Back to School and Mid Year Report

Back to School and Mid-Year Report, 2024

Dear Sponsors, Supporters and Friends                                                                 September 14,2024

We are praying this letter finds you well.  We have been very busy these past two months reviewing budgets, wiring funds, and getting children back into school.  We are writing with a long overdue update.  Mostly though we are writing just to say thank you!!! (MURAKOZE!, in the local language of Rwanda and Burundi).  We cannot thank you enough for the blessings you have given these children and young adults.  We also thank you for your prayers and ongoing support.

We are happy to report that all of our kids in Burundi, Kenya and Rwanda are back in school.  Final arrangements for our Uganda children are nearly complete.   Here is the latest:

Project Burundi:  Through your support in Burundi, we continue to fully fund the primary school in Ngozi, which serves nearly 350 children.  Our school director has worked with the Burundi government to provide a second meal each day for the children in the primary school.  The school has planted a large garden and is now raising some of their own food.   Five of our Burundi students are in college and four are in trade school.  About half of our Burundi kids are now in secondary school (high school). 

Special needs:  To ensure full funding for those children in college and to improve services to children in secondary school, we have raised future sponsorships in Burundi to $50.  Those who originally sponsored at $35 will not have their sponsorship raised, but some sponsors have voluntarily raised their support.  We are hoping to increase our number of sponsors from 75 to 100 to create sustainability and improve overall services in Burundi.  Pray we are successful.   

Project Rwanda:   Last year, three of our young adults in Rwanda completed college, with one going on to law school.  We are now funding university education for 10 of our Rwanda students.  91 sponsors are funding school fees, medical insurance, food and supplies for a total of 85 children.  Children in college and secondary school require additional sponsorships to be fully funded 

Special needs:  While we fully support 85 children, our program remains under funded with expenses for the year expected to outpace Rwanda income.  Last year both Rwanda and Burundi sponsorship fell $7000 and $8000 short respectively of full funding.  Fortunately, year-end giving to the general fund covered this shortfall.   This year we are hoping to find adequate sponsorships to fully cover our school budget in Rwanda.  To date we have never dropped a child due to loss of sponsorship or inadequate sponsorship coverage.  Those funds come from our general fund donations.     

Baho community, our Rwanda partner, hopes to complete a school in Rwanda, similar to what we have in Burundi.  Funds from Windsor Christian in California helped to secure the permits and lay the foundation for the school.  Funds from Baho partners in Oklahoma have helped to keep the project moving with the first story about half completed.  While keeping our kids in school through sponsorship and general fund giving remains our first priority, we do accept and transfer funds for the school building as they come in.  

Project’s Kenya and Uganda:   We continue to support three children in each of these countries.  In Kenya we have two children in secondary school and one girl who just entered teaching college.  In Uganda we have two kids in college, one who is in nursing school and one in agribusiness.  The third child is in culinary school.  The child in culinary school needs a new sponsor.  As already mentioned, God has been faithful.  Even when we have lost sponsors, due to life changing circumstances, we have managed to keep kids in school until we find a replacement.

Africa Visit:  A team from Common Ground Church in Sacramento recently visited Baho Community in Rwanda.  They came back inspired and very enthused about the work we support there.  Eight new sponsors are coming on board at this time.  We are hoping to have other teams visit our African projects in the future.    

Budget:  The good news is that as of June 30th this year we are about $4,000 ahead of where we were last year, even with more kids in school.  Income for the first 6 months of 2024 was $45,506, up from $44,457 from 2023.  Expenses were down for the first 6 months of 2024 to $42,532, compared to $45,670 in 2023.   Income was up due to more sponsorships and giving. Expenses were down due to a delay for one Kenyan college student and three of our Rwanda students graduating from college.  Our second half income always tends to go up, due to Christmas gifts and year end giving.  Expenses also increase significantly in the second half as we have two rounds of school expenses before the end of the fiscal year.  

Last year we had $20,147 in General fund giving and ended the year just over $200 in the black.  It will take close to that amount again this year to break even.  General funds so far in 2024 are at $4750.  Last year at this time we were just under $2000 in General Fund giving so we have made some progress this year.     

Prayer Requests:  Pray for the safety of our kids and success in their studies.  Pray for an increase in general fund giving so we are not short at the end of the year.  Please pray about joining our board and our efforts to help the poorest of the poor.  We continue to function on an all-volunteer basis on this side of the planet. We are reaching a point when extra support will be needed and deeply appreciated.  Pray for our upcoming outreach to several new churches. Early response has been good so far. We are excited and optimistic that God has His hand on these children and their families.

Thanks again for your loving support of our children.  May God richly each of you. 

Gratefully,

Your Board of Directors

Neil Church, Arden Lites, Jerry Lites, Theresa O’Connor, and Patrick Parks

2023 End of Year Report and Easter Greetings.

Dear Sponsors, Supporters and Friends    Happy Easter!   March 11, 2024.

We are praying this letter finds you well.  Our kids have been back in school since the middle of January. We are optimistic about their future as we approach Easter break.  God has demonstrated His faithfulness repeatedly to our organization and the children we serve.  As we prepare for the Easter Season, we are providing our year-end report.   

FY 2023 in review: To be very honest, we were fearful that we would end last year with a significant deficit.  During the year some sponsors dropped for economic reasons.  Several of our children in college and secondary school were not fully funded.  General fund giving was down significantly from the prior year.   We cut where we could and kept the faith.  We kept all our kids in school, in spite of challenges and projected deficits.    We put out an appeal to you, asked that you pray, and we prayed that God would provide.   

God was faithful and those prayers were fully answered. In December we took in $14,609 in general fund giving, the most of any month in recent years.  Some of our sponsors asked to take on children that were dropped.  Thanks to you we finished the year with income exceeding expenses by $285.  A miracle!!!!!!.  

Your funds have provided education, medical insurance, special medical needs, helped with food insecurity, and provided extra care when needed. You have kept the primary school open in Ngozi Burundi providing a quality education a hot meal every day, and access to Bible teaching.   Thanks to you we have kids completing college and trade school preparing for a better future for themselves and their families.  Your gifts have provided livestock, food, clothing, home repair, and even some business opportunities.   

Country        Sponsorships                Children Served       Income          Expense          

Burundi         77                                   Approx 360*            $32,095           $40,575

Rwanda         91**                                 83                              $60,360           $66,420

Kenya            3                                      4                                   $2,437             $1,885

Uganda         2                                      4                                   $1387              $2,460

Total income by country was $96,279 and total expenses were $111,340 leaving a total shortfall of -$15,061.  This entire project shortfall was covered by General Fund donations, most of which came in at Christmas.  What a blessing.   

*Child sponsorships in Burundi help to fund the primary school in Ngozi which serves approximately 320 students.  The remaining 40 children are in secondary school with eight kids in college in Burundi and nine now in trade school.

**. In Rwanda it takes up to two sponsors to support one child in secondary school and up to three sponsorships to support one child in college.

US Administrative Expenses:  Total expense on US operations was $5140.  This included insurance and banking fees $1870, credit card postage and money wire fees $1370, all technical support and bookkeeping fees $1900.  

African Administrative Expenses:  Administrative costs on the African side were reduced this year from 15% to 10% as a cost cutting measure.  African administrative costs include transport, office supplies, rent, fuel and wage stipends for those who deliver services. Project Burundi expenses also cover all the costs to run the school in Ngozi.      

General Fund:  General fund giving was $20,147.  These funds covered project shortages and all administrative costs on the US side.  100% of sponsorship funds went directly to Africa to support kids in school and the primary school in Burundi.

Year End   Total expense $116,662   Total income $116,947   Net income $285 

Significant Accomplishments:  Though we had some sponsors drop and many of our secondary and college students are underfunded, we kept all our kids in school.  We reduced administrative costs on the African side and kept them at a minimum on the US side.  Other than book keeping, all of our work on the US side is accomplished by volunteers.  We have 11 young adults in college in Rwanda, one has just graduated, one more has completed all requirements.  Five will graduate this year with one moving on to law school .  We have eight in college in Burundi and nine in trade (technical studies. We have two in college in Uganda, with one just graduating from trade school in Uganda.  We have one girl preparing to go to college in Kenya.  Most of these kids had little hope in completing high school, let alone college. 

In Uganda, our partner organization Siyabonga, has been absorbed by a larger organization called Youth Consult.  We have entered into a MOU with Youth Consult to ensure the three remaining kids we support there are able to complete their education.

Prayer Requests:  Pray for the children in each of our project countries, as inflation has taken a significant toll.  This especially true in Burundi, which remains one of the poorest nations on earth.  Pray for our board for strength, good health, faith, and wisdom.  Pray for 20 new sponsors in Burundi, which would fully fund the primary school and improve ongoing support for the kids who have moved on to secondary school and college.  Pray for 2 replacement sponsors in Uganda to get one child through nursing school and another through high school.  Pray for clarity as we evaluate a request from Rwanda to provide support for completing a school there and for Kenya as they ask us to help a few more families.  Pray about possibly joining our board and helping with our efforts to help the poorest of the poor. 

On behalf of the children we serve we wish you all a very HAPPY EASTER!!  He is Risen Indeed. 

Sincerely, your very grateful Board of Directors. 

Neil Church, Arden Lites, Jerry Lites, Theresa O’Connor and Patrick Parks

2022 ANNUAL REPORT and Easter Giving Update

Dear Sponsors, Supporters and Friends                              April 11, 2023

We pray this letter finds you well.  As we complete our celebration of Easter and Holy Week, we are providing our year-end report for the 2022 Fiscal Year.     

FY 2022 in review:  Last year was a good year overall for HMA.  Though we did not finish the year in the black, we came very close.  We also paid our January school fees for Rwanda in December, as we did last year.  Through your generous support HMA continues to bless hundreds of children in Africa.  This year we also helped to support early relief efforts for refugees from the war in Ukraine.  Here is a summary of each project area: 

Project Burundi: Expense $34221    Sponsorship income $32541  

Children sponsored 81.  Children served in Ngozi primary school, 318.  Children served outside of primary school, 40.   Sponsorship fees continue to subsidize the primary school operation in Ngozi.  Children in secondary school and college continue to receive essential care and school fees.  3 sponsored children are in college and 2 are in trade school. Total children served 363.

Project Rwanda: Expense $66416   Sponsorship income $56637 

74 children are covered by 82 sponsors.  Over 20 of these children were added near the end of the year.  Extra sponsors are required for some children, due to higher fees for secondary school, as well as meals and lodging required for college.   11 of our former Asante Choir children are attending college and 2 are in technical school.  2 of the college students have completed their studies and will be formally graduating in December.  Though college has been an expensive undertaking, it is a blessing to see so many in school.  

Project Kenya:  Total expense $2396   Income $2032    

Children sponsored 3.  Children served 4.   1 child is in boarding school and 1 in high school. All are orphans and being well cared for. 

Project Uganda:  Total expense $4117   Income $1315  

Children served 4.  Children sponsored 3.  2 sponsors dropped, but one returned.  The other child who was dropped was covered by a board member through donations to the general fund.  1 child is in trade school and 1 is in nursing school. 

Project Ukraine:   Funds sent to Mission Eurasia  $10,030    Funds raised $10,030

All funds raised were donated to mission Eurasia for refugee support inside and outside Ukraine.  Mission Eurasia’s headquarters near Kiev were destroyed by Russian shelling, but they continue to operate inside and remotely bringing aid and the Gospel to refugees.  Upon hearing of our efforts through HMA, several friends also donated to Bodega Bay Church as well.  We raised over $20,000 in additional funding for Mission Eurasia, sparked by the appeal through HMA.

General Fund:   Funds raised $16,438 

All general fund donations were used to cover project shortfalls and operating expenses   Even when children lost sponsors, we continued support and worked to find another sponsor. 

Year End   Total expense $119,517   Total income $118,687       Budget  Shortfall $830

Expenses on the US side included credit card fees, attorney fee, insurance and other administrative costs totaling $2389.   All other funds were spent directly on project support.  The $830 shortfall was covered by cash reserves.  Administrative costs on the African side are limited to no more than 15% of program budget.  African administrative costs include, transport, office supplies and rental, fuel, and wage stipends for those who deliver services. 

Easter Giving

Easter giving this year brought in an additional $3355 to support families in this season. An additional $450 for our general fund was also received. As mentioned above we are currently dependent on general fund giving to help with tuition fees that are not sufficiently covered by sponsorship fees. If you wish to make a gift to the general fund you may do so at any time. All donations have impact and are deeply appreciated.

Board of Directors, Neil Church, Arden Lites, Jerry Lites, Theresa O’Connor and Pat Parks

Seasons Greetings and Third Quarter Update

Dear Sponsors and Friends 

We pray this letter finds you healthy and well. We are wishing you and your families the absolute best as we prepare for the busy Thanksgiving and Christmas season. Through the grace of God and your unwavering support, we continue to assist those who are struggling in Africa and beyond. God is so good. Here is an update on our work. 

Covid update and impact:  Covid has had an impact on each of our African countries. In some countries, such as Burundi, reliable information about infection rates and deaths has been difficult to obtain. Several of our children and their families in Rwanda were infected and some were hospitalized. There were temporary school closures, along with business and travel restrictions in all program areas. Despite these challenges, we are happy to report that our kids are all back in school and doing well.   

Financial Report for the third quarter of 2021: We are entering the last quarter of this fiscal year with our total income and expenses nearly balanced. Funds raised through sponsorships have not been adequate to cover program expenses for the respective countries. However, we are close to covering expenses thanks to year-end giving and generous donations to the general fund. Without the general fund donations, we would be facing service cuts to children and families. This is especially true in Burundi, where changes in government bank exchange rates have raised our program costs by approximately $1000 per month over and above our sponsorship revenue.  Our total income for the first three quarters was $57,283. Our revenue from general donations was $13,129 and the rest came from sponsorship.  Total expenses for the period were $57,590.  

Country reports and needs:

Project Burundi: 63 children sponsored. Over 200 children are served through the Hope of Africa School.  Two young adults are in college, and one is in technical school.  Income from sponsorship through September was $18,689 with a program expense of $28,880. The entire $10,000 deficit was covered by general fund donations.  

Burundi needs:   Burundi is our most costly program overall, but it is also one of the most cost effective. We are funding an entire school, providing a hot meal a day for nearly 200 students and providing extra care for our sponsored children.   

How you can help:  Please pray for Burundi. New national banking regulations have been costly. Burundi remains one of the poorest nations on earth. One positive note is that the new government has pledged to address widespread government corruption and poverty.

We have set a goal of increasing sponsorship in Burundi by at least 15 children by the end of this fiscal year and hopefully by another 15 in early 2022. Please consider referring a friend or family member to help with sponsorship.  Your support is transforming lives.   

Project Rwanda: 36 children are sponsored. We have eight sponsored children in college, 11 in secondary school and 17 in primary school.  Total income from sponsorship through September was $21,851 with a program cost of $23,972. 

Due to the ages of our children and the cost of living, Rwanda continues to be our most expensive program per child. Rwanda also provides the highest level of care. It takes three sponsors to cover those in college and two to cover a child in secondary school. Several of our children in Rwanda in college or secondary school have only one sponsor.  Thankfully God has continued to provide the extra coverage through general fund donations.     

Special needs in Rwanda:  Some of our young adults in college and in secondary school need an additional sponsor. Other disadvantaged children are registered with Baho Community hoping for a chance to change their lives and obtain an education. 

How you can help:  Pray for the children of Rwanda and our young adults in college.  William Ngabo, from Baho Community in Rwanda will be in the states for the month of November trying to find sponsors for young children with special needs and additional sponsors for those older kids in our program. Please consider referring a friend or family member to help out.  

Project Kenya:  Children served three with two children sponsored. Program cost to date was $520 (an additional cost of $850 in October) with an income of $1232. With greatly improved accountability, we are open to taking on additional families in Kenya, should the Lord provide. 

Project Uganda:  Children served is four with three fully sponsored. We are looking for one more sponsor in Uganda to cover a child whose sponsor dropped recently. Uganda income was $924 (an $600 additional pending) with a program expense of $1500 (as of October 4).         

 Project Peru:   This project has been completed and was a miracle for many. We raised over $20,000 in late 2020 and early 2021. As of the end of September we have assisted in providing medical treatment for over 9,500 covid patients in the Amazon region of Peru. The accounting was excellent. Funds covered medicine, nurse salaries, and transportation for the medical team.  

Christmas and year-end giving. We will soon be sending out a separate letter inviting sponsors to give Christmas gifts to their children. The final date for Christmas gifts will be December 7th. Should you be willing to make a year-end contribution to Hope Milele Africa, that would be extremely helpful.  As you can see, without general fund and year-end giving we would be forced to cut services.  We are all volunteers on the US side of operation. Apart from the school in Burundi, all administrative costs in Africa are limited to 15% of total budget.  You will not find a more cost-effective nonprofit for your investment.  Thanks for blessing our children.  

We are wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving and blessed Christmas with thankful hearts.   

Board Members:  Neil Church, Arden Lites, Jerry Lites, Theresa O’Connor, Patrick Parks and Shayla Teixeira.

A Challenging But Rewarding Season

It has been far too long since we have last shared the news about what is going on with Hope Milele Africa. We have made posts on our Facebook page and sent out email updates to donors, but have neglected our website. The good news is we have been very busy and that is part of the reason we have not kept up. Here is the latest.

Project Burundi: The school we support in Burundi is open for the fall semester. The children in our primary school have new uniforms and are back in class. Fortunately, the corona virus has not taken a severe toll in Burundi at this point.

Our children continue to grow. Of the children we support in Burundi 2 are ready for college and 1 is in trade school. These 3 young adults were part of the children’s choir that toured in the US in 2012. Eight children are in secondary boarding school and six are in external boarding school (secondary school is high school). Seventeen of our younger children are in other primary schools and twenty-seven are in the primary school that we provide primary support for.

Funds from all of the sponsored children help to keep the primary school in Ngozi open. We continue to provide school fees, supplies, supplemental care for all children who are sponsored and a hot meal a day for all children attending our primary school. When things settle down with the corona virus we hope to find additional sponsors for these children in need.

Burundi remains one of the poorest nations on earth. The niece of the former president of Burundi is a devout Christian and helps to run the school through Hope of Africa Mission NGO. A local Pastor also works in support of our school there. The First Lady of the newly elected President just visited the children and provided gifts and support to them.

Project Kenya: We continue to support only one family in Kenya. We provided funds for a chicken marketing business for restaurants to help the family become self sustaining. Shortly after that Covid 19 hit and all restaurants were closed. Those funds were used for other needs. One of the oldest children is in Nairobi looking for work and his siblings will be starting school when the lock down eases.

Project Rwanda: Our children in Rwanda are doing well. Eight of the children who toured with the original children’s choir in 2010 are now young adults attending college. These children stayed in many of their sponsors homes when on the US tour. Though the organization that toured them closed in 2015, their sponsors have continued to faithfully support them.

Our project in Rwanda originally started with about a dozen of these children who lost their host organization. Along with those in college we now support ten children in secondary school (with some in boarding school) and sixteen in primary school.

In other developments, we have recently facilitated the development of two wells to provide clean water in communities where our children are located. Rwanda is handling the corona virus well and is gradually opening up their country under regulations similar to ours here in the states.

Our original work in Rwanda was through Baho Outreach Church, but is now through a separate non-profit called Baho Community. Baho Community just went through the rigorous vetting process of the Rwandan government and is now fully certified by the national government.

Project Uganda: We continue to have a small project in Uganda. We have no expansion plans there, but hope to see the children we have sponsored through their formal education . We will be referring future Uganda sponsors to Bridges of Hope Ministries, BOHAM. We work closely with their organization and have great respect for their founders.

Project Peru: We recently undertook a major relief project in Peru due to the impact of Covid 19 there. Peru has one of the highest death rates per capita of any developing country. Through the generosity of our donors we raised nearly $19,000, all of which went to providing aid to indigenous people living in poor villages near Pucallpa and in remote villages in the Amazon river basin. Through our contact with a non-profit there we have delivered direct care to well over 4,000 indigenous people with confirmed or suspected Covid 19 illness. There is little doubt these efforts have saved lives.

Our Position on Racial Equality: At Hope Milele Africa we stand for racial equality and opportunity for all. We recognize that recent incidents here in the US have brought this issue to the forefront of our nations consciousness. We also recognize that the same incidents have created distrust of the police for many. This concern is understandable, but we would encourage people not to judge anyone by the color of their skin or by the color of their uniform.

It is important to note that four of our founding board members are retired police managers from four different law enforcement agencies here in Sonoma County. These individuals and their wives put up thousands of dollars of their own funds to start Hope Milele Africa. They dedicated their careers in support of racial equality. They have dedicated significant time in recent years to help children in Africa and more recently to support indigenous people in Peru. Many of our donors are retired or active police officers. All have been dedicated to helping the poor and people of color before HMA was incorporated and have continued that dedication to the present day.

At Hope Milele Africa we hope to always practice what Jesus refers to the “second” of the greatest commandments. That commandment challenges each of us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. In that regard we stand for justice and equality for all. Collectively we stand against police brutality, community violence and bias in any form. We stand with all people regardless of ethnicity. We also stand united with the vast majority of ethical men and women in uniform who put their lives on the line daily to preserve the peace.

May God bring healing to us all.

November 17, 2019 Good News and Giving thanks-An Update.

We come into this season with so much to be thankful for.  We are truly making a difference one life at a time.

We are thankful for your support:   On August 20, 2019, we put out an appeal, due to a projected budget deficit for this fiscal year.  Our prayer was that a simple appeal may be just as effective as our annual fundraiser.  Many of you rose to the occasion and we took in several thousand dollars in donations that helped to reduce spending from our reserves.  Some, who had slipped behind on sponsorship brought their accounts current.  Our board members pitched in to help financially as well.  Kids will be blessed due to the efforts of all.  We are not out of the woods yet financially, but the picture has improved with your support.  Thanks to all who have helped.

We are thankful for Gods protection:   October brought significant disruption to our lives here in Sonoma County.  The massive Kincade wildfire caused major power outages, significant smoke issues and resulted in the evacuations of some of our board members.  Bodega Bay Church, one of our support churches, was closed due to evacuation.  Petaluma Valley Baptist, another support church was host to many evacuation refugees.  The Kincade fire is now listed as the largest wildfire in Sonoma County history, scorching 77,758 acres of land  Thanks to the prayers of many and the tireless efforts of public safety personnel, housing loss was kept low and there was no loss of human life.  Thanks for your emails, your calls and prayer support.  Those prayers were answered. 

We are thankful for renewed growth:  In spite of a very turbulent October, we are back on track and with renewed energy.  Recent outreaches have brought in new general support and some new sponsors.  We are so thankful for those who have opened their doors to our work.  This renewed support should brighten our financial picture a bit as we close out 2019.   God is faithful.

Getting Ready for Christmas:  Letters from sponsored children will be going out this week.  If you are interested in sending a Christmas gift to your sponsored child we will include suggested gift items in the letter and the cost of each.  Cash donations, used to buy Christmas gifts for your child, can be made online on the website. Go to “Get Involved” scroll down to donate and follow instructions. Simply list the name of your child in the memo line and we will make sure the gift goes to your child. The final day for Christmas giving will be December 15th, 2019.  If you are considering a year end gift as the fiscal year closes, we would ask you to prayerfully consider making a tax deductible gift to Hope Milele Africa. God bless you all.

As mentioned in our last update, here is how your funds were spent in 2018.

In 2018 HMA took in $64,491 total income.  Our expenses for 2018 were $66,012 leaving us with a -$1,520 deficit for the fiscal year.  Fortunately, we had a balance carryover from a year end donation in a prior year to cover this deficit.  We are praying that recent efforts will keep us from going into reserves this year. 

Project Burundi Expense=$30,882.  (Burundi sponsorship income $26,814). These funds provided a hot meal a day for over 250 children, salaries for all school staff, teaching and cooking supplies for the Hope of Africa School and monthly package care for our 63 sponsored children.  Your funds also provided gifts of livestock, seeds, clothing and home repairs for some of our sponsored children.  Burundi remains one of the poorest countries in the world and the inflation rate worsens on an almost daily basis.  In early 2019 we conducted an independent audit in Burundi to identify potential accounting issues and improve overall accounting.  As expected, we found areas that need improvement and we are working with Hope of Africa to improve overall accounting.  Hope of Africa staff have been responsive and are eager to be accountable.

Project Kenya Expense=$3,845.  (Kenya sponsorship income $2,753). This project is supported primarily by two of our board members who knew the father of this family who died from typhoid.  Tragedy struck the family again with 16 yr old Elisha passing away from leukemia.  The additional funds primarily came from board members and went to hospital bills related to Elisha’s illness.  We also helped with living expenses and food as the mother has not been able to work due to illness.  Four children live in the home and are currently in school.  Without HMA support the children would not be able to attend school.   

Rwanda Project Expense= $24,057. (Rwanda sponsorship income $19,704). There are currently 26 sponsored children in our Rwanda program.  The high expense rate here is because nearly half of these children are former Asante children and are in boarding school.  Three of our Rwanda children were orphaned when their father took the life of their mother.  Three former Asante Choir students recently began university studies and are fully supported by HMA for housing and tuition. Others hope to attend college. Your gifts also helped with livestock purchases, food, clothing and housing repairs this year.  Since this is our second largest project, we hope to conduct an audit in Rwanda this year as well.     

Uganda Project Expense= $2,480.00. (Uganda sponsorship income $2,269.65). There are currently 4 children in our Uganda program, but for part of the year there were five (a sponsor dropped). These children are in boarding school and receive all school supplies.

General fund and miscellaneous donations.  $12,910.63.  These general fund donations were used to make up the expense deficit shown in each country and to cover operating costs.

Total project expenses $61,264.00 in direct aid to Africa.

The remainder of our expenses were for bank fees and printing fees $1,200, insurance costs  $1,258, bookkeeping $1,275, and computer services of $780.  The remaining expenses were for legal fees, printing, etc.  Currently our only employee related cost is for bookkeeping services.

As you can see, we are extremely careful with your money and your sponsorship funds go directly to support children.  You can support HMA with confidence that your funds are being used as intended.

Important change in telephone number.  You can contact us with questions, make changes, or donate by calling our new telephone number 707-861-9154         

Thanks for your help and God bless.  Your Board of Directors, Neil Church, Jerry Lites, Arden Lites, Theresa O’Connor, Patrick Parks, and Stephen Rustad.      

Annual Benefit Dinner Set

We are pleased to announce that our annual benefit dinner has been set.  We will be getting together for a special dinner on Friday, July 27, 2018 at 6:30 pm.  The event will once again be held at the Petaluma Valley Baptist Church located at 580 Sonoma Mountain Parkway in Petaluma, CA.  The amazing pasta dinner will be provided by Art Ibleto, the Pasta King.  Dinner is free.  For more information contact HMA at 707-874-1126.

For those who live out of the area, please know that we appreciate all you do for HMA.  The past year has been so filled with change, challenges and blessings that we have not taken the time to keep our web page fully up to date.  Though we have not posted much news, there has been much going on that we would like to share with you. 

This past year your funds have kept the school in Burundi open along with feeding 230 children a hot meal every day.  Thirty of our Burundi kids have moved on to secondary school, but those kids still receive monthly "package care" and tuition.  Burundi remains one of the poorest nations on earth and this past year has seen civil and political unrest as well as ever increasing food prices.  We have only 60 sponsored children in Burundi yet we are keeping the primary school open through fundraising and year end giving.  Were it not for God's provision we would be lost. 

As for our other countries we continue to do our best.  In Rwanda we have 21 sponsored children. A little more than half of the Rwanda kids are in boarding school.  Most of the kids in boarding school are former members of the Rwanda choir.  Many of them are young adults now getting ready to take their national exams.  We currently have 4 sponsored children in Uganda and 3 in Kenya. 

Your donations through HMA have gone beyond providing education.  Gifts at Christmas and Easter provided food, livestock, clothing, and other special gifts to families in need.  This year we provided additional care to children with serious illness such as malaria and typhoid.  Currently we are helping one child in Kenya who is fighting for his life as he struggles with leukemia.  Other special gifts helped to rebuild one families storm damaged home and helped another family move to an improved home. 

Together we are making a difference.  Please keep us in your daily prayers. 

Former Sonoma County cops host benefit to help kids in Africa.

Here is a nice article that appeared last week in the Sonoma County Press Democrat regarding our upcoming benefit for Hope Milele Africa.  "Changing Lives One Child at a Time"  

Hope for Burundi, The Latest News

Asante International has just recommended Hope Milele Africa, working in partnership with Hope of Africa Mission NGO, in Burundi, to take over the child sponsorship program in Ngozi Burundi.  Since Asante International stopped accepting funds, over a year ago, the children in Burundi were cut off from all funding.  Working together with the outgoing Asante International Board, and our partners in Burundi, we have began re-uniting Burundi children with their sponsors.  Burundi has often been rated as the poorest nation in the world.  As a result of the closure of Asante International in Portland, OR, USA, nearly 400 children in Ngozi lost all support. 

Hope Milele Africa is working to restore the hope and the future of families in Ngozi, Burundi.  The work is exciting and the feedback has been so encouraging.  We recently sent food, supplies, and funds for teacher salaries into Burundi.  They arrived just in time for Christmas.  This recent news should help families in Burundi start the new year with a renewed sense of hope.  We thank Asante International leadership in Portland and Hope of Africa Mission NGO for their confidence in Hope Milele Africa.  We praise God for His provision and ask that Christ be at the center of all that we do. 

A little more about our organization......

Hello everyone.  Thanks for checking out our web site.  We are a very new ministry.  We are a registered 501(c)(3) non profit and recognized by the IRS as tax exempt, meaning your donations are tax deductible, as allowed by law.  We are incorporated in the State of California as a religious non-profit.

We are in the process of developing our web site so please be patient.  We will begin posting news stories, updates, photos, and providing accountability reports as we grow and develop.   We welcome your suggestions and input.

We have all been working on African projects, individually and collectively,  for a number of years. Each of our board members have decades of non-profit and/or public service management experience.  We are all involved in our respective churches, either in oversight and leadership, or as active participants.  We are asking your prayer support and God's guidance as we learn and grow this organization to serve the needs of children and their families.  Our hearts desire is to maximize the impact of donor dollars for the direct benefit of children and families in need.   As funds come in, our hope is to work with families to become self sustaining and independent. 

Our mission is to share the hope and love of Jesus Christ, by nourishing the body, the mind and the spirit of those in need.  While we have known each other for many decades, through our prior profession, this is our first time managing such an endeavor together.  The task before us is both challenging and exciting.  We would love for you to pray for us and join us, if you feel called to do so. 

To get involved, reach out to us at hopemileleafrica@gmail.com or telephone us at 707-874-1126.  We are all volunteers so you may receive a voicemail message.  If you leave your contact information we will call you back as soon as possible. 

We pray that through God's grace and your support that we will transform the lives of children, many of whom live in extreme poverty.  May He guide our steps. 

Sincerely,

HMA Board of Directors