Names matter.
When we chose the name Haven of Hope in 2009, we weren’t simply looking for something that sounded beautiful. Those three words describe what we want this place to be for every child who comes through our gates.
A haven is a safe place in the middle of uncertainty.
And hope is the belief that the story isn’t over yet.
A Haven for Right Now
The babies and young children who come to Haven of Hope arrive for many different reasons. Some have been abandoned. Some have lost a parent. Some come from families facing circumstances that have made it temporarily unsafe or impossible for them to remain at home.
Whatever brought them here, they need many of the same things when they arrive.
Safety. Food. Medical care. Clean clothes. A warm bed.
But they also need arms that will hold them. Someone who responds when they cry. Familiar voices. Play. Laughter. Routine. Prayer. The steady reassurance that someone will be there tomorrow morning.
They need a haven.
For a season, Haven of Hope gets to be that place.
We’re not an institution where children simply wait for something to happen, but a home filled with aunties who know their personalities, cooks preparing their favorite meals, social workers working behind the scenes, staff praying for them, and people who genuinely delight in watching them grow.
There are bottles and diapers and laundry. So much laundry.
There are scraped knees, giggles, first steps, tantrums, bedtime routines, Bible songs, messy meals and ordinary days. And there is something beautiful about those ordinary days.
Many times, what a child needs most after experiencing uncertainty is simply knowing what tomorrow will look like.
But a Haven Isn’t the Destination
Hope. This part of our name matters just as much.
We never intended Haven of Hope to be the place where children spend their childhood.
A haven is somewhere you find shelter for a time. It is not where the journey ends.
From the beginning of His Cherished Ones in 2009, we have believed that children belong in families. Whenever possible, our team works toward reunification with a child’s biological family. When that isn’t possible, other family-based options such as kinship care, foster care or adoption may become part of the story.
So while one part of our team is changing diapers, preparing meals and loving the child in front of them, another part is asking:
What comes next?
Where is this child’s family?
What happened that caused the separation?
Can those circumstances change?
What support might make it possible for this child to safely return?
Who needs to be involved?
Those questions can take months, and sometimes much longer, to answer. That’s where the second half of our name becomes so important.
There is Always Hope
Hope doesn’t mean pretending difficult circumstances aren’t difficult.
Some of the stories that bring children to us are heartbreaking. Family tracing can be complicated. Circumstances don’t always resolve the way we wish they would. There are court processes, government requirements, difficult decisions and plenty of waiting.
But we believe there is always reason to hope.
We have watched circumstances change.
We have watched families become stronger.
We have watched children who arrived frightened and withdrawn become joyful, curious toddlers.
We have watched relationships restored and new ones begin.
And through all of it, we believe God is at work in stories long before we can see how they will unfold.
That is the kind of hope we want Haven of Hope to represent.
Not a guarantee that every story will be easy.
Not a promise that every ending will look exactly the way we imagined.
But a steadfast belief that today’s circumstances do not have to define a child’s tomorrow.
Haven + Hope
Those two words keep us grounded.
Haven reminds us to care deeply for the child who is here today.
Feed them well. Hold them. Protect them. Play with them. Pray over them. Help them heal. Give them the security and consistency they need right now.
Hope reminds us to keep looking beyond our gates.
Trace the family. Ask the hard questions. Build relationships. Work with the Children’s Department. Support families. Explore every safe possibility for a child to grow up where children were designed to grow up—in a family.
We need both.
Without a haven, a vulnerable child may not have the safety they desperately need today.
But without hope, temporary care can too easily become permanent.
So we keep doing both. For every little one entrusted to us, we want to provide a safe haven for this chapter of their story while holding onto hope for all the chapters still to come.
That’s why we call it Haven of Hope.
