Motshane Hope House OrphanageSwaziland, Africa

www.motshanehopehouse.orgLeadership

Louis and Maggie Chomba have been serving orphaned children in Swaziland, Africa for the past ten years. They have three children – Deborah (16), Abigail (10), and Joshua (6). Prior to establishing the orphanage, Louis was an engineer and held a management position with a mining company and Maggie was a teacher. They perceived God’s call to serve orphaned children approximately ten years ago after a significant health issue rendered Louis completely devoid of memory. After his memory was restored, they began a deep process of contemplating what they wanted their lives to stand for and how they may live for the kingdom of God. This process ultimately led them to forsake their careers, move into a rural community in the city of Motshane, Swaziland and pour their lives out in service to orphaned children.

Ministry Context

Globally, Swaziland has long been recognized as the country that has been most devastated by the HIV/AIDs epidemic. At its peak, the HIV infection rate exceeded 40% of the nation’s total population and has led many to refer to the “lost generation” of Swaziland. Although the infection rate has dropped to a current 25% of the nation’s population, the pandemic has resulted in a profound number of orphaned children (approximately 15% of the population). Further, the rapid mortality rate among adults has resulted in 40% of the population being under the age of 14 years; conversely, only 3% is above the age of 65 years. Many of the children have been left to completely fend for themselves, and many others are growing up in child-led households.

The Motshane Hope House Orphanage is located in a relatively small, rural community in the city of Motshane, Swaziland approximately 40 minutes from the South African border. The community has been devastated by AIDS, with an orphan problem that cannot be adequately described. It must be experienced in person to truly grasp the depth of the issues and the lend human need. Given the total destruction of many nuclear (as well as extended) families due to AIDs, the ages and birth dates of numerous orphaned children within the community are unknown and have to be estimated.

The Ministry

The Hope House serves as a beacon of hope and compassion in the community. It operates as a three-fold ministry simultaneously: an orphanage, a community church, and a soup kitchen. The orphanage houses approximately 40 orphaned children full-time. The soup kitchen feeds between 300 to 350 other orphans and vulnerable children in the community (one meal per day, five days per week) and Maggie, founder and runs the operation, Louis also serves as the senior pastor of an on-site church called The Hope House Assembly.

Several years ago, the local Chief (likened to a regional mayor that receives governing powers from the King) gave Louis and Maggie an approximate ½ acre parcel of land. Over the years, they have managed to raise support to build approximately eight small buildings on the site. The primary building is used for the church. The secondary building is comprised of a kitchen and common area for the children. And the remaining buildings serve as dormitories for the children that live on-site.

All of the children are enrolled in local public schools and Louis and Maggie are responsible for the annual school fees for each, as public education is not free in Swaziland. The children have to walk to school every day, which is approximately one hour each way.

Beyond Louis and Maggie, there are ten other staff members that serve the orphanage:

• Volunteer Staff: Eight older women who live in the impoverished community care for the children daily. They provide their services for free out of a love for God and the children. Hope House cannot afford to pay salaries, but they provide free food to the women on a regular basis.

• Bonami: A young man who works at Hope House full time; he is compensated USD 110 per month.

• Gabriel: A man who has received formal training by World Vision in animal husbandry and agriculture. He lives in the Lundzi village, which is where Hope House’s expansion land is located. He has been integral in Pastor Chomba’s planning efforts for the new land site, and he will be responsible for running the income generating components of the new facility. He is not currently compensated for his efforts, but Hope House will pay him from time to time when he works on projects.

Owing to a lack of capacity in their current facility, and sufficient financial support for further expansion, the Hope House is not able to expand the number of orphans that live in the facility full-time even though the needs of the community are far greater than they are currently able to meet.

Current Support Base

Through several conversations with Louis and Maggie, and a recent site visit, it is clear that the ministry is exceptionally thinly capitalized and lacks significant or consistent financial support. In fact, many of the ministry’s needs are not met through actual monetary support, as in-kind gifts of food, clothing, and other items are donated to the ministry from local sources on an inconsistent basis. As a result, it hasn’t been possible (or practical) for Louis and Maggie to generate annual financial budgets in conjunction with operating the ministry. Additionally, due to the high percentage of inconsistent in-kind donations to meet ongoing ministry needs, it is difficult generate accurate “unit cost” estimates (ie, total cost per child per month for food, clothing, education, etc) based upon historical operating data.

Supporting Churches Annually

Cerritos Baptist Church USD + 10,000

Irvine Presbyterian Church USD + 2,000

Anaheim Methodist Church USD + 2,000

Penny (Anaheim Methodist Member) Pays some school fees

Other Individual Donors (Inconsistent) USD + 3,000

Total Cash Support USD + 17,000

General Cost to Run the Current Orphanage

The total cost to run the orphanage under an “ideal” care/services model is estimated to be USD 90 per child, per month. This is a benchmarked estimate provided by Lighthouse, a Teen Challenge ministry, with experience in the region. This amount includes all items (ie, food and clothing, transportation, medication, school fees, etc). School fees are approximately USD 110 per year (including books). School uniforms are USD 17 per child, and shoes are USD 15 per child.

This cost structure does not include the feeding program for other non-resident orphans in the community.

Expansion Opportunity

Last year, and through a one-time donor contribution, the Hope House was able to purchase an approximate 15 acre parcel of land that is located in a rural area approximately 30 minutes from the current facility. The cost of the land was USD 25,000. Other than the fact that it’s a relatively remote location, it is a prime piece of land that the IPC Leadership team visited in 2012 (generally naturally graded, 100% usability factor, and tremendous scenic beauty overlooking an expansive and lush valley).

There is already electrical power to the site (just requires a transformer), and a governmental consultant has done water testing and has indicated that water tables are accessible through digging wells. There is a local school in the local Lundzi village that is within a 15 minute walking distance. Eventually, they will need to place a school on site.

Fully built-out, there will be approximately 10 homes that will provide capacity for an additional 60 – 80 orphans to be cared for full-time.

Their vision for developing the land is two-fold:

(1) Triple the capacity of the orphanage from 40 to 120 children (both locations)

(2) Establish income-generating components that lead to self-sustainability for the ministry

Some of the income-generating concepts include breeding pigs, sheep, goats, turkeys, and chickens, and farming vegetables. There are also plans to install a small man-made lake to breed tilapia. Some of the output will be sold to generate recurring

income, and some will be utilized for internal consumption in support of the orphanage. Since IPC’s team visited in December of 2012, they have already started a piggery with three pigs. Lighthouse – Teen Challenge has benchmarked the profitability of a fully established piggery at USD 2,500 per month.

It is also notable that the land parcel is adjacent to an extremely impoverished indigenous African tribe in Lundzi. As a result, it is likely that cost-effective

labor (and volunteers) ycan be sourced from the tribe, not only for the initial development of the project but also for the ongoing operation of the orphanage and the farming and breeding facilities. Fully built- out, Pastor Chomba estimates that an additional 30 staff/volunteers will be required to run the operation.

Preliminary budgets that have been prepared by the ministry indicate that complete build-out of the new land parcel should cost approximately between USD 125,000 to USD 442,000. This wide range exists because there are three options for build-out that represent different quality levels of the housing structures to provide shelter for the children:

Option #1: Lowest Cost Housing Option: USD 125,000

Option #2: Mid-Grade Housing Option: USD 275,000

Option #3: Standard Housing Option: USD 445,000

NOTE: Please reference the attached comprehensive budget and site plan for build-out of the expansion land. Pastor Chomba prepared these projections in conjunction with a government consultant that has been assigned to his project, experts with Lighthouse – A Teen Challenge Ministry, Gabriel (World Vision-trained), and a project engineer that has volunteered time to the effort).

Board of Directors

We have not yet obtained detailed profiles of the current board members; however, it is our understanding that the board that’s comprised of four to six members. It doesn’t sound like the directors make any meaningful financial contribution to the ministry, or solicit support from outside sources. It is also unclear as to whether they add value to the ministry through any other strategic efforts either.

General Comments & Observations

• Committed leadership: Louis and Maggie have been faithfully serving the poor and orphaned in this community for over a decade out of a deep and abiding love for Jesus. During this period of time, and on a shoe-string budget, they’ve managed to raise the support necessary to develop several buildings on the site or current that have enabled them to continually expand their care for more children orphaned over the past decade. They have also proven to be extremely resourceful in garnering financial and governmental consulting support that has led to the purchase of significant expansion land and what appears to be a very thoughtful plan for build-out.

• Sacrificial leadership: Prior to founding the ministry, Louis and Maggie had very good careers and were enjoying a stable middle class lifestyle. In order to respond to God’s call, they gave up everything and transplanted their entire family into an extremely impoverished community to care for children in desperate need.

• The needs of the community are overwhelming, and based upon the ministry’s lack of consistent and substantial financial support, there’s a “ceiling” that has been established that is restricting the ministry’s ability to expand its impact.

• Louis and Maggie are currently in their mid- 40’s; With adequate financial and strategic support, they could conceivably continue to lead the ministry for decades to come prior to executing a succession plan.

• Our core concern regarding build-out of the expansion land was centered around practical implications of the site being in such a rural area (ie, power and water to the sight, and schooling/transportation for the children). We’ve addressed these items with Pastor Chomba and all of the answers were extremely encouraging (as noted above).