Dear Valued Partners and Friends,

Update
After five years of partnership and carefully considering a merger over the last 15 months, New Hope and One 17 leadership have discerned that it is in the best interest of both New Hope School and One 17 International to remain separate organizations and begin a two-year transition process. This will end our formal partnership, allowing New Hope to stay independent and releasing One 17 to shift resources towards opening a new location. This decision was not taken lightly and was agreed upon with heavy hearts, but clear minds by leaders in both organizations.

Reflection & Gratitude
Looking back, we celebrate five years of growth and impact through our partnership:

• Student enrollment at New Hope has grown from 261 to 349 today

• Staff employment has grown from 8 to 20 team members

• 156 students have accepted Christ

• 59 students have been baptized

Beyond the numbers, we have developed a meaningful friendship and a deep sense of community as two organizations seeking to play a role in God’s Kingdom work in Cambodia.

As leaders at One 17, we look back with grateful hearts knowing there have been countless lessons learned that only could have happened in the context of our partnership. We are humbled to have come alongside New Hope in the beautiful, important work they are doing and cherish the impact we have shared, the trials we’ve overcome, and the cross-cultural understanding we’ve gained.

Transition
Even though we are beginning the process of exiting our formal partnership with New Hope this fall, we are committed to sharing resources, support, and encouragement. We will continue to look for ways to collaborate and multiply our impact strategically as two organizations with a shared heart for God, students, and education. We are committed to facilitating a smooth transition with New Hope over the next two years that includes equipping leaders to take over key initiatives we’ve been guiding for the last 1-2 years. We are also committed to a slow, incremental reduction in financial support so that New Hope has time to build new support through other partnerships.

Vision
Looking to the future, we are eager to pursue our core purpose of developing Christ-centered schools for students who lack access to education and the Gospel. Our team has a new sense of clarity around opening a new location for students who otherwise do not have access to a quality, Gospel-infused education. Over the next year, our team will move towards establishing One 17 as a local nonprofit organization in Cambodia, hiring Cambodian staff, and discerning a new location.

If you have questions about our transition, please feel free to email me. I am happy to set up a meeting or dialogue through email.

Gratefully,