Kids of Hope

What is "Kids of Hope" ???

2010-05-12T08:14:00.000-07:00

(Above photo: Kate Royal holds up a picture while the story is relayed in the local language through a hand cranked cassette audio player. Why hand cranked? Simple - batteries often don't last in the heat in Burkina and are expensive and electricity cuts are a daily occurrence often lasting for hours)

The Kids of Hope program is in Burkina Faso. Founded by John and Melissa Franke back in 2004 and currently run by Kate Royal, it exists to specifically reach out to the "beggar boys" in the capital city of Ouagadougou. Every day a free meal is prepared for the boys who range in age anywhere from 6-18 years old. Saturdays are the highlight of the program. Team games are played, skits are often performed, a proper (and fun) story from the Bible is told which is then followed by a craft and topped off with a hearty meal.

Food really is a huge part of the program; and without the offering, many of the boys would go hungry throughout the day. When the program first started back in 2004, food costs were very different. For example, the cost of rice in Burkina as gone up 100% (from around $20 to now over $40). Today the program actually operates on LESS than what is did back in 2004; but it cannot keep running at this rate.

This is why I have chosen to help support the program and why I am asking others to do the same. If you have never made a donation to a non-profit before (or maybe you have) consider making one today. Scope out the posts below for more information or go to www.gotonations.org and look for the "Kids of Hope" program to make a donation today.

Where to make a donation online????

2010-05-07T11:34:00.001-07:00

GO TO NATIONS

Click Here (or on the Go To Nations link above)

You will be taken to a page that looks just like the above photo.

Scroll down until you come to KIDS OF HOPE

You will see the DONATE NOW button or icon.

Click on it and you know the rest.

If you prefer to participate in ANY other form or fashion PLEASE FEEL FREE

to contact me anytime.

What is the Kids of Hope program all about???

2010-05-07T10:52:00.000-07:00

The little known Rice Bag Race!

2010-05-07T09:38:00.000-07:00

Instead of potato bags, we use rice bags because rice is the main staple here each week.

With just one meal per day, we are currently going through one $40 bag of rice every 10 days.

Joy in the Simple Things.....

2010-03-11T11:45:00.000-08:00

Oh to be a kid again! Card board swords, stick sling shots, and branch made spears! It's just so different when we get older, isn't it???? The simple things don't seem to bring the satisfaction that they once did. We want to replace our PS3 with the latest "slim" model and larger drive, our Xbox 360 just doesn't seem to cut it now that Intel has surpassed console gaming with it's latest Core-i7 980x (with six cores might I add), and those Nintendo Wii graphics just don't cut it on that new 50 inch wide screen 3D HD TV!
I think it's time to find enjoyment in simplicity once again - don't you?

Young and on the street....

2010-02-19T16:30:00.000-08:00

People often ask at what age the boys first start begging on the streets in Ouagadougou. The truth is that it varies; but that said, this is not an uncommon sight that still pulls on my heart.

2010-02-02T18:16:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from the Kids of Hope (and Kate and Tyler too)

2009-12-25T13:21:00.000-08:00

Though I (Tyler) flew out of Burkina on the 14th of December, we were able to celebrate Christmas with the boys the Saturday just prior to my departure. It was a very special time and a great opportunity to share God's love with over 120 boys this year!

2009-12-05T07:37:00.000-08:00

A fun and simple illustration at the club on what discipleship should look like.

2009-12-02T03:50:00.000-08:00

NO SMOKING on K.O.H. property!!! A fun shot of Tyler (me) next to Kate and Moumouni explaining that if one is caught smoking on the property that they cannot attend the club for two weeks. So far we only have had one or two offenders out of the 15-65 boys that attend each week.

The winning team!

2009-10-25T02:44:00.000-07:00

Playing a simple game with an old bicycle tire sounds so lame compared to having the latest PS3 slim or Xbox 360 with all the latest titles lit up on a 60 inch HD TV; yet I can promise you that there is more enthusiasm and enjoyment when the tire reaches the end of the line than when the latest level is conquered in the digital world. Team games are a huge part of the Kids of Hope experience; and we have one simple rule when you walk in the door - "If you come - you play." (Pictured above: The winning team is being directed to group up against the wall so that they can claim their prize)

2009-10-17T08:37:00.000-07:00

Playing a new game at the club - "link tag" was a hit today from the start! The kids watched demonstration and then jumped right in. It was cool to hear a lot of the little guys that are often shy and reserved simply laughing freely as they watched and participated in the game.

Pre-club games

2009-10-10T09:21:00.000-07:00

Foosball is HUGE here in Burkina for the kids and adults. Kate was able to pool some money together a few months ago and buy this locally made table for the club. The boys really do love it!

A face to remember....

2009-10-05T07:35:00.000-07:00

Don't drop that!

2009-10-01T05:27:00.000-07:00

The long forgotten "egg on the spoon" relay race was quite a hit this past Saturday! The boys had a great time trying to figure out how to get the egg to stay on the spoon for the trek from one end of the property to the other. In the bottom right corner of the collage, the boys are all trying to stay in a very small circle as part of a team building game that went along with the story.

2009-09-26T08:03:00.000-07:00

A little girl watching some skits being performed just outside of the village of Gampala.

2009-09-26T07:50:00.000-07:00

Kate holding up the pic for all to see during the Bible lesson. This Saturday we saw around 60 boys attend the club which is quite the contrast compared to last week when we only had 12! Our hope is that now that ramadan is over, we will see the number of boys pick back up.

Just Plain Fun.

2009-09-19T06:50:00.000-07:00

Just goofing around can be such an outlet for these boys.

The Book of Acts - Craft Time

2009-09-19T06:36:00.000-07:00

This week we wrapped up the book of Acts at the Kids of Hope club. Though the group was quite small (roughly 12 boys), we had a good time making small prison windows to go along with the story of Paul under house arrest (Acts 28:16-31). This weekend is also the end of Ramadan, (a very large celebration here in Burkina and around the world within the Islam religion) so we are hoping that many of the boys who are out of the city or busy this week are able to return next Saturday.

New Location for Kids of Hope Starts Out "Old School."

2009-09-05T06:50:00.000-07:00

Due to all the rain here in Ouaga, the ground is still very saturated. We have been waiting for days for things to dry out completely before we can install the shelter (which will be just to the left of the tree pictured in the photo above). In the mean time, we are having the club the way it would be done out in the village - in the shade of a tree. So far - so good!

First day at new property!!!

2009-08-29T11:00:00.000-07:00

After weeks and weeks of prep work, meetings, politics, refunds, and technicalities, we were finally able to host the club on the new land today! Even though we only had a single tree for shade and shelter, God blessed us with a wonderfully cool day and even a slight rain to keep things cooled down. Thank you for all your prayers and continual support!

All smiles on the first day at the new property!

2009-08-29T10:50:00.000-07:00

Things continue to change...

2009-07-25T06:09:00.000-07:00

As you can see in this pic, there is a rather large wall that has suddenly appeared at the Kids of Hope club property. We (Kate and I) are in the process of re-locating the club as things have become rather complicated with the current land owner that we were renting from. Please continue to pray for the boys and all the details surrounding the program. I will do my best to keep you posted on this blog each week.

Back in Session!

2009-07-06T17:15:00.000-07:00

Great news! Though I don't have any pics from today, I do have fantastic news! The language school is back in session for the boys at the Kids of Hope club as of July 6th 2009! Stay tuned for pictures of the boys back in school!

Tired of those old board games? Try just throwing out the whole board....

2009-07-03T07:32:00.000-07:00

Each week before the club starts, the boys have about an hour or more to play games and such. As our gaming supplies and equipment is sometimes very limited, the boys will often resort to a classic game as seen above. I still have to figure out how to play it myself.

2009-06-27T06:53:00.000-07:00

"Old School" Telephone

2009-06-27T06:29:00.001-07:00

Re-inventing the long distance telephone line here in Burkina Faso!!! The best part is that this call is absolutely FREE!

New Uniforms!

2009-06-08T04:18:00.001-07:00

The boys had their first ongoing tournament throughout the month of May! Though quite challenging at times, it was a fantastic new opportunity for them. (seen above) The Fulani boys soccer team poses for their first official pic in their new uniforms [donated from a sponsor in England].

Club Games!

2009-06-04T09:23:00.000-07:00

Each week we start out the club with a team game. The rules are simple - if you come to the club, you have to participate. It's a unique opportunity for the boys to work together and have a fun time doing it. (seen above) This little guy was at first considered way too small for the rice sack race; but according to the rules, everyone gets to play.

All Smiles

2009-05-14T09:47:00.001-07:00

All smiles after craft time at the Kids of Hope club.

Craft time creativity

2009-01-27T06:28:00.000-08:00

Each week at the Kids of Hope club here in Ouagadougou, Kate and I come up with a craft that goes along with the story and skit that we do. After three years of doing clubs each week, it becomes quite challenging to think of new and original crafts for the kids. This week, we were doing the story of when Jesus heals the man by the pool of Bethesda. Even a simple idea of coloring paper and then cutting it into 12 pieces to weave into a mat can be a challenge when working with a group of boys between the ages of 5-18. Over all it was quite fun though, and the kids had a great time!

Game time always comes before craft time...

2009-01-14T09:23:00.000-08:00

Here in Burkina, we play this great game that is kinda like group jump rope. As seen above, someone stands in the center with a bike tire on a rope and proceeds to swing the rope around at ground level. As the tire moves, the kids have to jump over the tire to stay in the circle. If they get tagged by the rope or tire - they are out. Quite simple yet very fun at the same time.

Rolling into the new year....

2009-01-14T09:16:00.000-08:00

Back in Action

2008-12-20T05:50:00.001-08:00

After eight months back in the U.S., I was blessed to join back up with Kate this week for the Kids of Hope club. With new property, buildings, and even our own water source - it was as though the club hadn't even skipped a beat! Things are rolling right along and there will be many more pictures to come! Stay tuned for more updates on how the Christmas distribution with the boys went and how wonderful and blessed we are with the new property!

New Goals for 2008!

2008-03-09T08:10:00.000-07:00

The boys received new 'mini-goels' as a gift from Joel Hayslip (fellow missionary) here in Burkina Faso. The boys were thrilled (though hard to tell by the pic) as they have been playing for so many years with just rocks and brick pieces to mark the goels. They put them right to good use and will be playing with them 6 days a week! Thank you Joel Hayslip!!!!

Yet another property option......

2008-03-03T09:21:00.001-08:00

On the search - read post below for details.

A Potential Move......

2008-03-03T09:13:00.000-08:00

With time comes change.
We have been looking here now for about 6 months for new property to re-locate the Kids of Hope club. With the constant expansion here in the capital city, we have been told that the property that we currently host the club on just might have a duplex on it by next year. That said - nothing is "for sure" at this point; but Kate is still doing an excellent job looking at all kinds of other options (properties) all over the city......some are even quite a bit larger than what we are on right now and would be a great move! Please continue to lift the club up in prayer as we scout out new property.

2008-02-20T23:31:00.001-08:00

Pills all around....

2008-02-20T23:22:00.000-08:00

Just this last Saturday, we were blessed to be visited by two ladies who were distributing pills city wide against parasites and another nasty local disease. The boys were all very hesitant at first but then jumped right in after they saw that it was not a shot.

Question time........

2008-02-11T01:48:00.000-08:00

So each week after the big combined game, we choose three boys at random and ask them questions from the previous week for a chance to win a new t-shirt. The week before last we shared the story from when Jesus healed the sick man that was lowered through the roof by his friends. When we asked, "What did Jesus do to the man that was sick?" we got the most interesting response......."Um.....Jesus bowed to the east and prayed 5 times for the man."
I couldn't help but smile since almost all of these boys come from a Muslim background and are around an Islamic teacher all week long. He was trying his hardest to remember from the week before; but was obviously a little nervous in front of all the other kids and simply gave the response that he knew about prayer. At least he tried though.

A SWEET gift!

2008-02-06T13:45:00.000-08:00

The previous week, we had a great group of students come and visit the club. They were a great blessing and left the kids a bunch of candy; so this week we divided up all the candy and handed it out to just over 50 boys! They were just a little excited - to say the least.

Class time - a little review.

2008-01-29T07:10:00.000-08:00

With a new year here, we get a lot of new kids who do not even know the French alphabet. Often a good review is in order to see where everyone is at.

2008-01-28T06:17:00.000-08:00

Eight of the 25 students who came to help out this last Saturday. It was quite a full house; but the boys had a blast!

Having fun with the kids

2008-01-26T05:10:00.001-08:00

A great visit!

2008-01-26T05:04:00.000-08:00

This week we had a great time as a team of about 25 students from Berea University came and helped out with the club. Here are a few pics from their visit.

Back in action.

2008-01-24T02:26:00.000-08:00

After a short Christmas break, the club was back up and running on January 12th. We were happy to see just around 50 boys come back for the new year and jump right back into things. In this photo Kate and I (Tyler) showing off our skills with our Jesus stick figures. God bless pipe cleaners.

Slide Show of Christmas Club (December 8, 2007)

2008-01-18T07:34:00.000-08:00

The smile says it all.....

2008-01-18T06:37:00.000-08:00

It was a great year filled with games, food, laughter, and a whole ton of prizes. Each week we give out t-shirts (for prizes), candy (for whoever wins the group games), vitamins (for correct answers to challenge questions), cokes (for extra good behavior), and a meal (for everyone who comes). The year is capped off with a big drama presentation and an extra special gift for all the boys!
The smile says it all.....

Kids of Hope Christmas!!!

2008-01-16T03:43:00.000-08:00

This Christmas with the boys was a BLAST! There are MANY more pics to come - and very soon.....

Saturday Fun!

2007-09-14T03:10:00.000-07:00

Pictures from this last Satuday!

2007-08-25T05:55:00.000-07:00

More pics to come - Thanks to Picasa2!

2007-07-15T06:32:00.000-07:00

Then Came the Rain......

2007-07-14T10:06:00.000-07:00

Language School Begins!

2007-07-12T03:57:00.000-07:00

Kate has done an excellent job of getting the language school back up and running with Pierre during the month of June. The attendance varies each week between 25 - 40 boys total depending on the weather and such. It's great to see the boys so eager to learn!

Language School Begins!

2007-07-12T03:54:00.001-07:00

Language School Begins!

2007-07-12T03:52:00.001-07:00

Language School Begins!

2007-07-12T03:47:00.000-07:00

Language School off to a Good Start!

2007-07-12T03:39:00.001-07:00

Pierre, working alongside one of the boys in class. Some of the younger boys (that have never been before) aren't even sure how to hold a pen. Others have come a long ways since last year and were VERY excited to get back to class!

2007-07-09T04:38:00.001-07:00

Kate Royal with the kids on Saturday morning - just wrapping up craft time and getting ready for the food.

2007-07-09T04:34:00.000-07:00

Code named "Fade' Ndiyam" (throw water) - the infamous water balloon toss is probably one of our all time favorite games here in Burkina Faso!

2007-07-09T04:11:00.001-07:00

Working Hard at Craft Time!

2007-07-09T03:56:00.000-07:00

Each week, Kate does an excellent job of choosing, designing, and modeling a new craft for the kids. Often times coloring is involved along with a little glue. It's always a fun time for us to jump in ourselves.

Good art is hard to come by.....

2007-06-05T04:20:00.000-07:00

Just two or three years ago, many of these boys had never had the chance to color a single page; but thanks to the Saturday clubs and your support (and Crayola) many of the kids have become quite the artists!!! Take a look at this piece of art work (taken from the story of Moses as a baby)

Washing up!

2007-06-05T04:06:00.000-07:00

We recently started using a rather "sudsy" soap here called Omo. We weren't sure at first how the boys would like it; but were very happy to find out that they LOVED it! The suds were something that kinda just made washing up more of a game than a chore.

A shoe or two....

2007-05-29T07:33:00.000-07:00

Each week we do crafts and stories and feed the kids rice and meat. These activities are all done on traditional mats that are culturally familiar to the kids. Here it is known that the boys leave their shoes on the side of the mats - making for a rather colorful picture.....

Waiting to get things started.....

2007-05-29T07:21:00.000-07:00

This week, despite the morning rain, it was great to see that we still had some new visitors. This little guy on the left (Sadaa) decided to come for the first time to have his leg bandaged up. When we asked him when he had hurt it, he said that it was 0ver a year ago!!! It had obviously been burned pretty badly and had not healed properly. Kate did a great job on treating the wound; and he was over playing with the rest of the kids within minutes!

Water balloons on a hot day!

2007-05-17T02:11:00.000-07:00

Each week Kate and I get to decide which game to start the Saturday clubs with. This time of year, the water balloons usually take first choice due to the heat. We had a blast this last week, though, with over 90 energetic boys, it was a little crazy at times!

Everybody wave hello!!!

2007-04-14T13:45:00.000-07:00

Say hello to the crew - From left to right: Moumouni (far left), Pierre (kinda hiding behind his own hand there), me (Tyler), Lydia (girl in the blue shirt) and Kate......
Lydia is new and is a great help each week with the kids here. Pierre is our translator and does an awesome job with helping us communicate everything into the language the kids can understand (Fulfulde is quite the challenge....) Moumouni is just a huge help all around and always has a smile on his face and then there's Kate - who basically brings it all together and leads the club each week!
All that said - none of it could happen without all your support! Thank you all so much!!!

Joseph and the coat of many colors.....

2007-04-03T09:48:00.000-07:00

On the 31st, we did the story of Joseph.....or at least the first PART of the story of Joseph. We decided that because of its importance (and length) that we would devide it into 4 sections throughout the month of April. Seen here is a wonderful little craft idea that Kate and I came up with (after many failed patents...) It was halarious to see all the fun shapes and sizes that Joseph turned out to be and then get posted on the chalk board for display! Only wish I had a giant fridge to hang them all on!!!

Let the games begin!

2007-04-03T09:40:00.000-07:00

Despite the heat - we had a great turnout with the kids this past Saturday and even had a great game of "Tug of War." We had around 73 kids, so we split up the little guys and the big guys into two groups and then had each one battle against each other seperately. Then we took the winners of the little kids and the winners of the big kids and attempted a "final match!" It was quite a site to see when ALL of the little guys got up (about 40 or so) and pulled together to beat the "big guys" team. They were ecstatic and loved every minute of it!

Time to eat!

2007-03-26T10:36:00.000-07:00

Kate Royal handing out rice to the kids this last Saturday. Each week, we see anywhere between 60 and 90 kids - and Kate does an incredible job cooking for ALL of these hungry boys!

Coloring with the kids.

2007-03-26T10:31:00.000-07:00

Each week, we also do a craft with the kids. Whether it's coloring with the kids or making fun little paper puppets - it's always a joy to get down and your knees and be a kid again!

Doing skits for the kids...

2007-03-26T10:27:00.000-07:00

Each Saturday is action packed and there's always an opportunity to be a little goofy during our skits. In this shot, I'm playing Noah on my great little ark and listening for the sound of the coming animals!

The Kids of Hope

2007-03-23T10:08:00.000-07:00

Who are the Kids of Hope??? They are the countless Fulani Garabou and street kids that live here in the city of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Each week, these kids come from all over the city to enjoy a free meal of rice and vegetables here at the Kids of Hope center. Every Saturday, we set aside for our Kids of Hope club - which includes games, crafts, skits, and a short Bible story giving all the kids an opportunity to hear about the love of God - some for the very first time.

Okay - now everbody say "HELLO!....."

2007-03-23T10:05:00.000-07:00