A letter from Gideon and Jennifer, caretakers of Peniel Center Orphanage:
Due to the Corona Virus threat, our Zimbabwean government declared a lockdown which was supposed to be for 21 days but has been extended further by 14 days and will end on the 3rd of May. It may be extended again because cases are increasing. Our children are therefore not going to school and are studying at home at the moment. We would like them to learn online, unfortunately, we do not have enough gadgets for them to use as well as good internet connectivity at Peniel Centre. We thank God that this situation that we are going through has made our children grow very much in knowing Christ and most of them are looking forward to the day that they will be in school so that they may encourage others in the word of God.
PRAISE REPORT
We thank God that on the eve of the pronouncement of a national lockdown, one of the Peniel children had a great breakthrough in getting a birth certificate after going through years of struggling to have an identity document. Thank you so much for your prayers and financial support, Lizwe (pictured herein) finally has a birth certificate and a national identity document. He now can participate at school in all different events that he desires to take part in. He was completely not allowed to participate in any national or public event at school and that has been a thorn in the life of this intelligent young boy. He never got to know his father and his mother died when he was so young leaving him a double orphan without a proper place to live and also without any identity documents. He was taken into the custody of his grandmother who also died and left him a street child. He experienced street life when he was so small but thank God for Peniel Centre that he now has a home, family, and a future that is being crafted for him through education. Thank you so much for your support.
PENIEL GARDEN
We continue to thank God for our boreholes that are both producing water for consumption as well as for our garden. Our garden has been a blessing to our children as they can get both skills in Agriculture as well as fresh veggies for the kitchen. We would like to expand our garden so that those children who have aged out may be able to have their small portions to grow vegetables for sale so that they have income in this Zimbabwean economy which is not functioning well. We need also to upgrade our solar pump so that we increase the yield of water that we harvest per day. We are praying for finances for a fence to expand the garden as well as acquiring a solar-powered pump for higher water yields per day.
EDUCATION
Since schools are closed indefinitely, we have decided to have one private tutor for our children, who will be staying with them at Peniel Centre during this time of lockdown. From the 1st of May, our children will be learning from home under the tutorship of a live-in teacher.
Thank you so much for your support.
With much gratitude,
Gideon & Jennifer, caretakers of Peniel Centre Orphanage