L’aube se lève (Dawn Rising):

This is the first part of a three part documentary film telling the brave story of the founders of Haven of Hope; a missionary couple from Michigan who are currently in the process of establishing a transition home for survivors of extreme sexual assault in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where rape is being used as a weapon of war to systematically break down society.

Parts two and three of this documentary are yet to be made and we are hoping to be back in the Congo as soon as we are able to continue filming.

You can help us produce parts two and three by becoming a story partner or advocate, and raise awareness of the redemptive work that God is doing through Haven of Hope in the Congo — for His glory and the good of His people!

• FILM IN PROGRESS

Part one of this three part documentary is finished. Parts two and three are still to be produced.

Dantago:

God called Katrina to leave the comforts of a real house and move to the ghetto and serve the poorest and most vulnerable in that community. The transition came with great challenges, but she knew that it was the right thing to do.

She now lives in a shack without running water, electricity or heat — but this is exactly the place that God chose to use her to restore hope to hopeless. Katrina has turned her shack into a community center and named it Dantago, which means: to overcome.

There she runs a soup-kitchen that feeds many hungry children and teaches unemployed women (most of them previous addicts and survivors of abuse) how to make handmade crafts and sell them to make an honest and dignified living.

• FILM IN PROGRESS

We are officially done filming and are now in the process of finishing the final cut of Katrina’s story.

Talitha Kumi:

God called Brenda from New York City (where she worked for corporate Disney on Park Avenue) to start a private Christian school in Arandis (a little town in the Namib Desert that only has a population of 5200 people) to offer high quality education to low-income and impoverished families that would otherwise never be able to afford an education like this. Talitha Kumi is the name of the school she founded and means: Rise up and walk!

Through Talitha Kumi, Brenda does not only offer these children a good education and with that a better chance in life here on Earth… but she introduces and teaches them about Jesus and their true identity and value in Him.

• STORY WAITING TO BE TOLD

We have not officially started production on Brenda’s story yet, but are planning on doing so as soon as we are funded.

Naftaline:

Naftaline informally adopted her first child when she was only 17 years old. About a year later, she took in a second child and has not stopped opening her door to neglected and orphaned street children since.

At one point, Naftaline was raising 14 children in a 10′ by 13′ (3m by 4m) shack. She says: “Children are a gift from God and I could just never say ‘no’ to a child a need.”

Now, 43 years later — at the age of 60, Naftaline is running her first “official” orphanage (a 6 bedroom house) and is currently taking care of 25 children. All these children call her Mama.

• STORY WAITING TO BE TOLD

We have not officially started production on Naftaline’s story yet, but are planning on doing so as soon as we are funded.