Hope of Life International

What Hope of Life International does

Hope of Life International is a faith-based 501(c)(3) humanitarian nonprofit founded in 1987 by Carlos and Cheryl Vargas, headquartered in Cranston, Rhode Island, with primary operations on a 3,000-acre mountain campus in Zacapa, Eastern Guatemala. The organization delivers an integrated portfolio of humanitarian programs — emergency nutritional recovery for severely malnourished children (25,000+ treated since 1989), point-of-use water filtration and well construction, disabilities support (Kelly's House, Ryan's Place), senior care (Oasis del Eden), foster care (Village of Transformation), child and senior sponsorship, gifts-in-kind container shipping, and community-level infrastructure development across 327+ underserved villages. The underlying operating model combines on-campus residential care facilities, field-based village partnerships, and an in-house logistics operation that delivers $65 of supplies per $1 of shipping cost.

The organization's business model is diversified across four revenue streams: individual donations, recurring child and senior sponsorship at $40/month, gift-in-kind contributions received via 74 ocean-freight containers in 2023, and tiered volunteer service trip packages ($850–$1,100 per week) that engaged 2,622 international volunteers from 5 countries. Distribution is direct: donations are processed through the Cranston office and deployed in Guatemala via the Zacapa campus and 327+ village partnerships. The organization employs approximately 71 staff, is led by President & CEO Katie Arriaza, and maintains partnerships with USAID, INTECAP, Thrive Missions, and multiple corporate donors.

Name

Hope of Life International

Legal name

Hope of Life International

Website

https://hopeoflifeintl.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Hope of Life International is a faith-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating a 3,000-acre campus in Zacapa, Guatemala, delivering integrated humanitarian programs — nutritional recovery, clean water, foster care, senior and disability care, and child sponsorship — across 327+ underserved communities, funded by donations, recurring sponsorships, volunteer trip fees, and gifts-in-kind.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Aid Services

NAICS

Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Humanitarian Aid & Relief Ministries (BPAGAJAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Humanitarian Health & Emergency Medical Relief NGOs (HLAJAKAE), Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling) (BPAGAJAG), Faith-Based & Mission Service Programs (EDAIAGAI)

Keywords

• Humanitarian aid services
• Child sponsorship programs
• Malnutrition treatment services
• Community development programs
• Volunteer mission trips

Headquarters

HQ city

Cranston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: General and sponsorship donations from individuals supporting the organization's humanitarian programs in Guatemala.
2. Child and Senior Sponsorship: Monthly sponsorship program at $40/month providing health, education, and spiritual support to sponsored individuals and their families.
3. Gift-in-Kind Donations: Receipt and distribution of donated goods including medical equipment, supplies, and humanitarian aid via container shipping.
4. Volunteer Trip Packages: Short-term mission trip packages priced at $850-$1,100 providing accommodation, transportation, meals, and volunteer opportunities in Guatemala.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Hope of Life International delivers faith-based humanitarian programs in Eastern Guatemala, centered on a 3,000-acre campus in Zacapa. Its core offerings include emergency medical intervention for severely malnourished children (St. Luke's Center), clean water access through point-of-use filters and wells, disabilities support, senior care, foster care, community transformation, and child/senior sponsorship. Funded primarily through individual donations, recurring sponsorships, gifts-in-kind container shipping, and paid short-term volunteer service trips.

Product overview

Hope of Life International operates as a unified humanitarian aid organization with multiple interconnected programs serving children, families, and communities in Eastern Guatemala. The organization offers a portfolio of programs including: Medical Intervention (nutritional recovery), Clean Water initiatives, Disabilities Support (Kelly's House and Ryan's Place), Senior Care (Oasis del Eden and Asilo), Community Partnership (village transformation), Foster Care (Village of Transformation), Container Shipping (Gifts In Kind), Child/Senior Sponsorship programs, Volunteer Service Trips, Liberty College education expansion, and the St. Luke's Hospital expansion campaign. These programs work together under a Practical Gospel methodology, meeting physical needs first to open doors for spiritual transformation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Oasis del Eden: Senior care facility providing ongoing care and support including medical care, occupational and ambulatory therapy, spiritual and psychological support for seniors.
• Kelly's House
• Ryan's Place
• Village of Transformation
• St. Luke's
• Liberty College
• Community Partnership

Products and services

• Medical Intervention (Nutritional Recovery) Emergency medical intervention program (formerly Baby Rescue) providing nutritional recovery treatment for severely malnourished children at St. Luke's Center for Nutritional Recovery on the Zacapa campus. Targets children suffering from chronic and severe acute malnutrition in rural Guatemala.
• Clean Water Initiative Clean water programs including distribution of point-of-use water filters, installation of clean water wells, and construction of water delivery systems in rural communities. A point-of-use water filter provides clean, disease-free water for up to two years per filter.
• Disabilities Support (Kelly's House & Ryan's Place) Facilities providing full-time care for children with developmental and physical disabilities permanently affected by severe malnutrition, and outpatient support for children with disabilities and their families. Includes motor, occupational, and life skills therapy, specialized nutrition, and custom care.
• Senior Care (Oasis del Eden & Asilo) Senior care facility providing ongoing medical care, occupational and ambulatory therapy, and spiritual and psychological support for aging adults in need.
• Community Partnership (Village Transformation) Community transformation program working with local communities over 5-year partnerships to install clean water wells, improve infrastructure for schools, churches and homes, and provide access to medical care.
• Village of Transformation (Foster Care) Family-style foster care community providing safety and nurturing care for children who have experienced trauma, abuse, and neglect until families can welcome them home.
• Container Shipping / Gifts In Kind Humanitarian aid container shipping program receiving donated goods and supplies to distribute to those in need in Guatemala, achieving a $65 of supplies per $1 shipping cost ratio.
• Child Sponsorship Program Recurring sponsorship program providing $40/month for health, education, and spiritual support for children and their families in marginalized villages.
• Senior Sponsorship (Oasis del Eden) Recurring sponsorship program for seniors at Oasis del Eden providing wrap-around medical services, therapies, nutritional support, and loving home care.
• Village of Transformation Sponsorship Recurring sponsorship program for foster children at the Village of Transformation, providing full-time care and opportunities for children who cannot advocate for themselves.
• Kelly's House Sponsorship Recurring sponsorship program for children with special needs at Kelly's House, providing occupational, psychological and physical therapies, nutritional support, and wrap-around medical services.
• Volunteer Service Trips Short-term service trip programs lasting 7 days, offering tiered packages ($850 bunk room, $950 standard room, $1,100 executive room) with accommodation, transportation, translation services, and community or campus work projects.
• Liberty College (Nursing & Technology School) Educational institution expanding to include a Nursing School (50 students per cohort in a 3-year program) and Technology Program (partnering with INTECAP for computing, digital marketing, and IT support courses for up to 30 students per session).
• St. Luke's Hospital (Nutritional Recovery Center) Hospital facility providing medical care and malnutrition treatment, with expansion adding neonatal care, gynecology, optometry, psychology, dermatology, dental services, diagnostic imaging, and improved laboratory services.
• Christmas Hope Bags Holiday gift program delivering Christmas Hope Bags filled with toys, school supplies, and personal care items to sponsored children and program participants.
• Christmas Tree Tags Program Church and business fundraising program featuring Christmas Tree Tags for donors to purchase items like shoes, food bags, water filters, and child sponsorship.

Quantifiable outcome

• 25,000+ children treated for malnutrition since 1989
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• INTECAPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with INTECAP for technology program courses including computing, digital marketing, and IT support at Liberty College.
• Thrive MissionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization that spent weeks in Guatemala creating the Thrive Missions Playroom at St. Luke's Center for Nutritional Recovery. Planning spanned over four years.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• WaterAid: International nonprofit focused on clean water access, sanitation, and hygiene in developing countries. Highly comparable to Hope of Life's Clean Water program (point-of-use filters, well installation).
• Food for the Hungry: Faith-based humanitarian organization focused on ending poverty and malnutrition through community development, child sponsorship, and clean water in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Closely aligned mission and program structure.
• MAP International: Faith-based humanitarian organization providing donated medicines and medical supplies via container shipping to developing countries. Highly comparable gifts-in-kind / container shipping operating model.
• ChildFund International: International child-focused nonprofit operating sponsorship programs and community development in developing countries. Similar recurring donation model and Latin America presence.
• Lifesong for Orphans: Faith-based nonprofit focused on orphan care, foster care, and adoption support. Directly comparable to Hope of Life's Village of Transformation foster care model and sponsorship programs.
• Compassion International: Largest faith-based child sponsorship organization globally, with a similar $40+/month recurring sponsorship model and focus on holistic child development in developing countries. Directly comparable business model and donor-acquisition mechanics.

Broad incumbents

• Samaritan's Purse: Large faith-based humanitarian organization providing disaster relief, medical care, child sponsorship, and gifts-in-kind container shipping. Overlaps significantly across Hope of Life's program portfolio and operates a similar volunteer model.
• World Vision: One of the largest faith-based humanitarian organizations, offering child sponsorship, clean water, nutrition, and community development across 100+ countries. Operates the same core programs as Hope of Life but at dramatically larger scale and global breadth.
• Catholic Relief Services: Large humanitarian organization providing emergency relief, health, agriculture, and education programming globally. Overlaps with Hope of Life's humanitarian aid and community development work, though much larger and broader in scope.
• Habitat for Humanity International: Global nonprofit focused on housing construction and community development, with a volunteer trip model (volunteer builders) closely paralleling Hope of Life's volunteer service trip program ($850-$1,100 packages).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/hopeoflifeintl
• Instagraminstagram.com/hopeoflifeinternational
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hope-of-life-international

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hope of Life International