About Us
Ray of Hope is a Christian non-profit organization located in Tainan, Taiwan. Their mission is dedicated to promoting the sanctity of life, teaching sexual purity and bringing restoration to women in the midst of a crisis due to an unwanted pregnancy or previous abortion.
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In 1999, three missionaries were praying for Taiwan, that God would respond to the needs of the many young pregnant women they were ministering to. In response, these three women decided to start an organization they named Ray of Hope. Taiwan has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in Asia. Taiwan has the highest abortion rate in Asia and the lowest birthrate in the world. One out of two pregnancies end in abortion. Sex-selective abortions are not legal but still happen because boys are preferred.
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Ray of Hope's Director, Juanita Hebard, speaks about the work of Ray of Hope. "Many times in Taiwan, parents force their daughters to have abortions to 'save face' for the family. Grandmothers are the worst. They do not realize the lasting heartache the girls will have," Hebard said.
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Ray of Hope provides a free maternity home, with residential counselors, for those pregnant women who have no support system. It, and their Bedwell Home Training Center, are furnished almost entirely with items donated by local businesses. According to Hebard, doctors in Taiwan rarely give ladies the option of adoption. Adoption is often considered a double death – death to self in being pregnant and death in giving up the child.
Ray of Hope teaches clients My Baby & Me, giving women the truth on motherhood, adoption and abortion. Their crisis pregnancy center offers crisis pregnancy counseling, a 24 hour help line, fetal and abortion education, pre and postnatal follow up, parenting classes, post abortion and sexual abuse recovery and adoption referrals.
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Six hours away from Ray of Hope's center in Tainan is the orphanage where hundreds of babies have been adopted, many from Ray of Hope. Neither agency accepts any profit from clients or from adoption. The children adopted from this orphanage are usually adopted to couples unable to conceive. Ray of Hope does not stop with care of pregnant women and adoption, they also run a bakery in order to train and give mothers opportunities.
Ray of Hope wants to change the culture that creates the need they are meeting. Their "Worth Waiting For" program is presented only in Christian schools and churches due to government regulations. This program teaches students the importance of sexual purity and the sanctity of life. Staffs & volunteers bring fetal baby models to show children what they looked like before they were born. The curriculum also teaches the importance of boundaries in dating and protecting the heart. The team is now focusing on training families how to teach their own children.
Hebard often says that one of the primary goals of their organization is to break the shame mothers feel about unwed and unplanned pregnancies in Taiwan. She also wants people to know that the doctors and abortion activists are lying when they tell us it's just tissue . . .
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"It's not [just] tissue, it's a life!"
Ministries we operate and what we do
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CRISIS PREGNANCY CENTER
We provide alternatives other than abortion for women facing unexpected pregnancies and encourage them to give birth to their babies. We provide friendly and comprehensive measures to help minimize the harm. We have room to care for women in crisis pregnancies during their pregnancies, through giving birth and up to one month after.
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24 hour helpline 0800-222785
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We provide counseling and emotional support
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Short-term caring home
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Medical related resources
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Career planning and life skill training
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Babies adoption referral
WORTH WAITING FOR TRAINING
We train the youth to learn the boundaries in dating, know their value, learn to protect their hearts and understand the sanctity of life. Our prevention education is designed to enhance two-gender training to the youth by connecting the resources of local churches, schools, etc. Content includes: "Sanctity of Life", "True Love is Worth Waiting For", "How to have a quality romantic relationship", "Reminders for Dating" and other gender education classes.
THRIFT STORE
ROH Thrift Store receives donations from across Taiwan and is providing job training and steady work for our clients. We urge businesses and factories to provide donations.
BEDWELL HOME
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SA (Sexual abuse support group)
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PASS (Post Abortion Syndrome Support Group)
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CPC (Crisis Pregnancy Counseling) volunteer training
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WWF (True Love Is worth Waiting For) volunteer teacher training
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Client baking training
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Half-way home for clients while making decision for motherhood or adoption
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Training center for clients choosing adoption and working for ROH
RAY OF HOPE HISTORY:
Three foreign missionaries Beverly Bedwell, Carolyn Ardron (Canadians) and Susan Thompson (American) saw a desperate need in Taiwan to instill hope and love to women in crisis pregnancies. "Ray of Hope Christian Charitable Organization" was born to offer support and education.
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1999 "Crisis Pregnancy Caring Center" founded
2000 "True Love is Worth Waiting For Department" founded
2003 "Ray of Hope Christian Registered Charitable Organization" founded and a mama's home was donated
2004 An office building was donated
2005 Youth Caring Center and Light House cafe started
2007 Missionary Juanita Hebard became the Executive Director
Yearly Thanksgiving Banquets began
2008 Ray of Hope Youth Center closed
Yearly Walk or Stand For Life began
2009 "Ray of Hope Thrift Store" founded
2012 Bedwell Home Training Center founded (5 free years)
2015 Baking Project started with 7 donated commercial ovens
2016 September Sanctity of Life Began
2017 Began renting Bedwell Home at USD $1,000 per month
City-wide concerts held through 2018
2019 Two new double ovens donated by Rotary Club
The three foreign missionaries who had the vision to launch the Ray Of Hope Charitable Organization in 1999.
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.
Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
Matthew 9:35