BACKGROUND
The story of SIMPEL Real Estate Ltd. is a story of God’s work in the individual lives of our team and how He brought those lives together to accomplish His work in Zambia.
This story begins in 1950, the year Wiida van Jaarsveldt (mother of co-Director, Hannes van Jaarsveldt) was born in Zambia where she lived until 1964. So, when Hannes first traveled to Zambia in 2005 on a mission trip, it was no surprise that he fell in love with a place he grew up hearing all about from his family.
Both Hannes and his wife Christél became full-time missionaries (financially supported by their churches, family, and friends) after a period of time in their respective professional fields and God was beginning to open their eyes to an unanswered call in Africa. There was a massive need for SUSTAINABILITY DEVELOPMENT within mission projects in Africa, as missions were dependent on charitable donations from institutions or individuals for their sustenance, but at the same time, they realized the need to also RESTORE DIGNITY amongst African nationals in desperate need of vocational training, mentoring and disciplining as jobs were being created.
In 2009 Hannes and Christél took a step forward in providing an answer to this need for SUSTAINABILITY DEVELOPMENT for mission projects in Africa and RESTORING DIGNITY amongst African nationals, by building the first block of flats to be rented out to the public in order to create a sustainable revenue stream for a local mission organization. In the course of this building project, a large group of Zambian people had the opportunity to be trained, mentored, and discipled, all while earning an income. It became evident that the construction site would become the training & discipleship center and at the same time, the very buildings they built would become the source of financial sustainability for mission organizations.
Since this first development, so many construction projects were completed under so many different organizations and companies, by the founders of SIMPEL Real Estate.
Subsequently, it is estimated that SIMPEL and its sister companies, which Hannes and Christél also co-founded, were the vehicle via which over 2,600 Zambians were given work, training, and discipleship across 34 different project sites. Moreover, sustainability projects within twelve mission organizations and two humanitarian organizations, have been implemented as they were challenged to change their overall sustainability paradigm with regard to finances and human resources.
Today the SIMPEL entity is a self-sustaining feasible business supporting all its staff, including its Directors and Investors. Shortly after the formation of SIMPEL, 25% of SIMPEL Real Estate Ltd.’s company shares were donated to PDH Foundation. This is in line with our company’s core beliefs combined with the principle of first fruits we read about in Leviticus 23:9-10 and Proverbs 3:9.
VISION, MISSION, STRATEGY & PLAN
OUR VISION
A world in which Missions to Zambia are self-sustaining and every Zambian SIMPEL touches has regained his or her God-given dignity.
OUR MISSION
As God-honouring people, the principals of SIMPEL engage both client and investor to focus on two main goals: use business activity to develop sustainability for transformational work in Zambia & intentionally work with people to restore a sense of dignity in their lives. The investor is also a beneficiary of this concept: he touches people’s lives DIRECTLY while EARNING a superior return on investment.
OUR STRATEGY
SIMPEL engages in various business activities that generate continuous revenue streams for Zambian missions and the investors SIMPEL is connected to. In the process the operations make use of those businesses as the platform for restoring dignity to all those individuals who come in contact with those business activities. In doing this we strive to be the hands and feet of Jesus where He places us whether it is while laying bricks, operating a 4-star hotel, teaching vulnerable children and “advocating for these vulnerable groups”. A special emphasis will be placed on the physically impaired, homeless, deaf and orphaned people and so transforming communities for Jesus Christ. Our strategy includes reaching the individual first, then reaching the immediate family of that individual through the individual; then reaching the extended family of that individual through the individual and his immediate family; then reaching the community in which that individual and his extended family live; then all of this will flow over in the workplace, schools, sports, and community; then at the highest level this all translates to supplementing the goal the government has been trying to achieve.
OUR PLAN
Our plan consists of operating businesses that are both sound and that afford SIMPEL ample opportunities to achieve the twin objectives of SIMPEL; of participating in creating sustainability for Zambian missions as well as restoring dignity to the individual. The most immediate plan is to engage in construction projects of various types. From there we would expand our horizons to include operating various other businesses that can flow directly from construction activities.
1.
One of the senior management individuals of SIMPEL Real Estate Ltd. would have been contacted by a potential client or initiated a concept for a new development. He or she brings this proposal to a screening committee in writing so that it can be evaluated.
2.
Then the following people meet to verify if the proposed project is in line with our Vision, our Mission and our Strategy as SIMPEL Real Estate Ltd: The Chief Executive Officer, The General Manager, The Project Manager, and The Finance Manager.
As previously mentioned, SIMPEL Real Estate Ltd. has donated 25% of its Company Shares to PDH Mission for Community Development T/A PDH Foundation. This principle in our business is rooted in Leviticus 23: 9-14 and Proverbs 3: 9-10. Here is an extract from PDH Foundation’s Core Principals.
PDH Foundation is an organization that is 100% dedicated to the fulfillment of the Great Commission that Jesus Christ commanded just before He ascended to Heaven and left His disciples promising them the Holy Spirit to come. PDH Foundation exists for the sole purpose of seeing God’s Kingdom advance through the sustainable multiplication of life-changing missions. We believe God has called us to join His Kingdom Business by using our talents as builders, architects, engineers, and business people to generate and deploy capital in support of Christian missions across Zambia in the immediate future and ultimately expand the concept to other African countries. As members of the Body of Christ, we strive to fulfill our function in three strategic areas in obedience to that command:
A. Restoration of a sense of dignity among Zambian nationals now (and ultimately expanding to other parts of Africa). We understand sustainable change requires a holistic approach. The jobs created in this process will provide the job holders a means to provide for their families, restoring a sense of dignity. The concurrent skill acquisition makes them more marketable, providing HOPE and SECURITY for the future. The spiritual development they experience in this process compels them to share the love of Christ with others, ensuring transformation. By empowering individuals both spiritually and economically, God can use them to transform their own lives as well as their families and communities.
B. Transformation of Zambian Christian mission organizations into self-sustaining Christian mission organizations. Our passion is to see missionaries sustained predominantly through ongoing income sources generated from real estate development projects – making it possible for missionaries to focus on their calling and less focused on raising money to sustain their activities. We commit to creating capital to support the members of the Body who are called to traditional missions.
C. Serving as responsible stewards for the resources entrusted to it by donors and supporters who use PDH as a conduit that connects their support to the work of PDH and the greater work in the vineyard of God’s Kingdom.
