Report from BHW Zimbabwe Partnership Facilitators Following Visit June 2026

Key People: Gideon & Jennifer Chishamba

We stayed with Gideon and Jennifer and spent a week visiting the various projects of Foundation of Hope.

Recent Events

The various ministries of Foundation of Hope continue on reaching many people. There have been no new initiatives started but the churches continue to grow and flourish. Farmers using Foundation for Farming methods continue to increase, in Chivi alone, they now have 61 farmers where they only had 20 back in 2023.

Peniel Centre (ZIM02)

We visited the Peniel Centre where they care for 16 children (mainly teenagers). Four of them are doing trade training for 1 – 2 years. This has been successful with previous young people now in paid employment. They have a cook, and three volunteers who act like mothers the orphanage, one of whom is Grace who came up through Peniel.

Another 12 young people from Peniel stay at Gideon and Jennifer’s home in Hillside as they need to be closer to employment, trades and university.

Three of the young graduates have started their own building businesses, so Gideon can use one of these businesses for others to get work experience.

A preschool also operates at Peniel each weekday for 48 preschoolers. Lunch is provided for the preschoolers from the Peniel kitchen.

Mthombothemba Community (ZIM02a)

They have a church property in Mthombothemba, where some of the team are also leaders in the local church. The original church building they had built had to be moved to make way for new power pylons, so they rebuilt it about 100 metres away on the new site. This is also where the Bridging Programme is run.

Mthombothemba is now a real success story. The village is largely able to stand on its own without much outside assistance and has become a model for other communities. But getting to this point has taken time. It took around ten years for the people of Mthombothemba to really trust Gideon. That says a lot about the patience, persistence and long-term commitment that both Gideon and Jennifer have shown to the community. They have stuck with the people through the ups and downs, and it was encouraging to see the difference that kind of long-term investment can make.

Bridging School: The Bridging Programme started in 2021 and is run by Maxwell’s wife, Catherine, and Cynthia. They work with 19 children who have dropped out of school, helping them catch up academically so they can eventually return to the local school system.

The programme usually runs for one to two years and covers basic English, Maths, Divili (the local language) and Agriculture. The children are also provided with lunch each day.

It has already produced some really encouraging results, with previous students successfully returning to the public school system and now doing well. It is a great example of giving children a second chance to get back on track with their education.

Personal Support for Gideon & Jennifer Chishamba (ZIM02b)

We really enjoyed spending seven days with Gideon and Jennifer. Having that much time together gave us the opportunity to get to know them better, and it seemed that they also appreciated having us there to visit, encourage and spend time with them.

Jennifer is a natural teacher and loves helping people learn. She often travels out to the villages with the team, running seminars for women and encouraging churches and communities to work together.

Gideon is passionate about the impact that Foundation for Farming is having in providing food security for communities. He is also encouraged by the way the work is helping small Christian groups develop and encouraging churches to work together. It was inspiring to see how much both Gideon and Jennifer care about the people they serve and the long-term transformation taking place in these communities.

Gideon and Jennifer are doing well, although they are clearly tired. We talked about the importance of them trying to set aside a regular, planned day off so they can rest and recharge.

The situation with their house in Hillview is also causing them some concern, which is outlined in the prayer points below. They are facing additional family pressures and are currently helping to care for their two grandchildren. Despite these challenges, they continue to faithfully serve the communities around them, but it was clear that they are carrying a lot and would benefit from some time to rest and refresh.

Makamure Community (ZIM02c)

The Makamure area is made up of several villages and is the second region where Fountain of Hope has established projects. Silas leads the work here and is based in Chiorgwe Village. To provide ongoing support and encouragement, either Gideon or Jennifer visits the area every month.

The programme is now operating across 12 villages, bringing practical help and development opportunities to families throughout the wider community. It was encouraging to see how the work is gradually spreading and making a difference across the region.

Makamure Primary School: There are currently 186 students enrolled at the school, and the daily feeding programme is making a real difference to attendance. Over the past two years, the school’s pass rate has also improved. The school has also benefited from a borehole funded by us in 2017, which continues to be a valuable resource.

A newly established vegetable garden is now helping to supplement the sadza provided by Fountain of Hope for the school lunches. Everything grown is used exclusively for the feeding programme and is not sold. The children are actively involved in planting, mulching and watering the garden, and the school also provides seedlings for students to take home and use to start gardens for their own families.

However, rising food prices are putting increasing pressure on the programme. Sadly, Fountain of Hope may only be able to continue providing food for the school lunch programme until September this year, making the future of this vital support uncertain.

Zengwe Community Garden: We visited an impressive one-hectare community garden that is really thriving. There are 36 community members involved, each with their own plots and rows within the garden.

The local Agritex Officer—the government agricultural representative—is closely involved and provides valuable support and advice. The impact on both food security and nutrition has been significant. The gardeners are growing maize, tomatoes, cabbages, onions, beans and a variety of herbs. They now have enough food to feed their families, and they are also able to sell the surplus. So far, they have earned US$851 from produce sales, and if they continue at this rate, the future looks very promising.

The Chair of the Garden Committee told us how thankful they are for the garden. Before the project began, they simply couldn’t grow crops because they had no reliable source of water. Now, with water available, they can make productive use of the land and grow food throughout the season. They still have a second crop of green maize growing and expect to begin selling it by the end of July.

The income from the garden is already making a real difference. Families can now pay their children’s school fees, and one committee member summed up the transformation perfectly when he said, “We are growing money in our garden.”

Along with the increased income, families are also enjoying better diets and improved nutrition as they add more vegetables and herbs to their meals.

Their next goals are to install a fence to protect the garden and secure an additional water tank to improve irrigation. They expressed deep gratitude to Fountain of Hope and Bright Hope World for making the project possible and helping bring such lasting change to their community.

Support of Agricultural Officers (ZIM02e)

Maxwell Ncube is Mr H’s brother and has taken over from him as the Agricultural Officer for the Bulawayo region. Mr H stepped back from the role so he could spend more time supporting his family, although he remains very much involved in the Mthombothemba church and continues to work closely with Gideon and the ministry.

Mr H now runs his own business conducting hydrological surveys and organising borehole drilling, which is a natural fit with his experience and knowledge.

Maxwell is a committed Christian and is passionate about his work. He and his wife, Catherine, have five adult children and live in the Mthombothemba area. Maxwell is an experienced Foundation for Farming trainer and is well respected and accepted in the communities where he works. 

Catherine is also very supportive and is actively involved in the Mthombothemba church and the Bridging Programme.

We had the opportunity to visit the homes of Maxwell, Mr H and their parents. Maxwell has a large garden where he uses Foundation for Farming methods, and it was interesting to see the principles being applied so successfully in his own backyard.

Silas has been FOH’s Agricultural Officer in the Chivi district for five years. He is 55 years old and married with four children and four grandchildren. We visited Silas at his home in Chirogwe Village. His wife, Proggy, unfortunately does not support his work and spends most of her time living in her home village, some distance away. Silas visits her whenever he has time off, but most of his time is spent travelling between the different communities, helping people with their farming.

Silas is a quiet, humble man who is clearly well respected by the communities he serves. He works closely with Tamara, who told us that she sees him almost like a father. It was lovely to see the relationship they have and the way they work together to support the communities. 

Mtshazo Community (ZIM02g)

The next day we made a day trip to Mtshazo, about three hours away where they have been working for about six years. This is the area that Jennifer grew up in and is best suited for raising goats. In 2024 they allocated 28 goats to 24 farmers, and then again in 2025 they allocated another 28 goats to the remaining farmers giving a total of 42 families (294 people) who are part of the goat project. After two years those in the project return two female goats which were given to new farmers. They want to gradually change their goats over to larger Boer goats, but these are considerably more expensive.

We visited a preschool where the village are constructing a building to meet in.  

We also met with the crop and goat farmers. After meeting the farmers as a group, we went out to three or four farms to see their harvest which they proudly showed us. They were very grateful for the support of Bright Hope and Foundation of Hope. 

Gideon said there is a lot of animism and witchcraft in this area, so discipleship is very important. This area also has a high HIV/Aids rate due to prostitution from poverty. Empowering families to pay school fees enables the husbands to stay home instead of going to South Africa for work, and therefore there is less promiscuity. 

Majiji Community (ZIM02i)

We drove with Gideon, Jennifer and Maxwell to Majiji, arriving in time for their church service and spent a night at the village. We were encouraged to see how the group of Christians has grown since we visited three years ago. They now have established a centre on land that was given to them by the Government. They have two buildings and a temporary meeting area where they hope to build a church building.  Obvious and Norma and their five children live on site and look after church activities.  

The following day we met with the farmers from around the area and then visited several of their farms to see their harvest. Maxwell oversees Foundations for Farming in this area and visits every couple of weeks, along with Jennifer who encourages the women.

Last year’s harvest was very good, so many of the farmers have enough food to last into January 2027 and their next harvest – they were very encouraged. 

Personal Stories

Tamara

Tamara is 28 years old. After being orphaned and living with her uncles, she moved to Peniel Home when she was 16. After leaving Peniel, she studied hotel management and catering and trained as a chef.

Tamara has now been involved in the ministry for many years and has lived in Chivi for the past nine years, looking after Fountain of Hope’s home base there. She hosts visitors and workers involved in the various projects and plays an important role in keeping everything running smoothly.

She also works alongside Silas, running Christian programmes in local high schools as well as Dignity programmes for teenage girls. These programmes address issues such as teenage pregnancy and early marriage, while encouraging girls to remain in school and consider their future.

Tamara is essential to the work in Chivi and is doing an incredible job. Fountain of Hope supports her in whatever ways it can, but finances are still a real struggle for her. Despite the challenges, she continues to serve faithfully and is making a significant difference in the lives of the young people and communities around her.

Mr & Mrs Semite’s Madubiko, Takaindisa Village, Chivi

We visited the home of the Madubiko family, where we met Semite, who was voted the top Foundation for Farming farmer in the area last season. The family is incredibly grateful to Fountain of Hope for introducing them to the FFF farming methods, which they have now been using for 14 years.

At first, they found the methods difficult and were unsure whether all the extra work would really make a difference. But it didn’t take long for them to see just how effective they were. Before adopting Foundation for Farming, they often struggled to grow enough food to feed their family. Today, their harvests are abundant and provide more than enough food for everyone at home.

They told us that they no longer worry about having enough food from their small plot of land and said they will never stop farming this way. As they have grown older, a wheelbarrow they received has also become an invaluable tool, helping them continue with the hard work involved in farming.

They have also seen the huge difference that mulching makes to their crops and harvests. They now grow enough food to meet their own needs, with plenty left over to sell. They are even able to share their surplus with other families in the community. It was a wonderful example of how practical farming knowledge can transform a family’s food security and, in turn, give them the opportunity to help others.

Collin Ncube and Silindokuhle Mhinga

Collin, 73, and his wife, Silindokuhle, 55, live in Majiji Village. This was our third visit to see them, and it was lovely to catch up again.

Collin joked that he had been a “fool” before learning about Foundation for Farming. He had always assumed that he needed an ox to plough a field, but through FFF he discovered that he could grow an abundant harvest without the expense and responsibility of keeping cattle.

Last season, he had an excellent harvest of sorghum, maize and vegetables, and he now has enough food to last until the next harvest. It was encouraging to see the difference this has made to their food security.

Gideon and Maxwell told us that Collin is a key leader in Majiji and is their “man on the ground” whenever they are unable to visit. He regularly visits other farmers, encouraging them and helping them apply the Foundation for Farming methods. It is clear that Collin is not only benefiting from what he has learned himself but is also helping others in the community do the same.

Sipho Moyo

Sipho Moyo is a hardworking 73-year-old widow who lives in Majiji Village with some of her family. We have now visited her three times, so it was lovely to see her again.

When we visited two years ago, Sipho was in despair. The rains had failed and her harvest had been very poor, leaving her seriously wondering how she would manage to survive until the next harvest.

This time, however, the story was very different. The latest harvest had been excellent, and Sipho now has plenty of food to see her through the coming year. It was wonderful to see the difference a good harvest can make and to find her in such a much more positive situation than when we last visited.

Partnership's Influence within the Community

Many people in the communities are experiencing an improved standard of living, with many who have come to faith and say that their lives have been transformed now that they have enough food to get them from harvest to harvest, and many said they had enough to also sell, which provides the ability to pay school fees and meet other essential costs.

Partnership’s Influence with the President's Office in Chivi
When we arrived in Chivi, we met with the Deputy Department of Development representative. He told us that he was very happy with the work Fountain of Hope is doing in the community and said that government representatives did not need to accompany us when we visited the villages.

Gideon saw this as an encouraging sign of the trust that has developed between Fountain of Hope and the local authorities. In the past, government representatives have always accompanied foreign visitors, so the fact that this was not considered necessary during our visit was a positive indication of the strong relationships that have been built over time. 

Ideas for the Future

Gideon and Jennifer would like to focus on running Community Development training sessions for anyone interested in transforming communities in Zimbabwe and further afield in Africa. They are planning to get others to run FOH while they run training.

They also intend to run regular training for pastors at the Mthombothemba church centre. They have some cabin accommodation that they want to increase to accommodate these pastors who will travel from around the wider district for trainings. 

Current Issues and Challenges

The cost of living has risen significantly and Gideon and Jennifer struggle to maintain all their expenses.  The recent increase in the cost of fuel has had a huge impact on their ministry and availability to get around the communities regularly.

Prayer and Praise Points

1) For several years, Gideon and Jennifer have been able to use a large house on an extensive section in town. The property is owned by Hands of Hope in Harare, who have supported Gideon by providing the house, while Gideon and Jennifer have been responsible for the ongoing outgoings.

The house is an essential part of their ministry, as it enables them to accommodate an additional 12 orphaned young people who are studying and working in the town.

The owners are now hoping to sell the property to raise funds to build a school. Please pray that Gideon and Jennifer will somehow be able to purchase the property so they can continue providing a home for these young people and carrying out the work they are doing in the community.

2) Communities are being transformed once they accept the gospel. This has resulted in local Chiefs and leaders coming to Christ and getting married. 

Comments

Gideon repeatedly expressed how grateful he is for the financial support that Bright Hope World has provided over the years. He mentioned that costs are rising every month and that it is becoming increasingly difficult to run the ministry, but he never asked for an increase in his budget.

Gideon and Jennifer do not receive regular financial support from any other source, so it is impressive how carefully they manage the funds available to them, especially considering the wide reach of their work.

Our only concern at this stage is the possibility that the feeding programme at Makamure Primary School may have to stop in September because of rising food costs. We will follow up closer to the time to see how things are tracking. It may be worth considering a small increase to the budget if necessary to ensure this important programme can continue.

We were deeply encouraged by the continued faithfulness, vision and commitment of Gideon and Jennifer. Through their work, they are having a significant impact on countless people and communities.

The transformation is not only physical, through improved food security, better living conditions and increased hope for the future. They are also seeing change on a spiritual level, as people’s mindsets are transformed, communities are strengthened and lives are changed.

It was inspiring to see the long-term impact of their work and the way they continue to faithfully invest in people and villages, often over many years. Their ministry is a powerful example of how lasting change can come through a combination of practical help, genuine relationships and a commitment to seeing people transformed in every area of life.