Dear Friends,

I recently returned from an excellent visit to Tanzania. I hope this update encourages you about how I have seen your generous, ongoing support changing the lives of vulnerable children and families. More than 500 children and young people are being cared for in East Africa daily - and many others are receiving much-needed care and support through our medical clinic.

We currently have 91 children in our City of Hope Children’s Home. I was encouraged to see the joy that so many of these children have as they play together, carry out their chores, study in school, and participate in devotions and times of worship. We are seeing more of these kids go on to study in college programs, and we are excited to see them reach their full potential educationally and spiritually. In the coming months, we will be implementing new “Standards of Excellence” in our residential program as well as a plan to refine our model of care so that it becomes more family-style. Please let me know if you have any questions or would like more information about this!

Our schools continue to pursue excellence in the quality of teaching and learning offered. The curriculum in Tanzania is very demanding, but these kids are determined to succeed! I am encouraged by how our schools continue to rank highly compared to others in the region. And we continue to make improvements: our new school bus will be purchased soon, and we hope to have a new library and computer lab established in our primary school in the coming months.

Our doctor and staff at Amani Medical Center are responding to an ever-increasing workload. Last year, we held 6,891 medical consultations, including responding to 1,123 cases of malaria. A further 5,085 consultations were held with young moms and their babies, with weekly workshops, and 251 babies were born at the center last year. We’re excited to renew our partnership with Duke University this year, and they will help us develop a strategy to grow in this critical area.

In Kenya, we now have 19 young women in our empowerment program. It’s incredible to see these women thriving emotionally and spiritually as they develop practical skills that empower them to earn an income and provide for their families. And our work of rescuing girls from abuse continues. This includes a 13-year-old rescued from child marriage recently. We now have seven girls living in our safe house in Kenya, and it is beautiful to see the changes in them as they begin to heal from their trauma. In addition, we are growing our influence as we work with local government officials, police, judges, and other nonprofits to raise awareness, provide counseling, and pursue justice for these precious girls and young women.

HopeCo is blessed to work with talented, passionate national leaders in Tanzania and Kenya. We believe that decisions about protecting and caring for children are best made by local people who understand the culture and needs. Therefore, we remain focused on nurturing capable local leaders so that they can flourish and lead with excellence. Several of our leaders were commissioned into new roles during my time there recently, including Cynthia (pictured), our new General Manager at City of Hope. It is an honor to serve alongside them!

Finally, we’re excited to have mission teams and guests from churches in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Indiana, and North Carolina visiting us this year! If you are interested in seeing our work for yourself or getting your church connected with HopeCo, please let me know!

Thank you, as always, for your kindness and support - it is changing lives forever!

Gratefully,

Matt Parker, CEO

P.S. Your special gift today will help give lasting hope to these at-risk kids!

Make a special gift