Gate of Hope Ministries International concentrates its activities in the Louisville, KY metro area where there is a large refugee population from East and Central Africa including:
- Burundi
- Rwanda
- Tanzania
- Kenya
- Uganda
- Democratic Republic of Congo
EDUCATE
We believe that the realization and fulfillment of our community’s potential starts with access to education. We advocate and encourage educational attainment among the refugee community.
Mentoring Families
We provide refugees a dedicated mentor to work directly with their family unit to support and encourage everyone in the household. Mentors may assist families in gaining skills for independence by helping to shop for essentials, teach basic cooking skills, assist children with homework, teaching laundry maintenance, home cleaning and organization skills.
Tutoring Children and Young Adults
African refugee children are not only learning English as a second language upon arrival in the U.S., but are fleeing an environment where their education could not be prioritized. African refugee children are often not at grade level when arriving in U.S. schools and are at high risk of falling through the cracks if intervention is not in place. Gate of Hope has seen that with regular tutoring in the critical areas of reading, math, and science, African refugee children are capable of catching up with their peers and tend to better enjoy school. Gate of Hope strives to empower these children to reach all of their God-given potential, including a solid education and aspiring to college. Our society benefits, just as these children and families do, by their learning to succeed in school and assimilate successfully into American life.
EQUIP
We believe that all individuals and families should be equipped with the tools that enable them to access basic needs.
Healthy Living Classes
Gate of Hope provides classes that encourage healthy living and address chronic diseases like diabetes that affect our community.
Workforce Training
Gate of Hope provides workforce training to help refugees apply for jobs and prepare for job interviews.
The Path to U.S. Citizenship
Gate of Hope supports refugees who are on the path to U.S. citizenship with English language skills, lessons on United States history, and immigration referrals for those seeking paperwork assistance.
Vehicle Donations
Vehicle donations provide countless benefits for our community. As refugees become more mobile, they are able to help each other get to work, take their children to school, attend church, and countless other activities.
Clothes Donations
Often, we find that our refugee community is ill-equipped to navigate the climate in Kentucky as it changes through each season. Gate of Hope opened a clothes closet at Beechmont Baptist Church to provide refugees with clothing at no cost.
ENCOURAGE
We believe that mental wellness is important for our community development and access to skilled counselors provides a path to trauma healing.
Counseling
Gate of Hope provides individual and group counseling sessions to refugees who have experienced trauma and suffer symptoms associated with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Hope Community Farm
Gate of Hope provides trauma counseling to elders in our community through the Hope Community Farm. This project was created in response to the identification of a specific need to fight depression and loneliness in our elders. Services are provided by Dr. Mukeshimana and other volunteers trained in trauma-informed mental health care and cross-cultural therapy dynamics. Counseling sessions take place in the garden setting, integrating garden education and activity.