About
A Charitable Humanitarian Agency
International Neighbors is a charitable humanitarian agency registered as a US501(c)3. It is incorporated as a non-profit organization in the state of Illinois. As of 2023, we also are registered to do business as a non-profit organization in Liberia. We are committed to working through local organizations and will coordinate with government agencies to assist families and communities who wish to use their knowledge and skill to develop a new generation of effective rural leaders.
Our Plan
Our plan is to engage rural populations in three countries of West Africa: Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea. We will work through local NGO’s that are highly trusted by the communities they are working with. International Neighbors will work to improve social justice, health care, education and livelihood projects especially for women and girls. We will supply resources to locally developed projects and provide expert consultants to guide and train local project staff to be as effective as possible. All projects will be developed at the village level with input from the members of the community that the project is meant to benefit. Built into each project will be times and methods for the participants to review to what extent they are reaching project goals and whether the specific objectives are still relevant to their needs.
The Program’s Beginning
As Herbert Hopkins studied Liberian history, he wondered whether any of his ancestors had returned to Liberia. Over a 40-year career in social work and international public health, Herbert met Liberians and colleagues who had worked in West Africa.
In the spring of 2022, Herbert challenged a group of friends and former colleagues to bring their talents out of retirement. They came together to start International Neighbors. In December of 2022, Herbert and Nancy Hopkins traveled to Monrovia where they were able to meet with directors of Liberian community organizations and learn about their needs and opportunities.
The program is beginning in Liberia. When funding allows, we will open our West Africa Regional Office there. Eventually, projects in other countries will be initiated out of this office until those programs are large enough to need their own country offices.
