Hope for a Thousand Hills
is a Christian nonprofit organization focused on the development and revitalization of coffee farming communities in Rwanda – working through the local church and using the coffee trade as a bridge to impact economy, community, and eternity.
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Planting Hope in the Hearts of Rwanda
At the center of our development efforts we have chosen a commodity – coffee – because of the exponential power it has to financially impact a community. In Rwanda, farms that can produce a better quality bean and improve processing are on their way to competing on the world market. Entering that market could make all the difference for a small village with hopes of building their community back to a basic level of sustenance. A successful coffee plantation — even a small one — provides jobs which spill over into a stronger local economy. This leads to schools and public health facilities, church initiatives, other job markets, and ultimately a thriving community.
H4TH is a grassroots effort: Church based, volunteer driven, and guided by coffee industry professionals where needed. However, we are, at the core, a ministry – seeking to bring the hope of Jesus to those who do not yet know Him, and to empower local Rwandan churches to take the lead in serving their communities as well as forge a vision for carrying the hope of the gospel beyond them.
Our mission is about transformation. The revitalization of a coffee farm is ultimately a restoration of the community that surrounds it. Amazingly, that little brown bean can help restore the local economy, and through that, the community. But the key to lasting success is a focus on eternity – men and women reconciled to God and each other.
Where we are now
Where we’ve been
In 2008, Hope for a Thousand Hills, along with local partners, embarked on a 4-year project to impact the economy, community, and eternal purpose of Cyimbili.
“There is a great need to bring back together the things that came apart in 1994.”
Why Rwanda?
1994 seems like a long time ago, but the devastating aftermath of the genocide that claimed the lives of some 1,000,000 Rwandans and scarred many more, still lingers. A new generation is learning how to rise above this history and are making great strides. As NPR reported in 2017:
“[The] roads are paved; streets are lit. The GDP has grown more than 1,000 percent since the genocide; life expectancy has shot up, from 28 years during the genocide to 64 years in 2015, and Rwanda has become one of the least corrupt countries on the continent.”
But deep wounds remain, often just below the surface. And this has left many communities, fractured from the tragedy of 1994, still struggling to realize the progress that places like the capital city of Kigali have seen. Building roads without also building trust does not connect a nation. And a hundred coffee farmers who happen to share a hillside does not make a community.
There is a great need to bring back together the things that came apart in 1994. Relationships. Communities. A shared sense of the land and cooperation in the stewardship of it. A shared vision for the future, and hope. Rwanda is bursting with potential. The soil is literally bursting with it – Rwanda is a coffee paradise. It’s a natural economic outlet. However, local, rural farmers still have a long climb in front of them. This is where we come in.
Get involved
PRAY for our work, God’s provision, and transformation to take place at every level. Subscribe to our newsletter or follow us on social media for updates.
GIVE. Help build a lasting foundation that will impact the lives and futures of the men, women, and children who call Shanga home. Tax-deductible gifts can be made online or by check.
GO with us. We send small teams to Rwanda several times a year. A week or two in Shanga could be life changing – for the people you come to serve, and even for you.
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Sign up to receive our email newsletter. You can follow our progress, pray more informed, and see what God is doing through this ministry.
Address
PO Box 1384 | Wayne, NJ 07474-1384
Call Us
973.907.6688
Email Us
info@h4th.org