternal or maternal way, because that’s not our position, but in a relationship way. How it evolves, how it morphs, how it changes for the community as well, and how the CarePoint carries on through revenue-generating activities.
You’ve done so many, you’ve raised so many funds for these. And there’ve been some exciting ones—you know, obviously, the village savings and loans is such a big one, which produces additional businesses and streams of revenue for families. But what comes to mind with some of the projects you’ve done over the years when you just kind of sit back and say, "I love going and seeing that project and the difference it’s making in the community"?
Jen: Well, my favorite project is one that we had zero participation in, right? The community came up with it fully on themselves. They even funded it themselves with money they had raised, and it’s running beautifully. It's a greenhouse in Ogoloi. We didn’t even know about it until we showed up, and there it was—a beautiful greenhouse with vegetables, training their students in it, showing ownership. That’s my favorite project.
We've also done so many projects of animal raising—we’ve given pigs to all the parents and communities, sheep, goats. I love the stories of hearing how one sheep becomes seven cows, a student saving up to marry his wife, building his parents a house, and starting a business. Animal-raising projects have made a huge impact in the community.
Wil: And those projects carry on. You've already seen some of those new streams and how they're impacting individuals, families, and the community. You can see the hope and how it can work. But maybe it wasn’t always so, right? If you think back five, six years, there were probably years where you wondered if this even works. My guess is every year isn’t easy.
Jen: Yeah, that’s very true. We’ve seen cycles as well—huge progress, then setbacks, then changes, then progress again. Some projects haven’t been successful either. You get pigs and realize there’s not enough food in the community, so that project wasn’t the best. Dylan helps management committees process what the most effective projects are and focus on maximizing those instead of adding more.
Wil: With those one step forward, two steps back, five steps forward, one step back—if you think back to you as an HPL in years three, four, five, facing different challenges than today, what words of encouragement would you give to HPLs in year five, six, seven who feel like graduation is so far away?
Jen: That’s a great question. I love the saying: We always overestimate how much we can do in one year and underestimate what can happen in ten years. See this as a long-term project. Transformation takes time; it’s the long game rather than expecting instant results.
Wil: I love that. Worth saying again: we overestimate what we can do in a year and underestimate what happens in ten years.
Jen: Yeah, that multiplication effect, that compounded impact that happens.
Wil: Well, our goal is this three-part goal: survive, thrive, succeed. The first few years are focused on survival, then thriving, then success. And it’s that two-way transformation. We see it in Slack, huddles, videos, slides, reports, but it’s not just about the community. Your family’s life is different and forever changed. Sponsors that travel or sponsor children—this makes a difference.
Jen: I would say it’s brought families together—praying for children, communicating with them. Families fundraising, little kids doing lemonade stands, bake sales. It’s opened people’s eyes to how big the world is and how a small sacrifice can make a huge difference.
Wil: My life changed too—I was an HPL. I see art from CarePoints all over my walls now. My world is different; it’s expansive. Experience and relationships bring richness to life.
Jen: Yeah, it’s hard to know the impact on my life and family—it’s been part of our entire lives. Dylan and I chose to focus on over a thousand kids in time, rather than having another child ourselves.
Wil: At the TPC, you won that award for over a thousand sponsorships.
Jen: Right, that’s fun. I don’t even know the full transformation because it’s been our life—it’s ingrained in who we are, enriched by friends in Uganda and all of Children’s HopeChest. Friendship, relationship—the currency of the Kingdom.
Wil: And your organization, formerly Orphans of Teso, recently evolved with graduation. What’s the story?
Jen: Yeah, great question. We brought all three CarePoints together for the first time in 14 years, had them together for three days. Standing in a circle, I said “Orphans of Teso,” and it didn’t feel right. Dylan felt the same. We spent four hours with students discussing what they want to be called—they decided Amina not a Teso, meaning “the love of Teso.”
Wil: That’s beautiful. Management teams wish your family health and long life. As we close, what’s your dream for these communities as they near graduation?
Jen: I want them to have the dignity to provide for themselves. Every successful business or need met brings joy, dignity, and hope. I want them to have rich, fulfilling lives and serve each other. Alumni are excited to provide that joy and dignity to others as well.
Wil: Amazing. Thank you, Jen, for sharing encouragement and inspiration today.
Jen: Thank you.
Wil: And thank you all for joining this episode of Children’s HopeChest Build Relationships, Break Poverty. To learn more about CarePoint Graduation and how your community can work toward sustainability, visit HopeChest.org/CarePoint-Graduation. And if you haven’t yet, go to Apple Podcasts to subscribe, rate, and review our podcast.