A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.
Psalm 68:5
YOU CAN MAKE AN IMPACT
THE CWH STORY
“I was reminded of how pressing the needs are around the world. It’s great to gain fresh perspective now and then, and I must admit that I probably needed to be refocused. I was reminded of the tremendous hurt around the globe, as well as in our own backyard. [But] to affect the life of one child and change the course of events of that life, both on earth and for eternity – now that’s exciting, and ultimately it’s what Children With Hope is all about… I was reminded that such a task is well beyond my own abilities, and yet, I also had enormous confidence that the task of Children With Hope would be accomplished.”
-Thom Seagren, CWH Co-Founder and President
A path from god
Around 2002, the Lord started stirring the hearts of Thom and Shari Seagren to found a new ministry. Unsure of the specifics of what God was asking of them, they pressed into prayer and research and quickly became fixated on Kenya – a beautiful developing country with one of the highest orphan populations in the world. Thom began traveling to Africa on vision trips, visiting children’s homes, and starting the process of building relationships with missionaries and invested locals as he walked through the details of this new calling. His heart for orphan care grew and grew, and the Seagrens began to envision a family-style children’s home in the Rift Valley city of Eldoret.
After several years of diligent prayer and planning, Thom and Shari founded Children With Hope, a 501c3 nonprofit organization rooted in Biblical principles and devoted to meeting the spiritual, physical, emotional, educational and economic needs of orphan children.
The Lord’s hand and favor over Children With Hope became quickly evident as relationships, land purchases, and finances began to fall into place. A core team of prayer warriors and financial supporters formed stateside, and in Kenya, CWH bought our first piece of land, secured Kenyan society status, and partnered with an incredible American missionary couple who became our first Children’s Home staff.
“I was reminded of how pressing the needs are around the world. It’s great to gain fresh perspective now and then, and I must admit that I probably needed to be refocused. I was reminded of the tremendous hurt around the globe, as well as in our own backyard. [But] to affect the life of one child and change the course of events of that life, both on earth and for eternity – now that’s exciting, and ultimately it’s what Children With Hope is all about… I was reminded that such a task is well beyond my own abilities, and yet, I also had enormous confidence that the task of Children With Hope would be accomplished.”
-Thom Seagren, CWH Co- Founder and President
CWH is a Christian organization that seeks to effectively and wisely provide the services most critical to children who have been orphaned.
Growth, praise god!
In 2008, the country of Kenya faced an enormous political upheaval when a controversial election dissolved into rioting and horrific tribal violence. Homes were burned and looted, and over 500,000 Kenyans were displaced and vulnerable while another 1,000 lost their lives. At Children With Hope, our staff in Kenya were completely unharmed, praise God, but the violence did impact our plans. Our initial intentions to build on farmland just outside of Eldoret had to be adjusted in order to ensure the safety of our coming children, but God quickly provided the finances for us to purchase a home in a much safer location in town – and not a moment too soon, because we immediately welcomed our first four babies into the Children With Hope family!
Over the next several years, the Lord walked us through a season of growth. We welcomed several more children, hired new staff and caretakers, grew trees and vegetables, and strengthened our bond with stateside supporters through the introduction of our child sponsorship program. We also learned to operate more and more efficiently in Kenyan culture, which emphasized our reliance on God as we embraced new cross-cultural methods of ministry and communication.
DISCOVER the Tobiah Christian Academy vision and story!
God equips the called
In 2012, the ministry continued to evolve as we transitioned from our pattern of American ministry staff to native Kenyan house parents who could raise the children in their cultural and linguistic roots in a new and exciting capacity. While this was a step of faith for Thom, Shari, and the Board, it has been incredible to see the international relationships that have formed and the way that God blessed our communication and brought us the perfect house parents, Peter (now our executive director as well as house dad!) and his wife Maryann.
With Peter and Maryann at the helm, Children With Hope truly came into its own as a family home. In the space of one year, we welcomed 19 new babies, each uniquely loved and valued! Over the next several years, we sold the old farmland in preparation for buying a larger house, started exploring the possibility of establishing a school, were overwhelmed by the joy of a house stuffed with kids, and walked through immense heartache when one of our little ones passed away.
The God-given dream for our school, Tobiah Christian Academy, quickly took shape and by 2018, the ministry officially opened a second branch when our low-cost private school opened its doors to not only our own children, but an expanding number of students from the Eldoret community.
“When we reflect back on the goodness, mercy, and provision of God, we lift up hands to thank God for how far He has taken us and is taking us! We have enjoyed love, peace, unity, and meeting all physical needs. With all this nourishment, I want to take this time to thank God, the CWH Co-Founders – the Seagrens, the US Administrators, and the entire US board as well as the society members, for their commitment. I want to thank you, the Donors, who are the engine of the ministry for your tireless support toward this home. I want to thank the Kenyan staff, and our children. As a team we have made it together. Let us commit to this good work! Praise be to our God! Asante Sana, Peter”
– Peter Lukoye Bwire, Executive Director/House Dad
Today and the future
Today, Children With Hope is a thriving ministry. Our expansive, newly completed, eleven-bedroom children’s home now houses 37 orphaned children and offers each of them a loving family to call their own. Our child sponsorship program has remained incredibly effective in supplying the children’s home with its needed finances while fostering lifelong connections across the globe. Peter and Maryann continue to humbly serve as our house parents, are completely adored by all their children, and direct our Kenyan staff with efficiency and grace. Tobiah Christian Academy expands in enrollment by nearly 20% each year since its opening and boasts a devoted teaching staff led by out headmaster, Victor. Children With Hope supports the Eldoret economy by providing fair-wage employment to several dozen local Kenyans who serve as faculty and staff at both TCA and in the home. And stateside, our office has expanded to two employees and nine board members who all walk in constant amazement at what the Lord has called them to partner with.
We can’t wait to see what God has in store for CWH next!
Meet the children
Sponsor a Child
Asa
Fully Sponsored
Favorite Verse: Jeremiah 20:22
Augustus
Fully Sponsored
Favorite Verse: Luke 5:6-10
Becky
Fully Sponsored
Favorite Verse: Psalm 119:43
Caren
Fully Sponsored
Favorite Verse: Psalm 103:13
Already Involved?
Head over to our member platform. Update your contact information, adjust your communication preferences, find volunteer opportunities, access past newsletters, and more!