Introducing Home of Hope

Home of Hope was established in 1999 by the Lebanese Evangelical Society. The children living there come from all types of backgrounds. They have been removed from severely abusive situations: sex trafficking, drug experimentation, human organ donor trafficking. Many are refugees. Abandoned, abused and violated they have no options. And they are without papers. This means they do not have IDs and cannot attend public schools or be treated in hospitals. These are the children that fall through the cracks. Home of Hope was started to help provide them basic needs like food and shelter, medical care, and education. 

The challenges that Brady and Amber faced when they first arrived were daunting. Many of the children had never been in any educational setting before, from teaching children how to sit in chairs and listen, to fear of turning your backs on them because someone might get stabbed with a pencil, there were no easy answers. The children who came to the home were filthy, covered in lice, had nothing, and that was only the outside. Believing, however, that this was where God placed them, and that “education is a force of change and good,” Brady and Amber persevered. 

Through trial and error, they realized that traditional methods would not work with these severely traumatized kids. Hope Academy opened in the fall of 2016 with the guidance and help from locals and a new staff member, Steven Wilbur. Steven joined the team as the Director of Education and the principal of the school. After only 2 years in operation the difference for the children has been amazing. Steven shared recently, “Kids who may not have been to formal school are rejoining their level at public school.” In the Spring of 2017 another much needed team member joined the staff at Hope Academy, Corsaire Vining. With each arrival and the much-needed help, more obstacles and challenges are being addressed. Today Home of Hope has 27 full time staff, 3 part time staff and anywhere between 2 to 8 interns!