Ebenezer Children Centre – Project Audit and Capacity Building

About the Client

Ebenezer Children Centre is a multifaceted ministry operating under the Voice of Hope initiative and the Brethren Assembly Fellowship in Kenya. It includes a school, an orphanage, and vocational training programmes in tailoring and welding, functioning as a vital community hub.

Project Challenge

The school received a grant to complete a critical roofing project. However, the local leadership, while deeply committed, lacked the formal project management and financial systems to accurately estimate costs, manage materials, and track expenses effectively. Their reliance on external contractors for quoting created inefficiencies and a lack of internal control, posing a risk to donor investment and future project success.

MMM South Africa’s Involvement

Engaged by iMission Australia, MMM South Africa served as a technical advisor and mentor. Our role was to conduct an on-site visit to perform due diligence and build local capacity. This involved:

1. Verifying that the grant funds were used appropriately for the designated roofing project.
2. Assessing the team’s project management capabilities to identify critical skill gaps.
3. Providing foundational, hands-on training in project management, introducing practical tools like Excel-based cost sheets.
4. Delivering a comprehensive report with strategic recommendations to guide both the school and the donor for future collaboration.

Technical disciplines involved

The engagement was a multi-disciplinary effort focused on:

• Project Management & Construction Auditing: Assessing the completed roofing work against the allocated funds and plans.
• Financial Due Diligence: Reviewing receipts and financial records to ensure transparency and accountability.
• Capacity Building & Training: A primary objective was to introduce and train the local team on basic but essential project management and financial tracking tools.
• Governance & Compliance: Compiling and verifying key organsational documents against the donor’s checklist to ensure proper governance.

Key result, learning or implementation outcome

The visit successfully confirmed that the grant funds were used correctly for the intended roofing project, providing accountability to the donor. Critically, the assessment identified a significant gap in the local team’s project management capabilities. The key outcome was a set of clear, actionable recommendations: the school must adopt digital tools for financial tracking, appoint and train a dedicated local project manager, and transition from manual to computer-based administrative systems. This provides a strategic pathway for building local capacity, ensuring future projects are managed more efficiently, and giving the donor confidence for continued partnership.