July 2014 - Sustainability & Water

For the past several years, HFLM has been pursuing ideas related to our self-sufficiency as an organization. One such idea has been a water distribution project to supply water for our home and farming operations. Last fall, HFLM was connected with Santa Clara University and two seniors, Colin and Scott, chose HFLM as their project for their Senior Engineering Design Course. During this course, they designed a rain catcher water system for HFLM that would meet 100% of our water demand during the rainy season and up to 50% of our needs during the dry season. Over the course of the school year, they spent hours studying Rwanda’s rainfall, HFLM’s water usage and our housing architecture.

Colin and Scott with the boys and staff at HFLM

As Colin and Scott became invested into their project, they decided that they wanted to personally visit the boys and build the water system themselves. After much fundraising to cover all the building and travel costs, Colin and Scott arrived in April and spent the next two weeks living with the boys and bringing their project into fruition. The system catches rainfall from our roof and funnels it into two large tanks where the water is purified and dispersed throughout the house.

One of the best parts of their trip was that they had our older boys work alongside them to construct the water system. 19-year-old Baby and 16-year-old Ja’ Rule quickly became experts in using the power drill and would stay up late into the night with head lamps on to assist and collect tools for Colin and Scott. Since the older boys helped build the entire water system, they understand it and are fully capable of making any future repairs themselves!

Ja' Rule and Baby using the power drill to install the rain catcher pipes.

We are extremely grateful for Colin and Scott. Choosing our project was a blessing in itself, but going the extra 9,000 miles to build the system and raise all the funds was amazing! Our new water system will reduce our overhead costs each month and ensures that we will have water amidst the frequent water outages that are experienced in our community. Not only will this save us up to $700 a year on water bills, but more importantly, it enables the boys to have easy access to clean water. Hooray!

Left: The boys rolling the new water tank to the top of the hill. Right: The low maintenance sand filter that purifies the rain water.

We love our community of supporters and are truly blown away by the creative ways you merge your talents and skills with our needs. We are blessed!

June 2014 - Professionalism Field Trip

With your help over the past five years, our boys have grown into young men before our eyes. As the oldest youth continue succeeding in secondary school, we have increasingly focused on preparing them for their futures beyond formal education. We recently partnered with Karisimbi Business Partners and Asili Natural Oils to take our eldest six youth on a professional field trip. To prepare for the day, the boys spent time learning about professionalism, practicing hand shakes, and learning to introduce themselves with confidence, eye contact, and clear voices. 19-year old Paul was so excited for the field trip that he couldn’t sleep the night before. When the day of their trip finally arrived, these young men took an hour and a half to get ready! They were bursting with anticipation and excitement. 

From left to right: Jon Porter of Karisimbi Business Partners, David, D'Amour, Paul, Baby, Jack & Pacifique

David, D’Amour, Paul, Baby, Jack, and Pacifique visited Asili Natural Oils and spent the day job shadowing and learning about business, professionalism, and future careers offered within the field. They were inspired by a current employee who was a former street child. This man was hired after completing school, and he shared that through hard work and integrity, he was promoted multiple times and is now a supervisor. It was an incredibly eye-opening experience for our youth to see that after they complete secondary school, a future career is indeed attainable. 19-year-old Baby said of the experience, “Seeing their company gave me hope. I saw that you can start at something small but through hard work, you can develop. I can make it in life. I’m so happy for this experience.”

After the visit, the manager of Asili Natural Oils commented on how impressed he was by our boys’ focus and attentiveness. Because of how professionally our boys behaved, we are now coordinating with Asili management possible internships this coming winter.

We are so proud of our young men! Five years ago, their only dream was to survive. Today, they are not only exploring potential careers, but have developed hope, self-confidence, and a strong work ethic. May the hope that is so tangibly displayed in these young men’s futures bring you great encouragement. They could not have gotten to where they are without the HFLM community at large standing beside them. Thank you!

May 2014

Five years ago, Hope For Life Ministry began when we rescued 11 of our young friends from prison with nothing but a vision and a few hundred dollars in our pocket. We didn’t feel qualified or capable, but we knew that God had called us to be a presence in these 11 boys’ lives. We never could have imagined the journey ahead of us, the drastic changes we’d all help make in the lives of so many children, or that five years later we’d still have the privilege of participating in such amazing work.

 

 

18-year-old Pacifique was one of the original eleven who we rescued from prison in 2009. His dedication to his new life has been evidenced by his strong desire to follow the Lord, his kind nature towards others, and his academic success. Before coming to HFLM, Pacifique didn’t speak any English, but now he is able to share his testimony in English. He says, “What can I say? I love Hope For Life. It is like a good family here. The other boys are like my brothers. It is different from the streets. On the streets my favorite food was drugs. I took the drugs to make me free from the sadness… On the streets, I was sad but now there is a difference. I think God has a plan for me. I’m hopeful for a good future. I want to be a good man and I want a job and a family.” Watch him tell his full story here.

 

Celebrating HFLM's 5 year anniversary!

To commemorate our five-year anniversary and celebrate the boy’s perseverance during their first term in their new school, children and staff spent the day swimming, feasting, and reflecting. Each boy was given the opportunity to speak about his journey through HFLM. Six-year-old Benjamin shared about how he knows for the first time in his young life that he is loved, and that he has value. We wish that each of you could have been present to hear the boys share about their growth and transformation. It was a powerful day that none of us will soon forget.

 

 

The countless transformations we’ve witnessed have only occurred because you were willing to generously give your time, heart, and resources. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

 

The past five years by the numbers:

  44 boys have gone through our rehabilitation program.

     1 brand new house built by the Hovde  Foundation.

  19 boys and 1 staff member chose to be baptized.

204 financial supporters partnered with us.

   18 Rwandans have been provided with jobs.

   11 boys have been reintegrated back into their families.

     9 US church congregations sponsored our work.

    1 meeting with the First Lady of Rwanda.

 14 children have been sponsored from their homes, preventing a life on the streets.

 

 

Denver Fundraiser Update:

HFLM raised over $49,000 last month at the Colorado Benefit Dinner and 10 of you committed to sponsoring a child for a year! Thank you for your overwhelming generosity!