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WHAT DOES ‘HOLISTIC CARE’ LOOK LIKE?

Post author By Hope For Life
Post date September 5, 2019
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WHAT DOES ‘HOLISTIC CARE’ LOOK LIKE?

At Hope for Life, we talk regularly about how your support is enabling holistic impact in Rwanda. But what exactly does that mean?

We believe that to be human is to be multi-faceted. Many different aspects of our lives combine to make up the totality of who we are as individuals. As such, to us, holistic care means the physical, spiritual, psychological, emotional, relational, educational, and financial aspects of each unique individual are addressed. It ideally involves working alongside the child and their family. Holistic healing is not a quick fix. On the contrary, it usually takes a great amount of time because it is complex. It is also not easy, full of setbacks and challenges. But we firmly believe the process is worth it in order for children to have flourishing futures.

9-year-old Mabel’s story if a wonderful example of the impact holistic care can have. Mabel is part of Hope for Life’s (HFL’s) Community Sponsorship program. Children in this program live at home with family, and receive services to help ensure extreme poverty does not force them to the streets.

Mabel spent her early childhood experiencing extreme poverty in a single-parent household with her three older sisters. When her mom was able to find temporary work, her and her siblings ate well and her older sisters were able to attend school. But when she couldn’t, they struggled. Sometimes they would go for days without eating. In the rainy season, sickness was rampant as the cold and rain would seep through gaps in their mud hut. If they got sick, all they could do was pray as there was no money for medicine. As the youngest of four children, there was not much hope that there would be enough resources to send Mabel to school.

Thanks to partners like you, however, Mabel’s life today is very different from her early years. When she joined HFL’s Community Sponsorship Program in 2015, she was able to go to school for the first time in her life and enjoy access to regular medical care. Her mom is able to focus on working and providing a better future for her children. In fact, after seeing her dedicated work ethic, HFL helped Mabel’s mom secure permanent employment! Your support also helped provide some much needed home repairs, providing increased security and warmth for the entire family.

By addressing these various aspects of Mabel’s life, her and her family are able to focus on making their future bright instead of worrying about survival. As a result, Mabel is truly thriving. She is in first grade and is often ranked near the top of her class! The first person to speak fluent English in her family, she is a great source of pride for her mom and sisters. She’s even started teaching them some English at home. Her mom glows with pride, talking regularly to friends and neighbors about the fact that as a result of her regular employment and HFL’s support, all four of her children are now able to attend school and create greater opportunities for their futures.

When the trauma of extreme poverty is reduced or even eliminated, the damaging cycle of poverty can be broken and children like Mabel can have flourishing futures. Thanks to your love and generosity, the unique needs of the whole person are able to be served, giving each child a chance at a sustainably abundant life.

“I want to thank you for helping me. Thank you for sending me to school. Before, I couldn’t go to school and our house was so bad and we were very poor. Now, I am eating and I am speaking English and our house is good and I love my teacher so much. I got really sick last year and missed a lot of school and got low marks. I knew I had to work extra hard so I could pass and then I ended up with 100%! I am working so hard and God is helping me and you are helping me.” -Mabel

SAVE THE DATE!

Mark your calendars for Friday, May 15th for Hope for Life’s 2020 Gala in Seattle. More details to follow.

OUTREACH PROGRAM UPDATE

The new Outreach Program has officially started! With your support, 41 boys were served on the first day of operations. They received a warm meal, had an opportunity to bathe and wash their clothes, speak with our psychologist and community resource officer, and participate in a worship service. The Outreach Program will continue to offer drop-in services twice per week for children in need. Thank you for making this new program possible and sharing a message of hope and encouragement with these children!

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NEW BEGINNINGS

New beginnings are often bittersweet. This sentiment is definitely true as we celebrate the milestone transformations of several Hope for Life youth.

In the past year, eight young men have officially transitioned from Hope for Life’s programs, starting their lives as independent adults. Each of them were equipped to go from living on the streets, to finding stability while living at the rehabilitative home, were reintegrated into the community program, and now have graduated into independent living.

We could not be more proud of them and all they have overcome to accomplish such a meaningful rite of passage! Thanks to YOU for equipping these incredible men with the resources they needed to imagine and achieve a flourishing future for themselves. We’ve featured each graduate below to celebrate their hard work and success.

DAVID

Age: 25 | Computer Repairman

First came to HFL: 2009

OBED

Age: 19 | Barber

First came to HFL: 2009

JEAN PETER

Age: 24 | Welder

First came to HFL: 2009

PATRICK

Age: 23 | Welder

First came to HFL: 2010

EMILE

Age: 21 | Mechanic

First came to HFL: 2013

D´AMOUR

Age: 23 | Photographer

First came to HFL: 2009

JOHN

Age: 20 | Welder

First came to HFL: 2009

BERCO

Age: 20 | Welder

First came to HFL: 2009

Amanda and Emile

Emile’s journey to Hope for Life is not unlike the journeys of many of our boys. But his current transition into a self-supporting adult is what we hope for all of the children who come to us. At just 11-years-old, Emile made the difficult decision to move to the streets rather than continue to live in extreme poverty at home. When he arrived at Hope for Life’s rehabilitative home, he was one of the smallest boys we’ve ever seen due to malnourishment. His warmth and ability to make others laugh quickly stood out.

The time Emile spent at the rehabilitative home was not always easy. Living on the streets for many years without attending school made Emile’s return to the classroom extremely challenging. Despite his hard work and outside resources, he struggled to catch up. After three years at the rehabilitative home, Emile was reintegrated with his family and he moved back home. At that time, he started vocational training to learn auto mechanics, a path much more suited for his strengths and interests rather than traditional school. Reintegration brought new challenges for both him and his parents as everyone had to learn how to be a family again. But Emile persevered and after several years of training and starting his own business, he is successfully working as a mechanic and independently supporting himself. We are all so proud of Emile and are grateful to you for making his success possible.

10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

This year, Hope for Life celebrates its 10 year anniversary! Thank you to ALL of our partners who have made the past decade possible.

Because of you, over 100 children have been empowered to leave the streets for good. Over 230 children have enrolled in school, 11 youth who were formerly homeless have graduated high school or vocational training, are now employed, and have reached financial independence. Three children have received life-saving surgeries. In total, over 900 lives have been improved thanks to your love, generosity, and belief that all children deserve the opportunity to have flourishing futures.

Early days in 2010

EXCITING GROWTH HAPPENING IN RWANDA!

BREAKING NEWS! To usher in the next 10 years at Hope for Life, we are excited to announce a season of growth. In the coming weeks, the team in Rwanda will break ground to build a second rehabilitative home and administrative facility. And later this year, we will be launching a new Community Outreach Program.

The second rehabilitative home will be a two-story building which will help facilitate transformations for 32 children at a time, doubling the current capacity of the rehabilitative program. Similar to our current rehabilitative home, 24/7 holistic care will be offered to children transitioning out of homelessness and extreme poverty. Services will include school enrollment, medical care, trauma counseling, Christian discipleship, and family reconciliation.

The administrative facility will provide space for the growing staff in Rwanda to be effective caregivers and professionals. This space will also be available to the community as a resource where they can gather for meetings, trainings, and come to learn. The facility will house a dedicated computer lab, classroom, and library. With the goal of reconciling and reintegrating as many children as possible with their families, the administrative facility will also offer visiting family members a place to stay with two bedrooms, a bathroom, and kitchen. Because many family members of the boys live so far away, visits can be challenging and often cut short. By providing a space to stay, families can take the proper time they need to heal and move forward.

Additionally, a new program is launching this year. The Community Outreach Program will provide emergency day-services to children currently experiencing homelessness, serving 50 children each week. Children and youth who are on the streets will be able to come and eat a warm meal, take a shower, and meet with Hope for Life staff who will provide community resources. Children will come to know they are loved and that there is hope.

This exciting growth is not possible without the support of dedicated partners like you. We invite you to join us in this new season by making a gift at www.hopeforlife.us/nextchapter.

THANK YOU for empowering even more children to flourish!

A 2018 SNAPSHOT

2018 was another exciting year for Hope for Life. Thank you for making it all possible! Below is a glimpse of what you helped accomplish.

A full report can be found at hopeforlife.us/2019report.

REHABILITATION PROGRAM

38

Children served

7

New Children

2

Reintegrated home

COMMUNITY SPONSORSHIP

74

Children sponsored

31

New Children

7

Completed vocational training

CELEBRATING HOPE GALA

On March 23rd, the U.S. team hosted the Celebrating Hope Gala in Seattle, WA. An empty airplane hangar was transformed for an evening of fun, inspiration, and generosity. Chantal Umutesi, HFL’s Executive Director in Rwanda, was the guest of honor at the largest Gala yet with over 250 guests and 42 volunteers. Sixty new partners were introduced to Hope for Life and over $193,000 was raised to holistically support vulnerable children!

Thank you to everyone who attended, volunteered, and supported this event to make it a huge success!

2019 LEARNING TRIP

The 2019 Learning Trip to Rwanda is taking place from November 9th-19th! Applications are now available at hopeforlife.us/get-involved. If you’re interested, we encourage you to read the FAQs and apply. All selected travelers are required to attend pre and post-trip trainings.

Applications are due August 5th!

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Happy Seventh Anniversary!

Post author By Hope For Life
Post date April 6, 2016
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As we celebrate our seventh anniversary this month, I invite you to look forward 20 years. I invite you to imagine the most influential people in Rwanda being those who were a part of Hope For Life. I invite you to imagine a generation of healthy and skilled men and women who are passionate about loving God and their communities. I invite you to imagine teachers who equip the young, doctors who heal the sick, dads who are able to provide for their children, politicians who advocate for the poor, and pastors leading their communities towards Jesus. Then, I invite you to remember that these men and women are doing this because twenty years before, YOU believed in them as children. Your partnership is not only changing lives in Rwanda today, but it is shaping future generations of leaders to come.

jersies