We met as Trustees again on the 18th October to plan for the next six months and allocate resources to our hard-working partners in Zimbabwe. The needs are as great as ever but we were encouraged too by the reports recently received which we share here with you. One of our founder Trustees, Ray Pountney, has now retired to Wales and stood down from the Trusteeship. We will miss his expertise as a Zimbabwean and boundless optimism which was so instrumental in the initial setting up of ZPT. Sadly Juliet Lewis decided she could no longer devote the time to being our officer caring for Loveness, Chipo, and Agnes. We are grateful for her time with us and thankful too that Gill Prime has temporarily resumed the oversight of this role until a suitable replacement can be found. Please pray with us that the Lord will lay it on a Christian Sister’s heart to take up this important ministry.
Everybody loves a Wedding!
Trymore reports that one of their students has started his own shoemaking business this year and found himself a wife!
The picture shows their wedding conducted at the CDC. They used this happy occasion to share the gospel and several people made professions of faith including his own Mum and Dad.
Trymore and Bester – Mount Darwin—Community Development Centre
A dry and thirsty land!
Trymore reports that for their new borehole pump and water tanks, they have
been able to fence off an area of bush to cultivate and turn it into a nutritious community garden to grow food for their orphan ministry.
Please continue to pray for Bester. Her diabetic condition still fluctuates and sometimes gives trouble.
Here she is shown ministering to one of the widows for whom they care.
Training of Trainers and Zoom EQUIP Conferences
On 1st October, we held another EQUIP Zoom Conference with a group of pastors from Bulawayo (brought together by Robert Chatindo) and a group of pastors from Chivi (brought together by Gideon Chishamba).
Our UK speakers were Ollie Land, Ray Pountney and Derek French. Ollie spoke on ‘Things that Loosen the Roots’ (Colossians Ch.2 vv16-23), Ray on ‘Discernment for Today’s Church’ (Philippians Ch.1), and Derek on ‘Blessed are the Merciful’ (Matthew Ch.5 v7). Each session ended with a time for questions. Another EQUIP Zoom Conference is being planned for February 2026.
Another trip is planned for a team to visit Zimbabwe in April 2026. This will involve a two-day in-person conference in Bulawayo with Robert and Gideon’s men, and a Training of Trainers (ToT) week at Lasting Impressions, which is near Kadoma. Our UK speakers will be Ollie Land (Elmstead Baptist Church), Graham Nicholls (Christ Church Haywards Heath) and Mark Drury (Crockenhill Baptist Church). It will be Graham’s first visit to Zimbabwe. William Danyere will be sharing in the ministry at the ToT week. Please pray for these men as they prepare to minister to our brothers in Zimbabwe.
Tariro Yeupenyu – Hope for life – James Kambudzi
Please particularly pray for James at the moment. He faces a big change in his circumstances as his Chaplaincy job at Karanda hospital finished at the end of October and he no longer will have the salary to support himself and his children.
He has ambitious ideas for a new piggery project which will be a means of giving unemployed young people work by raising pigs to supply meat. The plan is to start with a small breeding herd and gradually build up numbers to distribute to others in the same way they have done with the goat herd. The goat numbers have performed well again this year having grown from 25 in March to 39 now.
The new fish farming idea has taken off well. 50 families have benefitted
from gifts as the numbers have multiplied.
Interprising! Some of the young people James is working with roasted Maize cobs to sell two for a dollar!
Robert Chatindo
Robert has asked for help to launch a goat livelihood project in his area.
The plan would work in a similar way to how James Kambudzi has been operating.
We will encourage Robert to talk to James for advice on how to help the community to work cooperatively – sharing resources and building numbers whilst benefitting from the milk and taking a small sustainable number for meat.
Gideon Chishamba – Fountain of Hope Foundation
Justin’s story is one of pain turned into purpose. Orphaned at a young age, he grew up without knowing either of his parents. There was no guidance, no protection, no one to call “mum” or “dad.” His childhood was marked by hunger, lack of clothing, and no access to education. He dropped out of school while still in primary, and with that, all his dreams seemed to vanish. With nowhere to turn, Justin joined other boys in similar circumstances – drifting into drug abuse and petty crime. He was arrested and spent time in
prison while still a teenager. But even in that dark place, God was working.
Someone told him about Fountain of Hope’s vocational training for out-of-school youth, and Justin didn’t hesitate. He made his way to Peniel Centre,
where he was welcomed with love, dignity and hope. He began with carpentry but soon discovered his true passion: motor mechanics. Today, after two years of training, Justin is preparing to sit for his government-accredited exams.
He is excited, focused, and full of hope. Fountain of Hope has not only equipped him with skills, it has provided food, blankets, bathing soap and a sense of family.
Justin says, “I never thought I would have a future. But now I know I can build a life. I want to open my own garage and help other boys like me.”
At the very heart of Fountain of Hope’s mission is a burning desire: to see people — especially in rural and hard-to-reach areas — come to know Jesus and grow in the knowledge of His truth. Gideon reports, “These are the places where cults often prey on the vulnerable, twisting truth and leading many to worship idols and false gods. But we believe that light belongs in the darkest places, and truth must be planted where lies have long taken root. That is why we rejoice to report the planting of two new congregations in Majiji and Heany Junction—two remote communities where the Gospel is now taking root. People are coming to the Lord. Lives are being changed. And the councils in both areas have generously allocated land for the Church to build structures where believers can gather, worship and grow.”
These are not just Sunday meeting places. They are becoming mission centres — hubs of outreach, discipleship, and community transformation. From these centres:
• The Gospel is reaching neighbouring villages.
• Farmers are being trained in income-generating projects to break the cycle of poverty.
• Gardens are being cultivated to feed families and sustain livelihoods.
• Young people and children are being ministered to and supported in their education.
Access to clean water remains one of the most urgent needs in Zimbabwe’s rural communities. Fountain of Hope had long wanted to drill a borehole in Vundembe village, a deeply remote area where families walk for hours to fetch water and where transport is nearly impossible due to the absence of roads.
Gideon reports, “Despite our prayers and planning, the drilling company could not reach Vundembe. There was simply no way in, but God made another way. We turned our eyes to Sungai village, another remote area in Chivi District, accessible only by scotch cart tracks. When we approached the drilling company, they hesitated again. But this time, the community rose up. Five villages came together, united by desperation and hope, and cleared a path by hand – a passage wide enough for the drilling machine to reach the site. It was a moment of holy determination. And it worked.”
The borehole was successfully drilled to 80 metres deep, tapping into a reliable source of clean water. The community, wary of theft and unable to afford repairs for expensive equipment, opted for a traditional bush pump instead of a solar-powered system.
Though the government is phasing out bush pumps in favour of solar, this community knew what they could sustain – and chose wisely. It took several weeks for Fountain of Hope to locate a full bush pump kit, and by God’s grace, they found one in Bulawayo. Transporting the equipment to Sungai was another challenge, as they do not own a truck. But again, God provided— the company that sold them the kit agreed to deliver and install the pump the next week.
This borehole will serve five villages, bringing clean and safe drinking water to hundreds of families. It is more than a pump — it is a symbol of unity, resilience and divine provision.
Bibles
At our recent Trustees meeting we agreed to send funds for Gideon, Robert, James and Trymore, to purchase more bibles for the churches they care for. Meanwhile frustratingly we are still working through various contacts in Bulawayo to secure the release of the Trinitarian Bible Society grant of 504 Ndebele bibles that arrived there in May of this year. It got held up at the Zimbabwe revenue authority offices and despite the patient efforts of Gideon’s staff, nothing is moving. One of us delivered a letter by hand to the Zimbabwean Embassy in London—to no avail! We have been given the name of a different specialist from one of the Bulawayo churches and are hopeful that this may now secure their release. The hunger for Bibles is as great as ever and remains a high priority for us.