Rooted to Rise
20 years planted, a generation growing
A tree planted 20 years ago by Pastor and Mama Karau, now fully grown—and producing seeds carried by the wind into Mathare Valley, where new roots take hold.
They opened a door. A generation walked through
It started simply enough. A door. A table. A family willing to make room.
Twenty years ago, Mama and Pastor Karau partnered with Hope’s Promise to welcome children into their home in Kenya — not as a formal program, not with a clinical intake process, but as parents. Children who had no one became, in every meaningful sense, their children. They grew up alongside the Karaus' biological sons and daughters, sharing meals, chores, bedtimes, and the particular kind of love that comes from being truly known by a family.
That act of love and hospitality became Sanctuary of Hope —Hope's Promise's foundational program in Kenya, and a 20-year testament to what it means to care for the vulnerable.
And now, something remarkable is happening. The children who grew up in the Sanctuary of Hope are adults. They have histories and skills and, in many cases, deep conviction that every child deserves what they received. One is working for the Hope's Promise Kuza program in Mathare Valley and others spend their free time volunteering. They are the living proof of Sanctuary of Hope's vision. And they are carrying it forward.
As we mark 20 years of this extraordinary ministry, we want to invite you into what's next.
The Kuza program isn't a departure from everything Mama and Pastor Karau built — it's the fruit of it. The tree planted long ago is producing seeds, and those seeds are taking root across Mathare Valley.
WHAT NOW?
Seeds of Hope Take Root in Mathare Valley
The Sanctuary of Hope planted seeds. Kuza is where they're taking root.
Unlike traditional orphan care models, Kuza focuses on keeping children connected to family. When a child in Mathare Valley loses a parent or faces a crisis, Kuza walks alongside the aunts, grandparents, siblings, and neighbors who already love that child — strengthening those bonds, supporting caregivers, and building the kind of stable family environment where children can truly grow.
It's the same conviction that moved the Karaus twenty years ago — that every child deserves to belong to someone — now multiplied across a whole community.
So what now?
You're invited in.
The work in Mathare Valley is real, it is growing, and it needs people who believe that nurturing a child is worth every investment. Whether you've been walking with Hope's Promise for years or you're just now hearing this story for the first time, there is a place for you here.
The seeds were planted. The roots are holding. Come be part of what grows next.
We made ourselves available to the children for 24 hours a day. This helped them to see that we cared and loved them. They came to know us as mum and dad. We value them as God values them.
-Pastor Karau