House of Hope Girls Rescue Centre

With help from many people, Patrick Ngigi, of Kenya, has built a safe house for young girls. The girls are being forced into marriage to men old enough to be their father or even their grandfather. They are also in danger of catching any Sexually Transmitted Diseases. They are often being forced into female circumcision, which in itself is a horrific experience.

Once married, girls have no chance to finish their education, they have the responsibility of house building, cooking, having children, and making and selling trinkets to tourists.

Our policy is to ensure that every girl who comes to the safe house gets an education and is eventually reconciled with the family.

Patrick’s comments

“I believe every human being should receive an equal opportunity in life. Girls are greatly discriminated against in our African culture and are not offered a fair chance in life. Female genital mutilation and forced early marriages are evils that should be fought by all people who believe in equal chances for all children. We should strive to give a chance to the girl in a rural Maasai village who has no voice. We can be her voice and we can be her strength. Yes, together, you and I can give hope to her.”

With support from Anne, Keaton, Kenyan Airways, HSBC, Jerusalem Fellowship, Middleport Methodist Church, and OFDC donors, among others donors, we were able to finish the first phase of the safe house which was capable of accommodating 12 girls. A second phase for 12 more girls was built in 2011 through support from Cedarbug United Methodist Church.

We have started growing food in order to try and reduce our dependance on donor funding to feed the girls. We now have over four acres under irrigation where we are growing cabbages, maize, beans, kale and onions. Thanks to all who helped raise funds for the irrigation system.

The New Safe House (House of Hope)-2014/2015

With support from Joe and Jo Ann Parsons, we were able to build a bigger facility for the girls in 2014. This facility can hold up to 60 more girls. Therefore, it has improved the Safe House’s capacity to over 80 girls. The new facility is now in use.

The new Safe House has two dormitories, a lounge, offices and a spacious guest room for our visitors.

The girls also have a bigger kitchen in which they prepare all their meals.

It also has a 40,000 liters underground water tank, and 15,000 liters overhead tanks to provide clean water for the girls.