NewVines International’s Adopt-a-Widow Program began in Eldoret, in Uasin Gishu County, and remains, in the words of NVI’s own Ten-Year Anniversary Retrospective, “the home of NVI’s pilot Adopt-a-Widow Program.” It was built around a specific and painful profile: women who have both lost their husbands and experienced abuse — most often sexual abuse — at…

Published in Newsweek, Oct. 8, 2026 I have a question for the people who control billions of dollars in poverty funding. How many lives actually changed as a result? The question sounds simple. It is anything but. The World Bank estimates that 824.3 million people—about one in 10 people worldwide—were living in extreme poverty in…

Published in CEOWorld Magazine Efforts to reduce poverty often begin with good intentions. Governments, nonprofits, development organizations, and local leaders frequently introduce programs designed to improve economic outcomes through lending, infrastructure, education, or financial assistance. Yet according to Virgil Hughes, founder of NewVines International, lasting progress depends on something deeper than any single intervention. He believes…

Published in International Business Times There is a path forward to what I would call biblical prosperity. It is not easy, it is not formulaic, and it certainly is not quick, but it is real. When people in the majority of the world look at the West, they often see material abundance: higher incomes, stronger…

Published in International Business Times In most parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, the roots of poverty run deep. Virgil Hughes, founder of NewVines International (NVI), has spent the last decade working with communities in Kenya, Uganda, and the Ivory Coast. His conclusion? To truly break the cycle of poverty, funding alone isn’t enough. What’s required is a…

Published in Business Insider Faith-based global mission NewVines International uplifts impoverished African communities with biblically-inspired spiritual clarity, reframing culture, and providing value-based training. Roanoke, Virginia–(Newsfile Corp. – October 21, 2024) – 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…

Published by Stuart Hotchkiss, October 25, 2023 I recently spoke for over two hours with Virgil Hughes, the founder of NewVines International (NVI), a Virginia-based non-profit organization established less than a decade ago to transform lives by alleviating poverty in all its forms. I was struck by how little money Hughes had at his disposal…