Rwanda Update

our Rwandan staff, Josiane & Chantal

Here's an update we've sent out to individuals and families interested in the work we're starting amongst the Rwandan stre

et children.

Dear Friends & Family,

Greetings to you, as they would say in Rwanda! You are receiving this email update because you have expressed interest in supporting Hope For Life, the child sponsorship program being started in Rwanda.

First, we would like to apologize that it has been a long time since you have received an up

date. We know many of you have questions and are eager to help with this program. I hope this update will be helpful and informative to you.

Over the course of the past two months, we have been meeting with organizations that engage in child sponsorship work around the world. This has proved a very valuable and informative time for us to gain wisdom and support. During this process, we were able to le

arn about how to set up a legal Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) here in the States. This is a 12-month process that we have decided not to pursue at this time. Instead, we have joined with other already existing NGOs that will serve to mentor and partner with us in our efforts to care for the street children of Rwanda.

 The two official partners that Hope For Life has joined include Muhumurize and Breakthrough Partners. Muhumurize is a registered Rwandan based cooperative that operates a catch-up school for street children trying to go back to school (see the attachments "Agreement for Partnership, Muhumurize, and Muhumurize 2" for more details). While we are not registering to become an official U.S. based NGO, we are pursuing official ministry status in Rwanda. We have turned in the paperwork, and while we are waiting over the next several months to hear back from the government, Muhumurize has committed to mentoring our staff in Rwanda, training them and providing guidance.

Here on the U.S. side of things, Hope For Life has accepted to partner with Breakthrough Partners, a recognized NGO focusing on community development and indigenous leadership development throughout the world (http://www.breakthroughpartners.org/index.htm). Breakthrough Partners is the organization Hilliary and I completed our internship with last summer, and we trust their experience, resources, and immense knowledge of this field. (They have also worked with Chad Mason in the past, and he trusts them as well.)

As of now, we have two Christian women currently working with the street boys. The first is Josiane, a woman Hilliary and I worked with all summer. She is an extremely hard-working woman with a devout love for God. She has experience in church leadership, working with children and vulnerable women, and holds a degree in Accounting. Chantal is the second staff member. She has a degree in Language as well as Tourism, and is the former Children’s Director of the church we worked with this past summer. These women are two of the most committed women I have ever met and are immensely trustworthy. They will be heading up the work in Rwanda, being mentored by Muhumurize, and an American missionary Jean McAllister.

 In the next two weeks, these partnerships will be formalized and the details worked out. After this is accomplished, we will begin collecting resources to purchase a home for the boys in Rwanda. The sponsorship program will be a group-based sponsorship, meaning that instead of connecting an individual child with an American sponsor, all of the money will be pooled to benefit all of the boys in the program. Thus, please be praying about the commitment God might be calling you to make, either prayerfully or financially. Please also know that by partnering with Breakthrough Partners, you will receive a tax break for any financial commitment you make to this program.

As for the boys, there are now 8 of them who continue to be in the prison. Josiane reports that they are continually growing skinnier because of the lack of food in the prison. The authorities have agreed not to transfer the boys because they know that we are trying to form this program as quickly as possible. Amen for this!

 I am extremely grateful for your interest in these children and in partnering with us to change their lives for the glory of God. We will contact you again soon with more details. In the meantime, check out the attachments for more information and feel free to ask if you have additional questions.

 Sincerely,
Megan Swanson (206-877-2405) & Hilliary Anderson (anthill00@hotmail.com)

Prayer requests:
-Praise for the agreement with the prison authorities, and the partnerships that God has established!
-Pray for enough supporters who are willing to commit to these children financially, prayerfully and relationally.
-Wisdom for Hope of Life, Murumuhize, and Breakthrough Partners.
-Josiane is searching for a house to purchase that will be the home for these 14 boys and the center for our program. Pray that God would guide us to the right house in His timing.
-Strength, hope, and food for the 8 children in prison.