Brian Thomson’s initial contact with Rwanda came out of a conference he attended in spring of 2005. One of the presenters spoke to Brian about his future. She said that she could see Brian working in Africa – specifically Rwanda. Another individual from the conference approached Brian saying that he had contacts in Rwanda and knew how to get Brian there to speak in one of the largest churches in the capital city.
Brian then spent hours of research on the country of Rwanda and submerged himself in the facts and culture of the Central African nation and the genocide that took place there. He discovered that it was the number one country in the world in need of orphan care. At that time there was a ratio of 1 orphan for every 13 people. All this was before he had even set foot in the country he has now fallen so deeply in love with.
God had started to knit Brian’s heart with Rwanda.
Anyone who knows Brian knows of his intensity. His intense work ethic, intense drive, intense faith, intense sense of humor. Once you are his friend, you are his friend for life. This intensity would serve him well in the coming years as he worked tirelessly to get Home of Hope up and running and into the hearts of everyone he met. By July 2006, Brian had done his research, talked with many people and even had brochures printed with facts and data about Rwanda, the genocide and the orphan needs. He gave those brochures out to anyone who would listen. A few short months later, Brian made his first trip with two fellow Canadians who went with a plan to rescue orphans.
He had spoken with Rev. Bob Hoover, a personal friend and hero of Brian’s, who ran an orphanage in India for boys with the name of Home of Hope. He asked permission to use the same name and Rev. Hoover agreed. Once in Rwanda, Brian spoke at the church attended by 10,000 people. He also had an opportunity to speak at the Glory of Christ Church with Pastor Samuel Rushombo.
This is where the story of Home of Hope Rwanda takes flight.
Brian and Pastor Samuel became friends with a common purpose to see orphans not just rescued but cared for. It was exciting! Brian asked Pastor Samuel to give him the names of twenty of the most desperate children in the area. Brian was the first to sponsor children and started with four. He brought back twenty names, pictures and stories and asked people to help him rescue these children in hopeless situations.
Brian often said that the Bible commands us to “visit” the fatherless. So, that is what he did. He visited many people during his trip to Rwanda. He took the time with them and heard their stories. At this point, Brian realized that he had to DO something.
When he got back to Canada, he began to talk to people about what he had seen.
Brian has said, “The moment I was exposed to the needs of Africa, I had to do something.”
He told people of the countless children and people in Rwanda in extremely desperate situations. He would tell of the countless people with no food, no water, no homes and no one to care for them.
Brian’s passion for life and his deep faith is displayed every day as he goes about the business of saving children from starvation, abandonment and abuse. His ability to grab hold of an idea and share his passion about it is something very few people possess. His love of this country and its people has erupted and overflowed to the many people who hear his story and the story of what Home of Hope is doing. This organization would not be where it is presently without the driving force of this passionate, kind, caring, tender, teacher, brother, father, servant, leader and friend, Brian Thomson.
The many Rwandans who have joined Home of Hope are similar in their passion and focus to help their brothers and sisters. Brian has spent countless hours, often very early mornings speaking to the teams online, tending to their development and growth so they can change their world.
“I decided that I wasn’t going to live for just me.”
This decision was one of the many he made that changed the lives of so many in Rwanda and other nations that Home of Hope serves.
Many teams and hundreds of people have gone over to aid in the humanitarian efforts of Home of Hope. Just in the first 5 years of Home of Hope, Brian himself went to Rwanda thirteen times, India three times and Kenya six times. In the years to follow, he would lead between two and five teams a year. People who come in contact with Home of Hope see the needs and feel empowered that they can tangibly do something to change a life on the other side of the world. Hundreds of volunteers have saved money, raised money and been given money to attend to the efforts of Home of Hope’s community projects.
If you would like to join a team, apply here.
People in Rwanda have now been exposed to microloans, sewing programs, job training programs, family creations, churches, feeding programs, animal projects, building projects, the list goes on. Their lifestyles have improved, their commitment to their communities has changed and they see a future and hope. Home of Hope helps orphans to find someone who cares and loves them. It helps widows find a means of income. It allows communities to be drawn together for the good of all.
Similar effects are felt in Kenya and India as well. Such is the case in the Dream Centre location in Nairobi, Kenya. Numerous babies who had been thrown away are being rescued from certain death from the slums and dumps of Nairobi.
As Brian has said, “Children don’t deserve to die.”
Brian has proven that one person can make a difference. One person can change a country, a community and a life. One act can so move people that they come together to change the landscape of a country. Brian’s desire to do something in Rwanda has propelled the project into an organization that now serves hundreds and affects thousands in the countries of Rwanda, Kenya, Congo, Malawi and India.
In 2011, Brian set an intense and frankly outrageous goal of helping 10,000 children. At the time, Home of Hope was helping over 800 children every month. But in 2017, in their 10th year, this goal was met with celebration!
Hitting that goal was not just a number for Brian. Those 10,000 children were helped because of many sponsors who came alongside him and did what they could to help.
Now, Home of Hope has a goal of helping 5000 additional children every year with their many projects.
Brian’s dedication to simply “do something” has sent many volunteers, workers, staff and strangers on their way to finding their own fulfillment, whether in North America or people of the host nation. Brian has inspired, informed and educated people about the condition of children and communities all over the world.
Home of Hope is in its 15th year of operation. Its explosive growth is an indicator of its bright and continuous future.
It is Brian’s love and passion for people that fuels this organization; it all comes down to one statement that Brian made “Love compels me.”
Order Brian’s book, “Meant 4 More” here.
His personal website: www.BrianThomson.com