• 1: Home
• 2: About Orbus
  • 2.1: About Orbus
  • 2.2: About Malawi
    • 2.2.1: Helpful Information on Malawi
    • 2.2.2: Malawi's Economy
    • 2.2.3: Travel Advice for Australians Visiting Malawi
      • 2.2.3.1: Australian Embassy Contact Details
  • 2.4: Why Orphans?
    • 2.4.1: Eternal Life
  • 2.8: What we Believe
• 3: Orbus People
  • 3.1: The Board of Directors
  • 3.2: Malawi Management Group
  • 3.3: Project Management Group
  • 3.4: Advisory Panel
• 6: Newsletters
  • 6.1: February 2010 Newsletter
  • 6.2: September 2009 Newsletter
  • 6.3: April 2009 Newsletter
  • 6.4: Past Newsletters
  • 6.5: 2010 Brochure
  • 6.6: Religion is for Fools - BOOK/DVD Package
  • 6.7: Builder sought for short-term mission
• 7: Photo Gallery
  • 7.1: February 2010
  • 7.2: May-July 2009
  • 7.3: March/April 2009
  • 7.4: Some of the Orbus Sponsored Children
  • 7.5: October 2008
  • 7.6: July 2008
  • 7.7: 2007 Photos
  • 7.8: May/June 2010
• 9: Contact Us
• 10: Links
  • 10.1: Malawi Resources and Links
  • 10.2: Theological Links and Resources
  • 10.3: Malaria Prevention Information
    • 10.3.1: Deet and Deet-free Repellants
    • 10.3.2: Travel advice for pregnant women
    • 10.3.3: More information about malaria
  • 10.4: Helpful information for those moving to Malawi.
  • 10.5: Health Risks
  • 10.6: Chichewa Pronunciation Guide

The Board of Directors

Orbus, a Malawi registered charity, is managed by an eight-member Board of unpaid Directors. There are five Malawian directors and three Australian directors as follows:

Malawian Directors:

• Richard Tennyson Chaponda: Business Executive, Chairman and Executive Director of Rose Garden (PVT) Schools which he founded and developed to cater for Nursery, Primary and Secondary Schools; 17 years working as an Accountant and Group Internal Auditor for Malawi Hotels; Has owned and operated a food processing Company supplying about 200 superettes and wholesalers across the country; Car hire business; Property Development and Construction. Qualified Accountant (Institute of Bookkeepers, London, UK).

• Rosemary Malaidze Chaponda: Chairperson of the Orphan care program at Namatete Presbyterian Church looking after 350 orphans and underprivileged children; Manager and Academic Director and co-founder of Rose Garden (PVT) Schools; Qualified as a T1 Teacher, Rosemary has many years of experience as a teacher and Head-Teacher in both Primary and Secondary Schools in Malawi; Volunteers for Torch Foundation for the Blind in Malawi.

• Rev. Colin L. M'bawa: Minister of Namatete Presbyterian Church; Chairman of World Vision's Advisory Board of Malawi; Director of the Theological Resource Centre of Church of Central African Presbyterian (CCAP) -Blantyre Synod; Previously a board member of World Vision International; 18 years work experience as Director of Finance, Administration, Human Resources and Marketing for World Vision International in Malawi. Travelled world-wide to perform international financial and systems audits, and organisational restructuring for efficiency in World Vision; Widely consulted on strategic management, accountability and stewardship for non-governmental organizations (NGOs); 13 years as Accountant for British African Tea Estates and Malawi Housing Corporation; Board member of ECLOF. MBA (General Management UK); Dip. Bus. Accountancy (UNIMA); Dip.Human Resource (IPM-Southern Africa); DipTh (Australia); BMin (ACT Australia).

• Elliot Pavel Wadson Mulanje: Currently working as Service Centre Manager for Technical Entrepreneurial Vocational Education and Training Authority (TEVETA) in Malawi; Elliot has 3 years experience as a Civil Engineer; 14 years as Manufacturing and Production Manager; 3 years as Technical and Vocational Training Manager; Church Elder and Session Clerk for Limbe Presbyterian Church; He has widely run technical training workshops and consultancy, and has great compassion for orphans and the underprivileged. Bsc (Tech.); Dip. Engineering; Post Grad.Dip. (Production Management).

• Hastings Goodson Thembakako: Finance and Administration Manager/Company Secretary for Blantyre Hotels Limited; 19 years as Elder of the Presbyterian Church at Limbe Congregation. Bsc. (Economics - UNIMA).

Australian Directors:

• Vincent Lopes: Vin is a businessman living and working in Melbourne Australia. He is currently a director and CEO of Inner Range Pty Ltd, a high tech Australian company which designs and manufactures state of the art electronic security products in use all around the world. Vincent has a wide range of experience having served on the boards of many private companies engaged in activities such as property development and construction, product distribution, project management and manpower services. He has attended the South Yarra Presbyterian Church since 1993 and has served on the Board of Management as Treasurer for most of that time. 

• Craig Manners: Consultant facilitator in the marketing of mining projects and mining equipment. Craig's background is in business management, venture capital and financial markets, including seven years in the stockbroking industry. Craig, his wife and four sons attend the South Yarra Presbyterian Church, where Craig is a member of the Board of Management. Craig has completed short courses of study in Geology and Drill Management at the W.A. School of Mines in Kalgoorlie; is a Graduate (2002) of the Company Directors Diploma Course at the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD); has a Certificate in Financial Markets (FINSIA); and graduated from the Presbyterian Theological College in Melbourne, Australia with a DipTh (PTC) and BTh (ACT) in February 2008. 

• Rev. John Wilson: John is a long-serving minister of the Presbyterian Church of Victoria. John served as a parish pastor for 17 years and then taught Practical Theology at the Presbyterian Theological College for 15 years and now serves the church as Clerk of the General Assembly and speaks and preaches widely. He actively engages in world mission through several partnership trips in Central Africa, mainly serving the CCAP in Malawi and Zambia where he is well known. John is married to Paula and they have three adult children. BSc, DipEd (La Trobe), BTh (ACT), MMin (MCD), DMin (ACT).

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