Thirty years of welcome.
From a single prayer gathering in 1995 to two communities an ocean apart. Here is the story of Gate of Hope, in the words of the people who live it.
It started with a place to gather.
Gate of Hope Ministries International (GHMI) began in 1995, when Rev. Jean de Dieu Nzeyimana and Dr. Pauline Mukeshimana opened a place for people to pray together, encourage one another, and begin to heal.
The work grew quickly. People were rebuilding their lives, and they needed more than a place to gather. So Jean de Dieu and Pauline widened the ministry to include education and economic programs for women, children, and older adults across rural Rwanda.
In 2003, the two moved to Louisville, Kentucky, where East African families were arriving and starting over far from home. The language was new. So was the paperwork, the distance, the work of building a life from scratch. Word spread that Jean de Dieu and Pauline could help, and they did: interpreting at appointments, sitting with families through hard decisions, helping people find their footing.
Today Gate of Hope works in two places at once. In Louisville, it walks with new neighbors who came from Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda as they build a life and a sense of belonging in a new country. In Rwanda, it supports families in rural villages: older adults, widows, children who have lost parents, and people living with HIV.
Jean de Dieu and Pauline
Rev. Jean de Dieu Nzeyimana & Dr. Pauline Mukeshimana
For thirty years, Rev. Jean de Dieu Nzeyimana and Dr. Pauline Mukeshimana have answered the same question in two different countries: who is being overlooked, and how do we make room for them? They started Gate of Hope in 1995 with little more than a place to pray and a refusal to look away.
When they moved to Louisville in 2003, they brought that same instinct with them, opening their lives to families who were starting over far from everything familiar. Decades on, they are still doing the quiet, faithful work of welcome: learning names, sitting with families, and trusting that hospitality offered in Christ's name changes the one who gives it as much as the one who receives.
How the ministry grew
Three decades, two countries, and a long line of people who said yes to helping their neighbors.
Gate of Hope is founded
Jean de Dieu and Pauline start the ministry as a place of prayer and trauma healing.
Education and economic empowerment programs added
Gate of Hope expands to serve women, children, and older adults working to rebuild their lives.
Gate of Hope comes to Louisville
Jean de Dieu and Pauline move to Louisville, Kentucky, and launch the INN initiative for East African families who are new to the city. Under one roof, INN brings together interpretation, Christian counseling, family mentorship, tutoring, driver's education, skills training, and citizenship assistance.
A registered nonprofit
Gate of Hope becomes a registered 501(c)(3) organization.
Hope Community Farm is born
Gate of Hope starts Hope Community Farm in Louisville, known as "the healing place," so older adults have somewhere to grow food, stay active, and be together.
The Humura Program begins
Humura, Kinyarwanda for "take heart," begins in 2018, deepening the ministry's care for families as they move through seasons of change and find their place in a new community.
The Tabara Initiative launches
Tabara, Kinyarwanda for "come to the rescue," supports the safety and dignity of young East African women and girls in Louisville and beyond.
Hope Community Farm becomes Gosheni Farm
After Gate of Hope acquires 19 acres, the farm grows into Gosheni Farm, named for Goshen, the biblical land of refuge and plenty.
The Himbaza Program launches
Himbaza, Kinyarwanda for "to celebrate," launches in 2025 as the newest chapter in Gate of Hope's work with families in Louisville and Rwanda.
The work continues in Louisville and Rwanda
Gate of Hope keeps welcoming new neighbors in Kentucky and walking alongside families across rural Rwanda, with the same conviction it started with in 1995.
The story is still being written.
Thirty years in, Gate of Hope is still growing. Your gift helps write the next chapter for new neighbors in Louisville and families in Rwanda.
