Today, we’re joined by Janine Maxwell, cofounder of Heart for Africa. Janine began her professional career in marketing, starting her own company in Canada at a young age. She quickly found success in the business world and rose to be one of the first female CEOs of a major marketing company in the world, with all the status and lifestyle that came with it. However, God had a radically different purpose for her life.

After a series of life-changing events, God led Janine to abruptly shut down her successful company in order to better hear his voice in her life. And that initial step of faith allowed Janine and her husband Ian to eventually found Heart for Africa, a faith-based humanitarian aid organization.

Unlike a number of organizations we’ve spoken to which try to tackle a specific problem across multiple regions and people groups, Heart for Africa is completely dedicated to systematically and sustainably serving the Eswatini people in Southern Africa. They use the acronym HOPE to define their mission addressing hunger, orphans, poverty, and education through project canaan, a 2500 acre land development project.

Janine has an incredible personal story as well as some fantastic insight on sustainability in faith-based humanitarian aid that you won’t want to miss, so stay tuned.

• “And I explained to God why it would be better if I sold my business, because then I would have more money to give him… but the need was immediate, and He was calling me immediately.”

• Heart for Africa

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebook and LinkedIn.