This week at VOH Malawi we handed out mosquito nets to all of the children in our feeding program. These nets are the best defense against Malaria, which is an illness contracted from mosquitos. According to the World Health Organization, “Sub-Saharan Africa carries a disproportionately high share of the global malaria burden. In 2015, the region was home to 88% of malaria cases and 90% of malaria deaths.” The good news is “Between 2000 and 2015, malaria incidence among populations at risk (the rate of new cases) fell by 37% globally. In that same period, malaria death rates among populations at risk fell by 60% globally among all age groups, and by 65% among children under 5.”  VOH Malawi is proud to be participating in the fight against malaria both through prevention and by providing access to medication should one of our children contract the disease.

At VOH Chongwe, we are currently on school break but the children still continue to come with their siblings each day to take part in the feeding program. We are thankful we are able to provide this essential meal every day for each one of our children. We know this meal is much needed and enjoyed by the children because every time school is on a break, they still continue to come. We also love to see them taking the time to visit with one another after they have eaten.

VOH Kitwe would like you to meet Mukuka Bwalya, one of the boys living in our youth homes. Mukuka lost his mother when he was 7 years old and his father three years later when he was 10. Before being introduced to VOH, Mukaka was doing odd jobs at a government school and in return they let him sleep in one of the classrooms and continue with his education. Mukuka worked hard and graduated from grade 12 and is currently doing a degree program in Education at Mukuba University. During school break, he assists our grade 12 students who are preparing for their exams. Having Mukuka help them encourages the students to work extra hard in their studies as they see him doing so well as a result of the hard work that he has done over the years, overcoming adversities along the way.

The young kids in our children’s homes at VOH Mongu were so excited to receive new building blocks to play with this last week! With many new, younger children in the homes, we are continually looking for ways to bring the new siblings together and make them feel comfortable with each other. Not only do these kinds of toys bring the children together, they also help them improve motor skills that many of the children struggle with when they first come to the Village. We are so grateful to everyone who invests in the lives of our little ones and helps make things like this possible!

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Mwanza: It’s a Boy!

This past week at VOH Zimbabwe we held a staff development day with team building exercises just before school reopens for the new term. The focus for the day was for all staff to continue to foster an attitude of teamwork and to encourage fellowship amongst the staff. Various games were played and eventually the winners from each group were given prizes for being hardworking team players.