Impact Hope is a nonprofit empowering refugee youth by educating them into self-sufficiency at safe Christian boarding schools.
The founders of Impact Hope heard about refugees living in Rwanda in 2015. They discovered these refugees have been living in the camps for over 20 years as a result of the 100 days of bloody genocide in 1994. Next, they learned something that struck them at the core. The area of the Democratic Republic of the Congo where persecution was most rampant was predominantly Christian.
They couldn’t sit idly by, realizing that these 80,000 refugees, spread throughout five camps, were facing hopeless conditions.
They had to hear the stories of these refugees for themselves. So, in 2016, they traveled across the world and began learning more. While ADRA Rwanda and World Vision provided schooling in these camps, it only went through 9th grade. To continue education, the children would walk 9km roundtrip to the nearest high school. Along this dangerous route, they were vulnerable to victimization and abuse.
The founders worked to implement Impact Hope, a sponsorship program that could send these students to safe Christian boarding schools throughout Rwanda.
At Christian boarding schools, the refugees enjoy better living conditions, quality education, and an opportunity to learn more about God and His loving plan for them. They can graduate with career eligibility and move their families out of the refugee camps for good!
Impact Hope has expanded efforts beyond providing secondary education. Now, graduates have the opportunity to increase their success through learning a vocational trade and starting their own businesses.
We invite you to be a part of this thriving mission and make a difference in young lives!
$600 a year sends a young person to boarding academy for an entire school year. This is our continuing fundraising mission. Aside from facilitating sponsorship to these refugee students, we spend time onsite at these camps. It is a powerful experience to see such strength and determination in these refugees, despite their challenging, poverty-stricken environment. God is definitely at work here!
MEET THE TEAM
Mindy Thygeson
Co-founder
Together, we move towards our goal of bringing hope and education to impoverished youth, including sharing the love of Jesus. As a non-profit organization, Impact Hope is committed to our mission and to transparency.
Board of Directors:
Mindy Thygeson, Vice-President
Rachel Griebel, Secretary
Terrie Griebel, Member
Yvonne Iwasa, Member
Todd Gessele, Member