About Tomorrow's Hope
The Story 25 Years in the Making
Tomorrow's Hope began as a concept decades before it materialised into a centre for underprivileged children in Nias, Indonesia in 1997. It was one man's dream for a better world where poverty and injustice could be a byword. Hence Michael Christian started the orphanage in hopes of making tomorrow a better future for the few he could help.
While the charity has met the basic needs of hundreds of needy kids who have come through its doors, the work is gradually moving into a new long-term phase. Besides providing food, shelter and education, vocational training and a self-sustaining social enterprise have been ongoing pre-Covid. Providing a livelihood through a home-grown business will give the growing teens meaningful work to spend themselves on.
Hence the nonprofit aims to nurture and establish young business-minded entrepreneurs post-Covid, a long-term effort that will alleviate poverty, raising confident ladies and gents from a rural part of this third-world country.
Rising in the Time of Need
The tsunami of December 2004 struck off the coast of Sumatra, leaving behind numerous homeless and orphaned children. Those who lived along the coast made a living of fishing to feed their families, but with the entire west coast of Nias a disaster zone, they moved down south where aid was provided.
A bigger airport in Gunung Sitoli on Nias was constructed to better manage the sudden influx of relief aid workers and military personnel. As the children's home was at that time a home rented out to Ps Michael and Ibu Sintha, to enable them to cope with a larger capacity of up to 300 homeless kids, a plot of forested land was bestowed on them by the government and charitable organisations helped with the rapid development of the new home. As a result dormitories, mess hall and concrete fences for security were put up. The Extended Learning Centre, consisting of 5 large workshops, was setup later.
Tomorrow's Hope is thankful for the timely aid of Singapore Red Cross, International Organisation for Migration, the local government and donors who rose to the occasion in a time of need.
- Committee -
Michael Christian
"I am a missionary and tent-maker."
"I was in my late 30s and God had laid this burden on me even before I came on full-time ministry as a co-worker. I completed my Bachelor of Theology (BTH) with Singapore Bible College. My calling was specifically to Indonesia, and so I did just that.
"In late 2001, my wife and I decided to fully commit to this mission work. Having been away in Indonesia these 2 decades in Nias to setup the children's shelter, empower them with equal education and enable them to earn a living has been a blessing. I came back to Singapore during the Covid closure, and these 3 years allowed me to connect back with many people who showed renewed support for the charity. It means a lot to me.
"The nonprofit tries to sustain itself with its own home-grown corn and tapioca, etc. Since the inception of the essential oil distillation and coconut oil cold-press process, we hope to expand to other local farm produce in the future like coffee, turmeric and cinnamon. We hope to change the mindset and culture of the children there so that they are self-sufficient and can contribute to society once they leave the orphanage. We will teach them to fish rather give them the fish.
"Our vision is for the current local leaders running the children's home to adopt and execute the long-term business aspect of this new phase for the social enterprise too. I have yet another journey ahead of me and will welcome any willing soul who is likewise burdened to journey alongside the poor in Indonesia."
"I am an accountant and chairperson."
"I came on board with Tomorrow's Hope's voluntary committee as an accountant because they needed help. I had not seen the children or been to the orphanage yet when I first started 15 years ago. But it was only after I saw the numbers, or lack thereof, that I was determined to continue providing support wherever I could.
"I was recently elected the chairperson. And so paired with my husband's expertise in agriculture, we press on to do our best for the children even though we are based in Medan city."
Ibu Lina (right)
Interview with Ibu Lina
Pendeta Zega & Ibu Abigail
"My husband is a retired pastor and I work with the government."
"My husband Pastor Zega and I have been volunteering with Tomorrow's Hope for years. We felt that since we were based on the same island, we could afford to make trips down weekly to visit the children and ensure that everything was well at the home.
"Though my husband is retired, he still travels around house-to-house in the shelter van to survey needy families and minister to them. And usually the poorer villagers will stay deeper inland or in forests, which take over an hour to drive to.
"I cook or teach the staff and teens some of our favourite recipes so they have basic household skills. I aim to kickstart a Christian preschool in one of the unused workshops so that poor families can send their child here before they begin formal education. As I will be retiring soon myself, this is the next meaningful project I hope to serve in."
"I am a designer and marketer."
"Ps Michael first showed me his attempt at a Tomorrow's Hope website in 2021. When I left my job in 2023, this was something that God seemed to keep bringing up, so I decided to assist professionally on a part-time voluntary basis.
"We needed photos and videos so going there was the only option. The culture of corruption and poverty was equal parts physical as much as it was spiritual, and steeped in Indonesia's history. There is much yet to be done and this will be achieved through the persistent and vital support of nonprofits. The survey and selection of children to the home ensure they and their family benefit best with Tomorrow's Hope's environment of love."
Kylie Chia
- Statement of Faith -
Tomorrow’s Hope confesses Jesus Christ as Lord and acknowledges the Holy Scriptures as the norm for faith and life. Our main objectives are:
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To proclaim the Gospel to all people in the nation of Singapore
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To participate in world wide mission
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To gather into fellowship those believers who respond in faith to the call of the Gospel
