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"MY SON IS HOME!"

Theo never thought he would see his son again. One day, he woke up to discover that his son, Elliot, was gone, having suddenly and strangely disappeared without a word in the night. None of his neighbors had any information. After weeks of searching unsuccessfully for his son, Theo mourned his son as dead.
But Elliot wasn’t dead. He was hundreds of miles away in Rwanda’s capital city in search of food and resources to help his family. Having grown up for years experiencing poverty and food insecurity, 15-year-old Elliot decided to see if he could do anything about it. So he left home in the middle of the night without telling a soul.

On the streets, Elliot not only realized how hard it could be to find help, but he also unfortunately experienced further trauma and exploitation. In October 2019, Elliot began attending Hope for Life’s weekly Outreach Program. There, he learned that he didn’t have to continue struggling on his own. He learned that there were people who cared about him and wanted to help him achieve the life he was seeking. After attending several Outreach sessions, Elliot decided to transition into HFL’s rehabilitation program.

While living at the rehabilitative center, Elliot took classes with HFL’s tutors and teachers to help him catch up on the formal education he had missed. He was motivated and learned quickly, so in January 2020, he began attending public school.

Soon, HFL’s reintegration team was able to trace Elliot’s family and begin the reunification process. When Theo received a call that his son was alive, he didn’t believe it. It was only when Elliot visited his family in person, that his father cried tears of joy that his son was in fact alive! Over the next several months, HFL’s staff worked alongside Theo to identify ways that he could generate more income for his family. Staff also helped Elliot heal from his experience on the streets and prepare emotionally for eventually moving back home with his family.

This fall, Elliot officially reunified with his family and moved home! His father shared, “I now have a reason to eat, drink, and work again – my son is home!” Elliot promised his father to stay home, and his father promised to support and guide him going forward. Elliot and his family will continue to receive follow-up care from HFL’s reintegration team to ensure a lasting and successful reunification. Thank you for your support to bring families like Elliot’s back together.

A WEEK OF HOPE

Thank you to our community of partners for making A Week of Hope a success!
Over $96,000 was raised to empower youth and families to leave homelessness for good. Missed the daily videos released during A Week of Hope? Head to our page to check them out!

CONSTRUCTION UPDATE

Construction on our facility expansion in Rwanda continues on progress and is on track to finish in early 2021!

We are so excited to have a second rehabilitative center and administrative building, allowing Hope for Life to serve even more youth on their healing journey from homelessness to reuniting with families.

Construction has also provided several HFL beneficiaries the opportunity to work and gain valuable job skills.

Six of the young adults who are working towards becoming financially independent were hired by the construction company, allowing them to not only learn a new trade, but to earn money and practice financial independence.

We are so proud to see them grow and be a part of creating something that will help other youth thrive!

Thank you to all who have contributed to our construction efforts!

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