About Us

We strive to create a world free from any form of discrimination; where everyone develops a strong sense of belonging and can live in safety.

Our Mission

We create life-saving advocacy strategies for the Banyamulenge people in the face of emergencies to defend and preserve the
most fundamental right for humankind in the Haut Plateau of Minembwe in DRC.

Our Values

We strive to be true to our organization’s name, bringing hope to a desperate situation, valuing human life by listening to the stories of survivors and advocating for an end to all forms of discrimination and genocide.

BAHO Members

Pastor Rich Gustafson has lived in Maine since 2007 when he accepted the call to become the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Westbrook. Prior to this, he was a pastor in Derry, New Hampshire (from 1990-2000) and Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania (from 1985-1990). He graduated from Gordon Conwell Seminary with a Master of Divinity degree in 1986. He first learned about the genocide taking place against the Banyamulenge people from Pastor Jotham Kigogo, who shared with him about the terrible things being done to his people in the DR Congo. The Holy Spirit moved upon his heart to do something about the situation and he issued a call to area churches to attend a Prayer Meeting on January 28, 2022 to pray for and to seek God’s direction about what He would have them do to put an end to this genocide. Based on what people felt God was saying, a committee was formed to enlist others to send letters to their elected officials urging them to condemn the genocide on the DR Congo. Since that time, he and seven other members of area churches have worked hard to stop the genocide against the Banyamulenge people and to bring reconciliation among the tribes in the DR Congo.

Pastor Rich Gustafson

Ruben Ruganza was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo and completed his schooling there. He held varied positions including high school principal, hospital administrator, and general secretary of pentecostal churches until 2004, when he was forced to flee his country permanently due to death threats made because of his Banyamulenge ethnicity. The belief that a Banyamulenge person did not deserve to hold prominent positions led to Ruben escaping death more than ten times. In 2007, after three years living in Burundi and facing yet more danger, Ruben arrived in the US. His family joined him in 2010, and helped found Philadelphia Church. Ruben has also worked as a case manager for Catholic Charities, and in response to God’s prompting started a ministry among pygmies in Burundi, which he still works with today.

Pastor Ruben Ruganza

Rev. Jotham Kigogo is a Congolese, and a founder and senior pastor of Word of Life Christian Outreach Church. He was born in Minembwe in DRC in 1970. After attending primary and secondary school in Minembwe, he went on to university education in the country of Rwanda at the school called INILAK where he obtained a Bachelor’s degree in the Faculty of Law. He worked for about 10 years as a judge, and went to Uganda in 2005, where he founded the Word of Life Christian Outreach Church. A chance meeting with Pastor Rich laid the foundation for BAHO: Jotham and Rich began to pray together for reconciliation among the tribes in the DRC, and to discuss the genocide and finding ways to bring awareness to the plight of the Banyamulenge people.

Pastor Jotham Kigogo

Georges Budagu Makoko Georges is the founder of Ladder to the Moon Network and co-founder of Amjambo Africa. Georges was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo and moved to Rwanda in 1994 due to political unrest in his country. He graduated from National University of Rwanda with a degree in Business Administration, and moved to the United States in 2002, where he sought and received asylum. He is the author of Ladder to the Moon: Journey from the Congo to America, a book about his life. Georges worked as Senior Property Manager with Avesta Housing for 15 years. In 2012, he was awarded Site Manager of the Year, a joint award from the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Housing Service and Maine Rural Development. He is currently the Director of Residential Services at Serenity Residential Care, LLC. He serves as a motivational speaker and professional interpreter, and speaks more than six languages, including English, French, Swahili, Kinyarwanda, Kirundi, Lingala and Kinyamulenge. He strongly believes in advocating for peace, reconciliation, and justice for all.

Pastor Georges Budge

Hannah Peterson is a lifelong resident of Maine and an active part of Community of Grace church in Westbrook, ME. She learned about the genocide against the Banyamulenge people in early 2022 at a prayer and informational meeting, and felt God’s clear prompting to follow up with those she met there. She has been blessed by her new friendships with Banyamulenge Mainers, and is grateful for the opportunity to join them in prayer and activism for their families back in Congo.

Ms. Hannah Peterson

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Mr. Marcel Ntagora