Sometimes hope is found in the most unexpected places.
What Is Hope House?
Hope House isn’t simply a program. It’s a family.
Here, boys who once survived life on the streets gradually discover trust, belonging, and a new way of living. They care for one another like brothers, share responsibilities, and discover they are needed. Little by little, they grow into the young men they were always meant to become.
The thing that makes Hope House unique isn’t simply that boys are rescued from the streets. It’s that they become family.
Experience Hope House!
Spend two joyful minutes with the boys of Hope House and discover why Hope House isn’t simply a program – it’s a family.
A Different Kind of Family.
This kind of family isn’t built overnight.
Many boys arrive carrying the invisible wounds of life on the streets. Guided by the quiet vision of founder Tom Gikundi, Hope House gently nurtures the goodness that has survived unimaginable hardship.
Healing begins when someone pays close attention.
Trust cannot be demanded or hurried. It grows through faithful presence, where every boy is seen, every voice is heard, and every child belongs.
As trust grows, so does responsibility. The boys care for one another like brothers, celebrate one another’s successes, and discover that each person has something important to contribute. Little by little, they become the young men they were always meant to be.
Meet The Boys of Hope House
These are just a few of the remarkable young men who call Hope House their home.
Timothy
“I Realized I Could Change.”
When Timothy was seven years old, his father’s death and his family’s poverty forced him onto the streets, where he spent five years surviving through scrap metal collection, violence, and uncertainty.
Everything began to change when he met Tom on the streets.
“I made a decision,” Timothy says. “I realized I can change. I didn’t want to be like the other boys who gave up, so I decided to listen to Tom.”
At first, Timothy trusted no one. But as Tom returned week after week with kindness, encouragement, and unwavering faith in him, something inside Timothy began to change.
“He was the first person I trusted. It was then that I started to trust more people.”
Today, Timothy is preparing for a career in veterinary medicine a future he once could never have imagined.
Looking back, he simply says,
“I realized I can change and have a good life.”
Peter
“Street Boys Have Their Dreams.”
When Peter was seven years old, hunger forced him to leave home with his two brothers. For two years he survived on the streets, finding food wherever he could and doing whatever honest work he could find. “I did not steal things,” he says quietly.
Each morning began the same way.
“The first thing when we woke up…we worshipped God for giving us life. We thanked Him for the gift of life.”
Today, Peter has found what he longed for most.
“I am so, so happy here. I have new brothers. When I am here, I am feeling like I am at home. I am here to improve my life.”
When asked what people should know about boys living on the streets, Peter’s answer is simple:
“Street boys have their dreams”
The Heart Behind Hope House
When most people see a child living on the streets, they see a problem.
Tom Gikundi sees a child whose life is precious—a life still waiting to unfold.
For years, Tom has walked the streets of Meru, sitting beside boys others turn away from. He has learned their card games, listened to their stories, shared meals with them, slept where they sleep, and returned day after day until fear slowly gives way to trust. As one boy told him,
“I know you’re doing this from the heart.”
Tom believes that healing begins long before a child enters Hope House. It begins when someone refuses to judge, takes time to understand what a boy has survived, and helps him remember his dignity.
“You can’t judge them,” Tom says. “You need to know what brought them to the streets.”
The Heart Behind Hope House
When most people see a child living on the streets, they see a problem.
Tom Gikundi sees a child whose life is precious—a life still waiting to unfold.
For years, Tom has walked the streets of Meru, sitting beside boys others turn away from. He has learned their card games, listened to their stories, shared meals with them, slept where they sleep, and returned day after day until fear slowly gives way to trust. As one boy told him,
“I know you’re doing this from the heart.”
Tom believes that healing begins long before a child enters Hope House. It begins when someone refuses to judge, takes time to understand what a boy has survived, and helps him remember his dignity.
“You can’t judge them,” Tom says. “You need to know what brought them to the streets.”
How Hope Becomes Family
That same spirit shapes every part of life at Hope House. Older boys welcome younger ones as brothers, teach everyday routines, encourage them through school, and quietly help them believe in themselves. The boys who once struggled to trust become the very ones helping the next child find his place.
Tom often says that his work is not a job but a calling. Over the years there have been boys who returned to the streets, boys who struggled, financial hardships, disappointments, and countless moments when others suggested it was time to let Hope House go.
Still, he never gives up.
Years ago, as we stood beside the unmarked grave of a street boy, I asked Tom why he continues doing work that so few people would choose.
He looked at me quietly and simply said,
“Somebody has to do it.”
Not because the work is ever easy, but because there is no greater joy than watching a boy the world had given up on discover his own dignity and become the young man he was always capable of becoming.
If you spend much time with Tom, you’ll likely hear him say something honest and simple:
“You can never give enough love.”
Because of Tom’s unyielding commitment, the boys of Hope House are quietly changing the story people once believed about them.
Young men once dismissed as “street boys” are becoming university students, skilled tradesmen, athletes, student leaders, and mentors to younger boys.
Schools, neighbors, and government leaders increasingly know them not for where they came from, but for the character, responsibility, and hope they bring to their communities.
Hope House isn’t a remarkable hidden gem because it rescues boys.
It is remarkable because, day by day, Tom and his team patiently restore what life on the streets tried to take away. And as healing takes root, those same boys restore it in one another.
That is Tom’s greatest joy.
And that quiet faith is woven into everything Hope House has become.
The Heart Behind Hope House
Every gift helps shape a boy's story.
🏡Home
Located in Nkubu, Kenya, Hope House is a family home where boys find stability, love, encouragement, and the chance to simply be children again.
👦 Boys
Home to 29 boys, from young children to young adults discovering their dignity, building strong character, and preparing for careers and independent lives.
📚Education
Every boy attends school, vocational training, or university according to his interests, talents, and goals.
❤️ Family
Life at Hope House is built on relationships. Older boys mentor younger boys, responsibilities are shared, laughter fills the air, and every boy knows his voice matters.
🌱Transformation
Young men once known only as “street boys” are earning top ranks in their classes, becoming student leaders, youth leaders, university students, skilled tradesmen, athletes, government employees, and compassionate mentors for the boys who follow them.
🤝Leadership
Founded and led by Tom Gikundi, whose patient street outreach and unwavering commitment have transformed hundreds of young lives over the years.
Every boy has a different story.
Every boy’s voice matters.
Every boy belongs.
An Invitation
One person who cares can change everything.
Thank you for spending time with Tom and the boys of Hope House.
Sometimes hope is found in unexpected places.
Give Hope
Every gift helps shape a boy's story.
Every gift becomes part of an ordinary day at Hope House—a meal shared around the table, a school uniform, a pair of sturdy shoes, a ride to school, or simply the reassurance that this family will still be here tomorrow.
🍽 Around the Table
Around the table, the boys find nourishment, laughter, and the joy of belonging to a family.
Healthy meals for all boys for one week — $50
Healthy meals for one month for all boys — $200
👕 Being Kids
For boys who once owned almost nothing, everyday clothes mean comfort, dignity, and the freedom to simply be kids.
Clothing for one boy for an entire year — $50
Clothing for one bunk room of boys — $600
📚 Learning for Life
Every morning the boys walk to school together, discovering what they are capable of becoming.
School uniform — $100
Primary education one year — $150
Boarding school one year — $400
Five boarding students — $2,000
All primary students — $3,150
🚐 Keeping Hope House Family Moving
“Making sure I get the boys where they need to be safely keeps me up at night.”
— Tom Gikundi
Every day, Tom pieces together crowded buses or older taxis to get the boys safely to school, medical appointments, athletic events, government offices, and wherever they need to be.
As Hope House has grown, safe and dependable transportation has become essential to keeping this family moving.
Reliable transportation for one year — $2,000
Your secure online gift helps provide hope for the boys of Hope House.
A gift of any size helps provide nourishing meals, education, medical care, and a loving home where boys can grow into the remarkable young men they were always meant to become.
Every gift, whether designated to a particular area or given where it’s needed most, helps us care for these boys as a family. Gift amounts are approximate and reflect Hope House’s current needs. As those needs change, your generosity will always be directed where it can do the most good.
Thank you for believing in the boys of Hope House.
