Update from Fountain of Hope

Due to the economical and social challenges that Zimbabwe is going through, the number of children that are dumped on a daily basis has increased. Street children are mushrooming everywhere in almost all towns of the country, the number of girls who are dropping out of school has also increased, the number of girls who are sexually molested in each and every community is increasing as well, homeless children are now everywhere scavenging for food and clothes etc. It is to this backdrop that Peniel Centre continues to be a place of refuge for orphans and vulnerable children who are homeless, were dumped, and were sexually, emotionally and physically abused. The Centre exists to shine the glory of Jesus Christ through the provision of a home, family, hope and a future to abandoned, abused and homeless orphans and vulnerable children. Thank you so much Bright Hope World for partnering with us in the provision of a home and education to such children. 

Recent Events

Centre

Peniel Centre currently has 27 children residing, all who are from very difficult albeit different circumstances. Some were raped by their relatives, others were dumped by their own mothers, while others were chased away from their homes by relatives after the death of their parents. 

Through your support we are able to send these children to school, provide skills training to some of them and also send them to tertiary education.  

Foundations for Farming

At Peniel Centre we are so convicted that we are raising up young people who have the potential to feed the whole country of Zimbabwe hence we train our young people to practice farming God’s way in our garden. The Peniel garden has been producing vegetables for the kitchen at the Centre and some of the surplus has been sold to the mine close by to raise bus fares for the children to go to school. 

Chicken Project

Peniel Centre is so grateful to Bright Hope World for helping us to start the chicken broiler project. This project is expected to help those children who would have aged out of Peniel Centre to start an income generating project. At the moment there are two young boys who are running this income generating project and thank God that in the midst of challenges in Zimbabwe, these two young men are able to have something even though it is little. 

Our desire is to see this project growing because there is literally no employment in Zimbabwe and also there is no way that they can go outside Zimbabwe since the government is not issuing passports because of a lack of foreign currency.  

Personal Stories

Gerald

Gerald never got to know his father and was raised by his grandmother until grade seven. The grandmother did not have a home of her own and was living with someone else. The owner of the home where they lived told the grandmother that Gerald could not continue to live with her as well. This young man was left with nowhere to go and thank God that he was referred to Peniel Centre where he was provided with a home, family, hope and a future. He was taken back to school since he had already dropped out of school. Peniel Centre discovered that this young man had a great interest in agriculture. He was then taught on a daily basis by our Agriculturalist to practice Foundations for Farming. 

We are glad to report that this young man who was taught farming at Peniel Centre is now a manager at one of the farms in Harare. He has taught people at the farm to practice farming God’s way and they have fed so many people with what they are producing from this farm. He is not only a farm manager but now leads a church in one of the rural areas of Harare. 

Comments

Fountain of Hope staff members and management would like to hereby register our heartfelt appreciation to Bright Hope World for all the love and generosity that you are rendering to communities right here in Zimbabwe. We are very confident that though we operate through very difficult circumstances, these communities are not going to remain the same. Your support is breaking barriers, making people realize the potential they have, it is building bridges in communities, people who used not to talk to each other are now able to talk and work together, and above all the support is making Christ to be known in these communities. 

We are so persuaded that through the grace of God we are slowly stopping desertification of communities and will eventually make these dry communities ‘GREEN’. We have seen great changes already in Makamure which used to be a completely dry area but now people are driving from far away places to buy green veggies from this community which was once very dry and dusty.

Thank you that through your support orphans and vulnerable children have got a home, family, hope and a future at Peniel Centre. Thank you that through your support some schools are getting qualified teachers because your support improved their living conditions at these schools. Through your support communities like Mtshazo which used to live on food hand-outs are going to work in their fields and producing food on their own through the Foundations for Farming program. 

“May the Lord bless you and keep you; may the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you PEACE”

Thank you so much

Gideon & Jennifer Chishamba and the team (pictured)