Last weekend, Michele and I spent time visiting with Don and Jan Kuhn. Don and Jan were missionaries in Senegal in the late 1960's and early 1970's. During that time, they ran the Home of Hope (HOH), which was an orphanage for Senegalese children.

We hope to write more about the history of the Home of Hope/Beacon of Hope in the future, but for now we want to share a brief amount of information about the property where the Beacon of Hope is located. Michele and I feel very fortunate to have been able to meet with Don and Jan. They were integral to UWM's eventual purchase of the property where the BOH now sits and, as a result, are also important to what Michele and I will expect to be doing in Senegal in the coming years.

Home of Hope
The Home of Hope started in 1962 and steadily grew over the next ten years. When the Kuhns came to Senegal, the property the HOH leased was already too small to house all of the residents properly. One of the Kuhns' duties was to find a location that could accommodate the number of children the HOH served. In their search, Don and Jan found a property that had been used as the summer residence for the Governor General of French West Africa during the colonial era. Through the kindness of the Senegalese government, and especially Senegal's president, the Kuhns were able to secure a 30-year lease for the entire property.

The property had enough rooms for the existing needs of the HOH and also had enough for new construction that would allow for proper expansion. Over the years, the orphanage closed and UWM began to use the property in different ways. The name also eventually changed from the Home of Hope to the Beacon of Hope.

A Big Thank You
Michele and I want to express how thankful we are to have had the opportunity to sit down and talk with the Kuhns. We feel grateful to have been able to talk with the couple who originally found the property where Michele and I will be working. In addition to giving us a great history about the BOH, they also answered a lot of questions we had about living and working in Senegal.