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Reaching the nations for Christ through education
About Cindi's Hope
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Cindi's Hope was founded in 2011 when two dedicated ladies, Dr. Cindi Mendoza, and Ms. Mary Owinyo, realized the plight of young girls who were being physically and/or sexually abused. Cindi’s Hope Rescue center was established as a safe haven where the girls could be housed, fed, clothed, educated and their physical and spiritual needs could be met. The local Kenyan police or children’s protection officers bring vulnerable children to Cindi's Hope because they have been: sexually abused, physically abused, neglected, or abandoned. Cindi's Hope receives no financial assistance from the government. Beginning with 14 girls in 2011, the number of children has increased to over 100 children in Kenya.
In addition to our two locations in Kenya, Cindi’s Hope is now in Rwanda. The first school was built in the Eastern Province's Bugesera District of Rwanda just outside Reconciliation Village. Currently, the few schools are beyond capacity at a 64:1 teacher, student ratio and due to the 1994 genocide, 47% of the population is under the age of 18. Reconciliation Village is where perpetrators and victims, murderers and survivors of the genocide live together as neighbors; an effort of cooperative harmony with one another. There are seven planned CHA schools to be built in Rwanda.
HISTORY
Cindi's Hope RWANDA
The 'Land of Thousand Hills' is a beautiful country with beautiful people still recovering from genocide. Cindi’s Hope has been invited to invest in its efforts to educate and edify the children of the community to foster a culture of peace as they learn to value and respect one another.
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In 2019, Cindi's Hope Academy opened our first Primary school to 150 students. In January 2021, 2 more CHA's opened to 150 new students each with 7 total planned Cindi's Hope Academies in Rwanda. Currently, over 800 students are being educated at CHA in Rwanda as we prepare to build campuses #4 and #5.
Cindi's Hope KENYA
Eastleigh is located near Nairobi and the Mathare Valley slum. Cindi’s Hope Academy Eastleigh opened in 2014 as a safe haven for abused and abandoned girls and also educates area kids as day scholars. Using Direct Instruction as our model for education, which is especially effective as an ESL program, we have measurable success in growth and literacy. We are proud of our students who have successfully passed the 8th-grade exam and gone on to Secondary school. Cindi’s Hope Academy in Eastleigh consists of over 250 children from eight different nationalities: Kenyan, as well as refugees from Ethiopia, Ethiopian, Yemen, Rwanda, Uganda, Somali, and Tanzania all growing and learning together. CHA accepts students of all nationalities.
Eastleigh
Cindi's Hope CURRICULUM
Cindi’s Hope Academy uses a special American English language reading and math curriculum, Direct Instruction, which is used to teach students English quicker and with better proficiency. Direct Instruction is a model for teaching that emphasizes well-developed and carefully planned lessons designed around small learning increments and clearly defined and prescribed teaching tasks. It is based on the theory that clear instruction eliminating misinterpretations can greatly improve and accelerate learning. (https://www.nifdi.org) Cindi's Hope has received support from the Engelmann Foundation to ensure that all students succeed. (https://www.engelmannfoundation.org) The majority of incoming students are not native English speakers. Students are given a placement test to ascertain their academic abilities and benchmarks. Students are then placed in appropriate, level groups. The special curriculum accelerates language, reading, and math acquisition to best assist the students who previously had large gaps in their learning and development.