Peace House
Improving the Lives of Street Children
Peace House Ministries is a project of Africa Transformation Network – Rwanda’s Family and Community Development Program. The program is dedicated to improving the lives of children living on the streets in Kigali, Rwanda. Peace House Ministries seeks out lost children who have been forced to the streets because of poverty, neglect, and abuse. Through patient compassion and determined love, we do our best to reconcile these lost children back to their Creator, to their families, and to themselves. God is writing a beautiful story in the lives of countless young men and women and their families. Lives are being changed. Many are choosing to become disciples of Jesus. Broken things are being restored. The lost are being found. The hungry have food. Kids have shoes. The Kingdom is coming. We are so excited about the transformation that is taking place all around us! As we partner with God to bring his Kingdom to Earth, we want to ask if you would consider partnering with us. There are so many good things to be done and our project has many opportunities to bring the Kingdom to Earth.
Kingdom Communities
Our vision is to see kingdom communities of obedient disciples who transform and redeem Rwanda. We desire to see God’s Kingdom come through reconciled relationships that have been broken because of injustice and the hopelessness that poverty so often brings. The Kingdom of God takes broken things and makes them new. We have seen in so many ways the in-breaking of the Kingdom through the lives of these children and their families who once were alienated from one another. Because of God’s power, we are seeing reconciliation occur. The Kingdom is coming one child, one family at at time.
The Peace House Program served Rwandan Street Children through the Peace House Center, the Peace House Day Program and the Peace House Girls Program
Peace House Center
We are excited to announce the launch of our new Peace House Center, a gathering place for boys and girls trying to leave the devastating street life. This new center will house the day programs for boys and girls, serve as the home for the Peace House boys, provide office space for our Peace House staff, be a storefront for the products that are produced in our income generating process, and will house a guest house on the upper floor as a way to make our program more sustainable. There will be over 60 young men and women who will come to our center each day whom we will have the opportunity to serve and bless in the name of Jesus. We need help in setting up this center to be a powerful tool to reach out to those who have been abandoned to the streets. You can partner with us by providing the funds to purchase things such as beds, mattresses, food, office supplies and items needed for the guest house.
Peace House Began with Five Boys
The Peace House opened its doors to the first five boys on November 2, 2010. Today, there are 12 boys living at our transition house and God continues to amaze us by the changes we see in the lives of these young men!
Rebuilding Families
The Peace House is a transition house, meaning that the boys who come to stay there cannot remain permanently. The government of Rwanda has a policy of reintegrating vulnerable children back to their families or to another long-term placement. We share the same goal. We have identified family members for all of our boys and are working closely with the boys and their families towards reintegration. The boys in our Peace House program are amazing! They continue to finish at the top of their classes at school, draw rave reviews from teachers and other outside observers, and are becoming leaders.
Disciples Making Disciples
The first seven boys at Peace House made the decision to become disciples of Jesus and are now disciplining other street boys through our day program. The changes that have happened in their lives are staggering. Two years ago, they were fighting for survival on the streets. Today, they are polite, engaging young men with a bright future, both in this world and in the Kingdom of God! We are so proud of our Peace House boys!
Peace House Transition Home Support
The boys living at Peace House are on their way to a different life. Your monthly contribution of $100.00 a month helps us provide food, clothes, a bed to sleep on, and the chance to go back to school. Your donation gives us the opportunity to change how the boys see themselves and how their families see them. More than anything, the boys have the chance to discover who God thinks they are. Thank you for making an investment in their lives that will last forever! Please see an important *Note at the bottom of this page.
Peace House Day Program: Looking For A Place To Belong
Three days a week, 40-50 boys come to our day center to get a meal, participate in art classes and sports training, and gain valuable educational opportunities. They come looking for a break from the hopelessness of the streets. They come looking for a meal, a place to shower, a safe place to rest. They come looking for a place to belong.
You can partner with us in getting boys off the streets, back into school, and even reunited with their families!
Discipline, Integrity, Creativity and Community
Each week the boys can participate in different programs, all designed to teach discipline, integrity, and creativity. At our program, boys have the opportunity to learn self-defense through Taekwondo. They can participate in our art program which is designed to develop the creativity God has placed in each of them. They also have the opportunity to experience what a Kingdom community is like. Each boy is involved in a Discovery Bible Study group led by one of the Peace House boys or one of our staff members. They have the opportunity to worship, to learn about God, and to discover how He feels about them. Each week, our program feeds over 60 kids who may not get a solid meal for several days.
Multiple Days and Education Sponsorships
We have also given almost 40 of our day program boys the opportunity to return to school. We are seeking supporters for our day program to help us keep these kids in school. We also hope to expand our day program to several days throughout the week to increase our contact and influence with the boys.
Day Program Sponsorship
For $45.00 a month, you can sponsor one of the boys in our day program. Your sponsorship will give one boy the opportunity to return to school, have a meal 3 days a week, a chance to discover who God is, and lots of opportunities to receive love and compassion in the name of Jesus. We will also begin working with his family to discover the causes of why he went to the streets. We will work with both the boy and the family to see if reconciliation is possible. Please see an important *Note at the bottom of this page.
Peace House Girls Program: Serving Girls Living in Extreme Vulnerability
We are very excited to see the beginning of our girls’ program! It is something we have been praying about for a long time and now God has allowed us to begin serving girls who are living in extreme vulnerability. This phase of our program is more complicated than working with boys because many of the girls who have been forced to the streets are involved in prostitution.
Our girls’ program seeks to serve girls between the ages of 15-25 who are involved in prostitution or are considered extremely vulnerable (those who might be forced into prostitution). Not all are ready to leave their old way of life. But some are. We are looking for those who desire something different.The girls program will be heavily centered around trades training and education.
We are discovering that most girls have a place to live but have no education or skills training that are needed to leave the streets. As they come to our day center, they receive training in our income-generating projects. They will become a part of a Kingdom community of people who love and accept them. They will discover a different way. We are already witnessing tremendous change in the lives of these young ladies! You can sponsor a young lady as she works hard to change her life.
Focus on Community, Training and Education
The girls program will be heavily centered around trades training and education. We are discovering that most girls have a place to live but have no education or skills training that are needed to leave the streets. We are currently in the process of launching a day program for girls. As they come to our day center, they will receive training in our income-generating projects. They will become a part of a Kingdom community of people who love and accept them. They will receive counseling and care to help them work through the trauma of their young lives. They will eat together and play together. They will discover a different way.
Help a Girl Get a New Life
For $110.00 a month, you can sponsor one of the girls in our day program. (We ask that sponsors commit to one year of sponsorship) Your sponsorship will help support her while she is gaining valuable skills training. She will have opportunities to return to school or to start a small business. In our program, she will have access to counseling to help her deal with the emotional trauma of a very difficult past. She will participate in discovery Bible studies. She will discover who God is and who He created her to be. She will have hope and discover that life can be good. Please see an important *Note at the bottom of this page.
Donations to Peace House
One-Time Donation
Please consider making a one-time donation to Peace House Ministries. Through your generosity, kids can leave the streets, be re-united with their families, and become everything God intended them to be. Donations of all amounts are greatly appreciated!
Peace House Program Needs
One year of primary school fees and supplies for one boy in our day program – $45.00
One year of secondary school fees and supplies for one boy in our day program – $105.00
One pair of shoes for one boy in our day program – $10.00
One year of food for one boy in our day program (3 meals/week) – $250.00 (Or $21.00/month)
One year of food for one girl in our day program (5 meals/week) – $415.00 (Or $35.00/ month)
One year of medical insurance for one boy or girl in our day program – $10.00
Sponsor one of our staff members as they serve boys and girls on the streets and their families - Salaries range from $80.00 a month to $600.00 a month (We have 6 staff members; email Chris Shelby at rwandachris@gmail.com if you are interested in helping our staff)
Christmas bonus for one of our staff members (They do an outstanding job! We have a fantastic staff at Peace House!) – $50.00 (We have 6 staff members)
Throw a Christmas party for our boys day program participants including gifts, food, and fun! (60 participants) - $450.00
Throw a Christmas party for our girls day program participants including gifts, food, and fun! (20 participants) - $200.00
Throw a Christmas party for the boys at Peace House (12 participants) – $120.00
Peace House Center Needs
Listed below are the items we need to set up our new Peace House Center which will serve hundreds of people each month. The Center will accommodate both our boys and girls day programs, house our Peace House staff offices, serve as a storefront for the products produced by our income generating projects, become the new home of our Peace House transition home and the upper floor will be the new Peace House guest house which will help our program become more sustainable.
Peace House Home Needs
One mattress for a boy to stay at Peace House – $35.00
One set of bunk beds for Peace House – $150.00
One set of sheets for a bed at Peace House – $15.00
One pillow for a bed at Peace House – $5.00
One set of clothes and shoes for a new boy coming to live at Peace House – $40.00
Peace House Center and Office Needs
One plastic chair for program participants to use – $10.00 (We need 60 chairs)
One metal locking cabinet for art supplies, educational materials – $200.00 (We need 2 cabinets)
One table for program participants to use – $50.00 (We need 10 tables)
One plate, cup and set of silverware for one boy or girl to use – $7.00 (We need 70 sets)
One month of rent at our new Center – $800.00
Construction of one outdoor classroom needed at the Center – $410.00 (We need 2 classrooms)
One desk for our staff – $100.00 (We need 3 desks)
One office chair for our staff – $50.00 (We need 3 chairs)
One safe – $250.00
One printer and ink – $200.00
One file cabinet – $150.00
One internet modem and router – $55.00
Office supplies – Stapler, printer paper, file folders, etc. – $100.00
Peace House Guest House Needs
One mattress for a single bed for the guest house – $70.00 (We need 3 mattresses)
One single bed for guest house – $145.00 (We need 3 beds)
One set of sheets for a single bed for the guest house – $35.00 (We need 3 sets of sheets)
One pillow for a bed for the guest house – $5.00 (We need 5 pillows)
One mattress for a queen size bed for the guest house – $90.00
One queen size bed for the guest house – $195.00
One set of sheets for a queen size bed for the guest house – $40.00
One hot water kettle – $35.00
One hot water heater for the guest house bathroom – $150.00 (We need 2 hot water heaters)
One set of towels for the guest house – $15.00 (We need 10 sets of towels)
More Information and Program Updates
Visit Peace House Ministries and ATN-Rwanda for News and Updates.