Hannah Harrison
AFA Journal staff writer
Above, Dr. Cindi Mendoza teaching students alongside another teacher.
May 2020 – “I care for each child and desire them to come and learn about Me. But I want the entire community!” Dr. Cindi Mendoza heard the Lord say.
After noticing the abundance of young African girls sexually and physically abused, Mendoza and Mary Owinyo knew something had to be done. But little could they anticipate what they would start is now bringing the love of Christ to hundreds of African children.
In 2011, the women opened a rescue shelter for abused girls in Kenya. Today, that shelter has grown into two rescue centers and a primary school providing education, sustainability, and protection for some of Africa’s most vulnerable.
They call it Cindi’s Hope (CH).
Rescue
When the doors of the first CH rescue center opened, 14 girls suffering from abuse were brought in by government officials. Today, two Kenyan campuses are in full swing – protecting 209 girls.
These children are often orphans, HIV positive, or abused. But at CH, they are loved, fed, housed, and helped as they strengthen their education and faith.
“It is the only center that specifically assists little girls in these situations,” Mendoza told AFA Journal.
After becoming well established in Kenya, she later felt led to expand her ministry into Rwanda as well. Not far to the southwest of Kenya, a 1994 genocide had left many Rwandan children orphaned. The aftereffects of the genocide had left 47% of the surviving population under the age of 15, according to Mendoza.
“We have an amazing opportunity to affect a country devastated by genocide to become a culture of peace as we share the love of Jesus and help educate the children,” she explained.
Education
“The few public schools are beyond capacity, with a 64:1 student/teacher ratio,” Mendoza said.
Opened in January 2019, the first Cindi’s Hope Academy (CHA) in Rwanda has enrolled over 100 students. CHA is comprised of six different nationalities. The academy uses the Direct Instruction curriculum based on the ideology that clear instruction can accelerate learning.
However, CHA focuses on more than giving knowledge; instead, teachers are giving wisdom found only in Christ.
“[At CHA], students learn to live in obedience to the Word of God every day through daily order in class, memorizing Scripture, and serving each other and the community through outreaches,” Mendoza said. “We don’t just want to teach religion but how to live in relationship with Christ.”
Action
“CH reaches out each month to minister, pray, and give food to the needy and elderly around our campus,” Mendoza said.
“One time, we were walking toward the recipient of $20 worth of food we were giving out. A very thin, elderly woman said, ‘Come to my house before I die!’
“I took her hand and said, ‘We are not going to your house today. But why don’t you come to my house for dinner on Thursday? I will send someone to pick you up.’”
Mendoza and staff were planning a dinner for 300 people. But, she said, “Little did we know someone had spread the word that dinner was going to be served at Cindi’s Hope.
“By the end of the worship, presentations, and offering, we had over 1,000 people for dinner. The Lord whispered again, ‘I care for each child and desire them to come and learn about Me. But I want the entire community!’” 
Find out more
By the end of 2020, Cindi’s Hope is scheduled to open two primary schools. Each will initially enroll 100 students with the eventual capacity to hold 1,000 each. In the next five years, the ministry plans to open four more academies.
For more information about Cindi’s Hope, visit the ministry’s Facebook page or website at cindis-hope.org.
