Apostle Kelvin Cobi Washington grew up in a bustling family home in Asallam Down, surrounded by children. At first, he assumed they were all neighborhood kids—but he soon discovered that many had come from distant villages. His mother, a seamstress, missionary, and passionate evangelist, often traveled to rural communities with members of her church, bringing food, clothing, and the gospel. And each time she returned, she brought two or three children with her.

When Apostle asked who they were, she would smile and say,
“These are your siblings. You’ve always wanted a younger brother or sister.”
As the youngest child himself, Apostle had longed for someone to share his room and play with—and his mother, full of love and vision, sought to fulfill that desire in a way that reflected her calling.

But these children were different. They arrived malnourished, neglected, and in need of care. Apostle’s mother would give them his cherished clothes to wear, even during a time of hardship—his parents had divorced, and his father had left home. The eldest sibling, Edwin Washington, just 18 at the time, had to grow up quickly to help support the family. At one point, eight children were living under their roof.

To sustain her outreach, Apostle’s mother would collect fabric scraps from factories. She’d have the children sort them by color, then sew them into large patchwork cloths. These were distributed to villagers to use as blankets—simple gifts of warmth and dignity.

A Brother’s Love and a Turning Point

Eventually, Edwin traveled to Europe and was adopted by a Swedish family. Concerned about Apostle, who was struggling with dyslexia and suicidal thoughts, Edwin sought help. His Swedish family recommended a “Sony A-Darte player”—a cassette device that could aid Apostle’s learning. Edwin made sure his younger brother always had the latest tools and resources to thrive.

As the family home grew crowded, relatives began to complain, and Apostle’s mother was forced to stop taking in more children. But God made a way. Edwin returned to Ghana, purchased a new house, and moved in with Apostle and their mother. This new space allowed her to welcome more children and launch a school she named Forest Gate Nursery, inspired by the Achimota Forest that once bordered their home.

As the forest receded, she renamed the school Thy Bounty Daycare, offering free education to children in need—driven by her unwavering desire to serve.

A Mother's Final Years and a Son’s Promise

Later, Apostle’s mother joined The Girls Guide, holding meetings in the Achimota Forest. But as she aged and battled fibroids, her strength waned. Concerned for her health, Apostle and his siblings urged her to close the nursery. She gently resisted, saying,
“This nursery is my lifeblood. It’s my heart.”

She passed into eternal rest at the young age of 56.

Apostle was in Sweden when she died. Upon returning to Ghana, he hoped to continue her work—but his siblings disagreed, and the nursery was closed. Not long after, his grandmother also passed away, leaving him her house in Darkuman.

Determined to honor both women’s legacy, Apostle founded a center for abused women and children in 2007, officially registering it in 2008.

Chosen to Heal: A Center for Restoration

The center began conducting outreaches to rescue drug-addicted women and children from the ghettos. Many of the women were pregnant or breastfeeding, requiring detoxification alongside their babies. To protect the children’s focus and well-being, Apostle relocated the women to a separate house in Dome—graciously provided by his father.

Though the center faced scrutiny from Social Welfare due to the condition of the Darkuman house, it remained open—because it was the only facility offering such vital services in the area.

Construction began on a two-storey building designed to house, educate, and medically care for the children.

By the grace of God, the building is now in its final stage—only the top floor remains to be completed.

But there was something different about the children his mother always brought home. They didn’t look healthy or well catered for, and his mother would give them his clothes which he loved and cherished so much, to wear. This was at a time when his parents were divorced and his father had left home. The first born, Edwin Washington, who was 18 years old at the time was forced to mature due to the financial difficulties at home, considering the fact that mom was now a single parent. At the time, there were about eight children living with them. Apostle’s mother would go to the factory to bring pieces of fabrics home and let the children sort them out in colors. Once done, she would sow them together into one big cloth, cut it and get them ready for her next outreach. She gives these cloths to the people in the village to cover themselves at night when they sleep.

Sometime after, Edwin had to travel to Europe. He later moved to Sweden and got adopted by a Swedish family. After some time, he informed his new family about his younger brother (Apostle) who had dyslexia at the time. His concern was on how to get his younger brother to read, write and to become an “A” class student like he was. His Swedish family advised him to get his younger brother a “Sony A-Darte player” (a small flat tape with a cassette port) as a solution to his problem. Edwin also made sure that Apostle always got the latest stuff as at the time, he (Apostle) was very suicidal due to his condition.

After a while, the family house became quite occupied with a lot of children, causing family members to complain. This prevented Apostle’s mother from bringing in more children. God being so good­, Edwin returned to Ghana, bought a new house and moved in with Apostle and their mother. This made it possible for their mother to bring in more children and to start a school which she named “Forest Gate Nursery”. The reason for the name was, the Achimota forest back then started from their new house. As the school developed, the forest moved back and as a result, she had to change the name of the school to “Thy Bounty Daycare”. The daycare was free due to her burning desire to help children in need.

As time went on, Apostle’s mother joined an association known as “The Girls Guide” and they had their meetings at the Achimota forest. After some years, due to aging and fibroid, she couldn’t go to the rural areas like she used to. Apostle and his siblings even rose against their mother’s nursery, as they were concerned about her health and how the nursery work seemed to be exerting her further. But she made them understand that the nursery was her liveblood and her heart. The Father called her home, into eternal rest at the age young age of 56.

Apostle was in Sweden at the time his mother died. When he returned to Ghana, he thought of continuing the nursery because he knew that his late mother would be pleased if he continued with it. Unfortunately, his older brother and sister were in disagreement and the nursery had to be closed down. Apostle also lost his grandmother later on but before she died, she gifted him her house at Darkuman. After thinking of how to honor his late mother and grandmother, Apostle decided to start a center for abused women and children for which he used the house his late grandmother gifted him. He started the center in the year 2007 and had it registered in 2008.

The center stared going for outreaches to bring drug-addicted women and children from the “Ghettos”. Some of these women were pregnant and breastfeeding and as a result, they had to be detoxified together with their babies. In order for the children to focus on their education and not get distracted by some of the services being provided for the women, the women were separated to a house at Dome which Apostle got from his father. The center was growing but due to the nature of the house at Darkuman, It kept getting notified by the Social Welfare but couldn’t be closed down since it was the only center providing such services in the area. Construction began to build a two-starry building where children can stay, learn and also receive medical care.

By the grace of God, the building is in its final stage as the last floor is all that is left to complete.