Hope Haven Rwanda (HHR) opened in 2012 by Susan Hollern of Sedalia. The nonprofit Christian school began as a small classroom under a cascading acacia tree and has blossomed into a thriving 220,000-square-foot campus with 65 classrooms, labs and libraries, serving more than 2,200 students in the Murindi sector of Kigali, in the Republic of Rwanda.

When a difficult time led Susan to relinquish everything over to God, participating in mission trips with her children provided a view into how most of the world was living. The family put smart phones away, engaged in deep family discussions and simply focused on others.

Susan first visited Rwanda in 2009. In 2011, she felt God leading her to work there. By early 2012, she had acquired land and quickly discovered the local community wanted a school. “I learned what they needed—not what I wanted to give them,” she shared.

The HHR school was founded on a family-community-education concept with family and local involvement being key. For example, more than 1,100 parents farm 40 acres to provide 90% of the vegetables needed at the school—feeding 2,500 people each day—and creating an entire economy within the campus.

Classrooms bustle with enthusiasm: nursery school for 3- to 6-year-olds; primary school for 6- to 12-year-olds; lower secondary school for seventh through ninth graders; and upper secondary school for tenth through twelfth graders.

The year 2025 marked the first graduating class of HHR; today, 90% of the graduates are studying at university. “Students who enter HHR have a mindset of abundance; they have the mindset of ‘I can’,” shared Susan.

The curriculum is very strong according to Susan. One student recently earned a gold medal at the International Math Olympiads, competing against students from all 54 countries across the continent. “We are missing so many people to poverty. If you don’t get an education, you might not know you could be a rocket scientist,” she shared. HHR is giving these children a chance.

The school recently launched its Leadership Institute, aiming to equip students from seventh grade through the postgraduate level with skills, knowledge and values to excel in leadership roles, while maintaining a Christian perspective.

The Leadership Institute focuses on career and academic counseling; work-based learning opportunities; university selection, scholarships and internships; educational transition after graduation; job placement and entrepreneurship development, and engagement through its alumni network.

HHR welcomes volunteers – especially families – to assist in the classroom, rebuild homes, carry water and simply be.

The Fabric of Hope gala to benefit HHR is Wednesday, April 29, at Susan’s barn in Sedalia. The western gala will feature Priscillah Kembabazi, the school’s director of families who has been with the school since day one. The entire community is welcome.

“I am profoundly grateful to have this job. I love Rwanda and these kids,” concluded Susan.

To learn more, visit hopehavenrwanda.org.

 

By Elean Gersack; photos courtesy of Hope Haven Rwanda