Partnership Overview

Fountain of Hope is a faith-based organization whose main mission is to combat the spread and reduce the impact of HIV/AIDS on orphans and vulnerable children, women, and the community at large through the provision of orphan care services, HIV/AIDS workshops and community-based development projects. A big component of this is Foundations for Farming training. 

Fountain of Hope operates in a community called Mthombothemba (population 2,250) which lies in one of the regions that has a high HIV prevalence rate, and which is a drought prone area receiving below normal rainfall every year. Due to the above problems the community is now full of orphans, some of whom are part of child-headed families and has many widows who always find it difficult to make ends meet. Gideon and Jennifer have been living in and working with this community since the early 2000's and due to the amazing transformation they have seen in this community over the time they have been involved, in 2014 they decided to expand their learning to other communities.

Training people in Foundations for Farming is a key aspect of their strategy to eliminate poverty in these communities and they have seen phenomenal increases in crop yields when these principals are implemented. Most of the communities they select are in areas prone to droughts, with a short rainy season and sandy infertile soil where they know the community will see the same incredible results they have seen with Foundations for Farming in Mthombothemba.

As a result, more and more communities are requesting to be trained and so in 2016 Fountain of Hope approached us in regard to providing financial support to enable them to employ an Agricultural Officer to oversee this part of their ministry. Following this, this aspect of their ministry continued to grow and in late 2021 the BHW Exec approved providing funding to employ a second agricultural officer. 

History of Partnership

In 2001 Rob Purdue, BHW Executive Chairman, travelled to this project as his nephew was living there. Rob was impressed by Gideon and Jennifer and they have continued to minister to this community since that time. 

BHW's New Partnership Director continued to dialogue with them and in December 2012 we sent them US$300 to assist with training some of their people in Foundations for Farming. He then visited them in June 2013 and late in 2013 BHW commenced partnering with Gideon and Jennifer at a greater level, providing financial support for the children's home (ZIM02) and community development (ZIM02a) and personal support for Gideon and Jennifer (ZIM02b). Over subsequent years we have continued to partner with them as they positively impact many more villages. 

Beneficiaries

The direct beneficiaries here are the two agricultural officers who are being financially supported however there are numerous indirect beneficiaries in various communities. Gardens are being grown, people are eating better, families are becoming self-sustaining. The morale in the whole community has improved. All round there is a dramatic improvement. 

What We Like About The Partnership

Gideon and Jennifer understand that transformation requires a broad-based holistic approach to solving the issues and we continue to be incredibly encouraged by the commitment of Gideon and Jennifer to the communities they are involved in. Their love for these people and their desire to transform these communities is inspiring.  

Key People

Hidliza 

Hidliza (Mr H) was the first agricultural officer employed. He is an engaging guy and very passionate about seeing communities develop. After leaving school he worked for 10 years on a mushroom farm in Bulawayo, becoming the manager. Unfortunately, the farm has not been able to survive the economic situation in Zimbabwe. He subsequently worked on a farm that raised pigs and chickens. 

He then trained in Foundations for Farming in Harare with another Christian organization, Turning Matabeleland Green, which is developing young people to become farmers and grow crops. Through his church he became interested in Foundations for Farming and developed a passion to see people develop. In 2008 he began getting involved in Fountain of Hope as a volunteer and in 2016, when the support from BHW commenced, he was taken on full time to work with communities. He is very thankful for the support and loves his work. This is a very challenging country, and it is very difficult to live and do ministry. Many people from Zimbabwe including most of his family have left the country and he was planning to leave as well but he decided to stay for the sake of the people he wants to work with. 

He enjoys working with the people in the villages. He loves the training and encouraging and seeing the change that emerges from his work. He loves his team and gets a lot of support from them. 

Other People Involved

The Assistant Agriculture Officer employed in January 2022 is Maxwell who worked for many years in Botswana in the field of agriculture. He was one of the farm managers at one of the biggest farms in Botswana and so has joined the Fountain of Hope team with the myriad of experience which he acquired over all the years that he has been working. 

Vision And Annual Strategy

The vision of Fountain of Hope is to communicate the love of Christ to orphans, vulnerable children, downtrodden communities, widows and families affected by HIV/AIDS and poverty by meeting their physical, emotional, social and material needs.  They do all that they do to point the poor to Christ, the true Fountain of Hope which never dries up. A key component of this vision is reducing poverty in the community by training and running income generating projects like Foundations for Farming gardening, livestock management, goat and chicken loan programmes, chicken layers/egg production etc.

The strategy involves employing two agricultural officers to visit these communities, train the people in the Foundations for Farming method of farming, and then continue to follow-up and encourage them in these new methods.