Global Impact:
Rehema House
Rehema House consists of three maternity homes in Kenya that exist to rescue, rehabilitate, and empower girls between the ages of 12-16 who have become pregnant through sex trafficking and other forms of abuse. The Rehema House program is operated by an indigenous Kenyan staff and funded by Mercy House Global.
There are a vast number of empowerment programs and opportunities available to the residents during their two+ year stay before they are transitioned into the Sponsorship program for an additional two to four years. Our team works hard to rehabilitate and reintegrate the teen mom and her child back home whenever possible. If it’s not possible, the most vulnerable residents are invited to join the Transition Home to continue their education and training until they are able to support themselves and their child.
Rehema House cost per girl + baby per year:
Counseling and Staff Support: $6,000
Housing and Transportation: $5,600
Food, Clothing, Necessities: $4,000
Education and Skills Training: $3,500
Ongoing Maternal and Pediatric Healthcare: $2,000
Other (Govt. and legal fees, etc.): $2,000
US Support Services: $1,900
Total: $25,000
$25,000 x 25 girls/babies = $625,000 per year
Programs available to the Rehema House residents:
- Maternity care and parenting classes
- Trauma counseling
- Education
- Vocational skills (catering and baking, sewing and tailoring, salon and cosmetology, worship and music)
- Spiritual development
- Community and mentorship
Give to Rehema House
Maureen Kaderi and Kristen Welch co-founded Rehema House in 2010. “Rehema” is the Swahili word for mercy.
Their dream was to rescue pregnant teen girls out of desperate situations in Nairobi, Kenya, and provide them with a safe and loving shelter, opportunities, and the hope of the gospel. Today, Rehema House consists of three maternity homes and has welcomed over 80 miracle babies.
Artisan training
outreach
Our artisan and skills training outreach began as an overflow from Rehema House. We realized early in our endeavors of working with young and vulnerable pregnant girls that we also needed to empower their families with dignified jobs to break the cycle of generational poverty. In 2018, we launched our first wholesale line in an effort to provide regular and sustainable work to our Kenyan artisans.
Mercy House Global works with four artisan groups in Kenya:
- Miujiza (which means "Miracle" in Swahili): clay and textiles
- Street Hope: felt and leather stitching, bead making
- Have Hope: basket weaving
- Forged in Hope: jewelry and home goods of brass, horn, and wood
Through our wholesale and online retail partners, subscription clubs, and brick and mortar locations, we are able to provide a marketplace for these artisan-made goods that help provide dignity and sustainability to the families we work with. In addition to artisan skills and job training, we assist these families with food security and transportation to and from the artisan training center.
Annual cost of artisan and job training outreach:
Facilities: $21,000
Meals: $12,500
Skills Training: $70,000
Materials: $15,000
Transport and Other: $5,500
Total: $124,000