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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 institutions, and more stable systems. What they also see, rightly, is the cost of that prosperity: social fragmentation, loneliness, cultural decay, and moral confusion. The mistake is assuming these outcomes are inseparable. The West did not become prosperous because it abandoned moral structure; it prospered long beforehand.

Much of what built Western prosperity was not economic theory or industrial genius alone. It was something far more foundational. Biblical principles, sometimes consciously embraced, sometimes inherited unconsciously, were woven so deeply into Western culture that even people who have never opened a Bible still live by many of its assumptions. Property rights, contracts, the dignity of work, stewardship, personal accountability, and ethical behavior did not appear spontaneously. They emerged from centuries of moral formation shaped by Scripture.

History matters here. After the invention of the printing press in the 15th century, ordinary families gained access to the Bible for the first time, and literacy became more common. Over generations, those texts shaped culture, law, and expectations. They influenced usury laws, concepts of justice, protections for private property, and the idea that no one, not even a king, is above the law. Awareness of a loving Creator, accessible to anyone, slowly replaced rulers and institutions in people’s minds as the ultimate source of laws and justice.

As the Bible formed the consciences of the people, these principles became baked in. People followed them not because they could quote Scripture, but because that’s just how things were done.

The Bible’s view of work was especially formative. Work was not a curse or a necessary evil; it was participation in creation itself. When people believe their labor has purpose and that they might improve their lives, creativity and innovation follow. This belief fueled what later became known as the Protestant work ethic, but at its core it was biblical anthropology: human beings as gifted, creative stewards.

Another overlooked principle is stewardship over accumulation. Scripture consistently frames money and assets as something entrusted, not hoarded. Where stewardship replaces desperation, thrift and wisdom follow. Where thrift exists, capital forms. And where capital forms, opportunity multiplies. This is not a theory, but an observable reality.

Consider institutions. Economists Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson argue that nations succeed when their institutions are inclusive rather than extractive. That distinction mirrors biblical wisdom almost perfectly. Extractive systems pull wealth out of communities. Supportive systems allow people to save, invest, and build. The World Bank estimates that corruption alone costs developing economies over $1 trillion annually, acting as a hidden tax that suppresses growth and initiative. Corruption is not merely immoral; it is economically destructive.

Financial institutions matter deeply. When banking systems are designed only for elites, creativity dies at the margins. The spread of credit unions in the West changed this dynamic by giving ordinary people access to low-cost capital. Today, more than 80% of the world’s 1.4 billion adults remain excluded from formal financial systems altogether. Without access to fair financial systems, people cannot turn effort into advancement.

Culture also matters. Anthropologist J.D. Unwin studied thousands of societies and concluded that civilizations flourish when sexual restraint and family stability are upheld across generations, and decline when they are not. One does not need to agree with every conclusion to recognize the pattern: social order is not morally neutral. The breakdown of family structures has measurable economic consequences. Data show that children from stable two-parent households consistently experience higher educational attainment and economic mobility.

There are other principles that are uncomfortable to discuss, but seriousness demands honesty: Societies that devalue life itself, especially at its most vulnerable, undermine their own moral foundation. Scripture is unambiguous on this point. A culture cannot flourish while normalizing the destruction of its future.

But none of this works without leadership integrity. Laws alone cannot transform a society. Culture cannot be commanded into existence. If leaders exempt themselves from the standards they demand of others, cynicism replaces trust. When leaders extract instead of serve, people see it and lose heart. Prosperity does not grow in soil poisoned by hypocrisy, and fatalism kills motivation.

The lesson is not that the world should copy the West. That is not the point. The West itself is struggling precisely because it has forgotten many of the principles that once guided it. The lesson is that biblical prosperity, holistic, relational, moral, and economic, is built slowly through biblically aligned values, supportive institutions, accountable leadership, and a shared vision of human dignity.

There is a path forward. It is demanding and requires humility, patience, and courage. But it exists, and it is far older and far wiser than most modern development strategies are willing to admit.

About the Author

Virgil Hughes is the founder of NewVines International (NVI) and a longtime executive and development practitioner with decades of experience across healthcare, banking, and economic development initiatives in the majority world. His work focuses on strengthening institutions, expanding access to fair financial systems, and promoting individual and leadership accountability rooted in biblical ethics and long-term societal flourishing.

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 profound shift in mindset, as well as in culture.

“It took me a while to realize it,” Hughes reflects. “But what we’re really seeing is culture change and mindset shift. That’s what breaks generational poverty. You can’t provide enough money to fix this. People need to be encouraged to do it themselves.”

This faith-based nonprofit headquartered in Virginia operates on that exact premise. Through biblically grounded teachings, financial training, and deep engagement with local churches, NVI empowers individuals not just to improve their financial conditions but to fundamentally rethink their relationship with work, money, and responsibility.

The tight-knit communal cultures of rural Africa evolved from necessity. In regions threatened by natural predators and economic instability, mutual resilience became essential for survival. That has fostered beautiful traditions of sharing and interdependence. And, along with that, unintended barriers to financial independence.

“In many African communities, there’s an unspoken expectation that people should unconditionally share whatever they have,” Hughes explains. “While interdependence plays an important role in communal living, without boundaries, people can become dependent and mired in poverty, keeping everyone at the lowest level.”

Hughes offers the example of a woman with a professional job. Her family knows exactly when she gets paid. And by the next day, her paycheck is gone, handed out to relatives. She’s left with nothing, and no one is expected to explain how they used her hard-earned money. “That mindset,” he explains, “is a cultural artifact of survival-based living, but it doesn’t work in a modern economy driven by fiat currency. It becomes a system where no one is able to build financial security.”

Another cultural challenge lies in the absence of clear property rights or personal responsibility. Hughes recounts a story of a young man who damaged a leader’s property. Despite the costly repairs, there was no expectation for the man to repay any of the damages. “The cultural issue was not who caused the damage, but who’s most able to actually pay for it. That kind of thinking removes personal accountability and reinforces a cycle where actions have no consequences,” he states.

Rather than impose Western cultural norms, NVI takes a different approach, bringing biblical wisdom into the center of community development. “We’re not exporting American values. It wouldn’t make sense for us to. Instead, we’re sharing biblical principles and then working with people to apply those principles in their cultural context,” Hughes explains.

At the heart of NVI’s approach is a spiritual reframing. For example, Proverbs 31 becomes a practical roadmap for transformation. Hughes recounts how one woman in the Adopt-a-Widow program said, “You’ve taken us from being Proverbs 14 women, foolish and making poor decisions, to being Proverbs 31 women: wise and full of purpose.”

Christian ethics, Hughes argues, are inherently conducive to financial flourishing. Integrity, accountability, wise stewardship, and generosity are all teachings that translate into long-term stability. But, he says, these must be taught and internalized. “Biblical ethics are by their very nature development-oriented,” Hughes says. “Through these teachings, individuals internalize a sense of right and wrong. And this alters the foundational relationship with money, work, and even others.”

NVI’s work is grounded in shifting a ‘victim mindset’ toward a belief in self-empowerment, particularly important in post-colonial societies where people still carry the psychological weight of historic oppression. Hughes explains, “You don’t just ‘get over’ colonization in one generation. But what we’re seeing through our training is that people are beginning to say: I can do something about my future. And that itself is a huge mental leap.”

Its training is highly practical. NVI teaches people to save, budget, and make intentional financial choices. “We had men stand up and say they didn’t realize gambling was wrong,” Hughes shares. “They were wasting money without even thinking about it. Our teachings helped them become aware.”

One of NVI’s budgeting principles is “Give yourself a small reward, but only after you’ve set money aside for your bills and emergencies.” These teachings are changing daily habits and bringing structure to lives where survival has been the only priority.

NVI’s programs currently reach many churches across western Kenya and eastern Uganda. Its most notable initiative, Adopt-a-Widow, allows donors to sponsor women who have lost their husbands, often survivors of abuse or severe poverty. For $50 a month, donors help fund a kitchen garden and NVI training. After a year, participants begin small businesses, supported by ‘Table Banking’ and communal savings groups.

Hughes recently visited one of these groups. He says, “What I found was stunning. Women who once described themselves as ‘in darkness’ were now running small businesses and teaching budgeting to their grandchildren. One woman said she no longer spends a shilling on vegetables; she grows and sells her own.” These groups, Hughes notes, are self-reinforcing. Once people start to experience change, they support each other. “They don’t need us as much anymore. That’s the goal,” he adds.

With centers in Kenya, Uganda, and The Ivory Coast already thriving, NVI is expanding efforts into Togo and Tanzania. “Our goal,” Hughes says, “is to create hubs of transformation where people can come, receive training, and take it back to their own communities. We’re here to equip Africans to uplift Africa.”

Truly, NVI is untangling the deep-rooted cultural narratives that keep people locked in poverty. “This isn’t about imposing a new culture,” Hughes says. “It’s about revealing truths that lead to flourishing and watching people rediscover their dignity, their responsibility, and their given potential.” That’s the mission Virgil Hughes and NewVines International are living out one village, one training, and one mindset at a time.

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 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 a monthly fee, an 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.

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 when the company was launched. It reminded me of the miracle cited in John 6:1-14: Jesus used five small loaves of bread and two small fish to work through his followers to feed more than 5,000 people! Jesus accepted the gift from a small boy, thanked God for it, and used it to feed the entire crowd with leftovers to spare!
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Indeed, Hughes proudly acknowledged his Christian faith for leading his life in this direction. It’s not something one would have expected from a successful executive who ran a multimillion-dollar healthcare organization! Were it not for cancer that struck him in his prime, the sixty-nine-year-old Hughes might now be comfortably retired, spending days hunting duck and deer as he did as a boy in Tappahannock, Virginia.

After graduating from the University of Michigan in 1976, Hughes entered the venture capital business and investment banking, but neither was satisfying. What grabbed his interest was a move into the role of corporate “fixer”, stepping into turnaround situations – mostly faith-based healthcare companies which were in deep financial trouble – and returning them to fiscal viability.

His bout with cancer from 2004–2006 drew him closer to Christianity and helped him reassess his real purpose in life. He became a full-time business consultant to have the flexibility to restore his health while earning income. More importantly, he heard the Lord speak to him and call him to bless the poor. “I had no idea how to do that,” Hughes confessed.

He first tried to partner with other individuals in his then-home of Pittsburgh to feed the poor living under the city’s many bridges. It was tough sledding, especially for such a physically weakened man, and it didn’t work out for various reasons. He tried other things that also didn’t work out, leaving him frustrated.

Eventually, he joined members of his church on a mission trip to Africa in 2012. It was his first exposure to abject poverty, and he began to talk with church and village leaders about something closer to his professional wheelhouse: microlending. Hughes met with several village leaders who were intrigued by the idea. When he returned to Africa the following year, he could see that the leaders had formed several local saving/lending groups that were having a positive impact on the members of the groups.

Christmastime of 2013, Hughes received an email from a villager who thanked him for changing his life. The man was exuberant about the financial impact that the training had on his life. Hughes was humbled: “I hadn’t put anything into it, all I did was come across the ocean with an idea. But it was enough that they (the villagers) took action that changed lives.” From then on, I just said, ‘I’m going to do this.’”

In his waning days in Pittsburgh, he chartered NewVines International as a non-profit. He spent several months applying for his tax exemption determination letter from the IRS and learning how to build a website (www.newvinesintl.org), which went live on August 16, 2016.

Money was scarce – most of his corporate network “dried up” during his cancer years – but Hughes’ vision inspired some close friends and churchgoers, and donations began to come in, funding his first mission trip to Western Kenya in October 2016. There, Hughes met a fellow missionary who took him around to meet some key leaders in Kenya, and he immediately found several local church leaders who were eager to work with NVI.

Hughes went back in Africa in 2017 and was off to the races. The game changer was when another friend gifted him training materials that an organization had developed – using grant money to hire a group of Christian men with degrees in Economics to study best practices amongst non-profits worldwide. “It was so transformational that our ministry was effective right out of the box,” Hughes freely admitted.

When working with local churches, microlending indeed took center stage initially, but he quickly realized that training and accountability would ultimately lead to even more success. “You could go to Africa and give out a trillion dollars, and it would be gone in a year,” he emphasized. “Fortunately, if I had raised significant funds right out of the box, I might have started microlending immediately, and it would have been a disaster.” Hughes pointed out that most of these countries are poor for a reason. “Until you change what’s up here (pointing to his brain), only a fraction of people will use money wisely. It’s the training that changes people’s lives. The money allows them to implement the training at a slightly higher level.”

Scholars like Covenant College (GA) professors Steve Corbett & Brian Fikkert, who wrote When Helping Hurts: How To Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting The Poor – And Yourself have dissected common perceptions on poverty and concluded that individual churches should not get into microlending because they screw it up. Hughes laments that most Americans who go to Africa hand out money like it is water. “It’s a blemish on the entire ministry. And it creates seriously bad expectations around money issues.”

Today, NVI is based in Salem, Virginia, and runs on a highly efficient budget. His payroll consists of one Lead Trainer, Fred Ohdiambo, 3 Country Directors, and 3 Regional Trainers, spread across Western Kenya, Uganda, Ivory Coast, and Togo. Some 250 volunteer trainers in the various church denominations have been trained downline of the organizations’ Senior Trainers. Hughes has never asked his Board to give him more than $5,000 as an annual stipend.

In a short time, Hughes has built a nearly perfect business model. “We’re almost there – it’s kind of like a Christmas tree – it’s in the stand, and now we’re just adding tinsel here and there.” But the perfect business model (in Hughes’ humble opinion!) is quickly evolving – partnering with large existing church and faith-based organizations because NVI adds synergistically to their ministries.

His pitch to churches is simple: “If you do what you do well (sending teams to different African locations to build orphanages, work in medical clinics, provide youth services, and other outreach initiatives), NVI will be your partner to help alleviate the poverty and financial chaos all around you.”

In the last two fiscal years, NVI has gone from having 1,200 people who have been fully trained to about 10,000 people. Hughes’ job has morphed from training one church at a time to training leadership groups within large church organizations and helping them see the value in changing the typical African culture of giving money to the poor without any accountability. “They push the training downline for us. They know where the very poor are located and help us find the best candidates to award small business loans. I don’t need to go ferret them out.”

The commitment Hughes requires from a partner organization is straightforward; he asks them to assemble thirty or so men and women as the first tier of trainers and gives them a 5-page questionnaire to complete ahead of the training. He wants to know the value they place on financial management and the role existing African culture may play. It’s both informational for Hughes and a team-building exercise for the trainers.

If there is a fit, Hughes or another trainer will travel to the organization for the initial training at NVI’s expense and provide the initial training materials. He doesn’t get many dropouts in the trainer groups. “Our first training sessions are life-changing,” claims Hughes. So much so that most partners expand to a second tier of trainers and bear all ongoing costs. They see the value in changing the culture and quickly acknowledge, “This guy [Hughes] is different: he’s making us responsible. He really makes us work at it.”

When I asked Hughes what he might do with $1 million if someone helped him raise that kind of money, he explained how easy it would be to expand his relationship with several organizations. For example, he’s now working with Teen Challenge-Kenya – part of Global Teen Challenge (GTC), a network of Christian rehabilitation services to people struggling with addiction – in Nairobi. He could quickly expand to every capital city in Africa where GTC operates. “I could set up an office to coordinate just that one initiative and hire people in each location immediately.”

He currently collaborates with 48 churches out of the 250 total in three regions of the Presbyterian Church of East Africa. Additionally, he has partnered with 12 out of the 300 churches belonging to the Kingdom Role Models Fellowship. He aided the Africa Gospel Church in expanding beyond Kenya into four countries. Anglican leaders in six countries and four major Baptist organizations in three countries have also sought his assistance.

These are some of the huge improvements NVI has made in the lives of people who have received financial management training:

• 90% of all students can start or expand a business.
• Household incomes increase by 40% within a year.
• 80% of students report starting a savings account.
• Annual savings increase to cover an additional 1-3 months of living expenses.
• In one year, the portion of widows able to afford school fees for ALL their children increases from 25% to 100%.
• The portion of widows able to feed their children every day increases from 50% to 100%.

​Hughes knows how his work filters out into the different communities NVI serves. “Our reach is much broader than the number of loans we make or the number of students we graduate. Because we’re teaching couples to talk about their money, and we’re seeing marriages heal. We’re seeing our trainers do more than train in their churches – they’re starting to teach kids as young as first graders lessons on managing and saving money. We’re changing culture.”

Virgil Hughes mission for NewVines International was first posted at 501c3.buzz
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