Mercy House Global exists to empower vulnerable families in Jesus' name, with a specific focus on the Bible’s most vulnerable: orphans, widows, refugees. Mercy House Global, through the work of Rehema House in Kenya, provides homes for pregnant teens surviving in unthinkable situations. We are not only addressing some of the most horrific problems around the globe in the maternity homes, overseen by widows; we are identifying solutions that bring healing, empowerment and hope for the future.


**Rehema is the Swahili word for mercy

In March of 2010, Kristen Welch, Mercy House founder, traveled to Kenya, Africa, with Compassion International, the world’s largest child sponsorship program, to blog their relief efforts in the slums of Nairobi. She was especially burdened visiting Mathare Valley, one of Africa’s largest slums. Just days after returning home, Kristen read a heartbreaking article by CNN about the large number of backstreet abortions by girls forced into prostitution to feed their families.

In 2013, Kristen was burdened with the need to provide sustainable jobs for women in poverty. Fair Trade Friday was born out of this burden in August 2014, now helping thousands of women around the globe. You can read the entire journey in Kristen’s book: Rhinestone Jesus: Saying Yes to God When Sparkly Safe Faith is No Longer Enough.

While in Kenya, Kristen met Maureen, one of Compassion’s leadership graduates, a former sponsored child. Maureen is married and speaks 5 languages. She married Oliver in 2014 & welcomed two beautiful sons. Maureen traveled to the United States in the summer of 2010 on behalf of Compassion International to speak to thousands of students at Student Life Camps. Her moving life story led to the sponsorship of more than a thousand impoverished children.

In the summer of 2010, The Mercy Maternity House was formed to support the work Maureen does. Maureen is the full-time Executive Director of Rehema House (word for mercy in Swahili) in Kenya. While she works in Africa, with her husband Oliver, the Welch family raises money and awareness while supporting Maureen and her staff.

To learn more, watch our 90-minute documentary filmed in 2022.

Your gift is tax deductible, and you will receive a giving receipt. All contributions designated for specific funds are used until those needs are met. We desire to be good stewards of your gift, and when we receive more contributions for a given fund than we can use, we apply those funds to meet similar pressing needs.