Welcome to our weekly news roundup! Here we share stories from each of our Villages about our Programs, celebrations, children, and staff. If you’d like to receive these updates via email, please subscribe to our newsletter.
Chongwe: Conservation Gardening
Conservation gardening is an important part of life at VOH Chongwe! Each children’s home has its own garden where the children learn how to grow vegetables that they later eat in the homes.
The school also has a big garden that is used for training our students so they will know how to grow vegetables for themselves.
We are also blessed with a new greenhouse, which allows us to grow a variety of vegetables year-round!
This week our grade four class learned how to grow and care for tomato plants. In three months’ time we will start harvesting from the greenhouse, and, like all of our gardens, the tomatoes will be shared amongst our children’s’ homes and any remaining amount will be sold to the staff and the community to help the Village with our operating budget.
Upcoming Event: Tickets are selling fast for An Evening of Hope!
Join us this Fall for Evening of Hope 2017! Enjoy dinner with friends and learn more about our work in Africa featuring testimonies from VOH Africa graduates Patricia and Samuel and music by Richard Chimbetete. Find out more and purchase tickets on our Events page or directly through Eventbrite.
Burundi: Donated Toys!
During a recent visit, Cross Church from Winnipeg blessed VOH Burundi with a large donation of children’s toys! We are using the toys to give to our children when they celebrate their birthdays.
This past week we celebrated Annick and Mercy’s birthdays. Although they are not related, they both have a similar background. Their fathers abandoned them and their mother and left her to raise them on her own.
We are happy to help their moms by providing for Annick and Mercy’s basic needs through our programs.
Mercy recently had a sore surgically removed from her forehead and is doing great. It is this type of care that would be out of reach for her mom without the help of VOH.
All of Annick and Mercy’s classmates sang and danced together for their friends to celebrate their special day!
Kitwe: New Mosquito Nets
Last week VOH Kitwe received a donation of 59 mosquito nets from the Government District Health Office! Malaria is a common and serious illness in Zambia and the first line of defence is a good mosquito net.
The children were happy and excited to receive the nets, and we appreciate the gesture. The nets will help us replace some of our old mosquito nets to ensure they are effective.
The cost of one mosquito net is $10. If you would like to help us purchase more nets for our children, visit https://vohafrica.com/donate.
Malawi: Wild Life Centre Field Trip
This week at VOH Malawi the kids went on a field trip to the Lilongwe Wildlife Centre. They enjoyed a hike through the conservation area where they saw many animals in the rehabilitation centre including baboons, monkeys, birds, crocodiles, and an amazing 5m (18 feet) long python!
The conservation officer taught the kids about the importance of environmental protection and after a snack, they got the chance to play on the massive playground. It was a great day!
Mongu: Playing in the Flood Plains
VOH Mongu overlooks the Zambezi floodplains and we love taking our kids on field trips to the plains to learn more about our surrounding area and have fun together. The boys are learning new acrobatic flips and some new tricks on their bikes and the wide-open plains are perfect for practising. What a fun family we have!
Mwanza: Meet Hamisa
VOH Mwanza would like you to meet Hamisa. She has lived at VOH since she was very small. Unfortunately, here in Tanzania children who are physically or mentally disabled are often abandoned as families struggle to take care of their special needs.
Despite these challenges, Hamisa has found her home at VOH Mwanza! She has a beautiful smile and can light up any room. She lives at Hebron house with 6 other siblings, including another young girl who is also physically challenged.
Hamisa loves to dance and sing and she enjoys welcoming visitors and eating together with them.
Hamisa has hope because she is part of a family and she knows she is loved and cared for.
To donate to VOH Mwanza and support our care for others like Hamisa, visit vohafrica.com/donate and put “VOH Mwanza” in the comments box.
Zimbabwe: Meet Makanaka
Meet Makanaka, which means, “you are beautiful” in Shona! Makanaka is indeed a beauty and everyone at VOH Zimbabwe is amazed by how she has grown and thrived since arriving at the Village.
Makanaka came to VOH 3 years ago tiny and malnourished but today she is healthy and happy. She will be starting Preschool in 2018.
Thank you to all of our faithful supporters for making it possible for us to care for children like Makanaka; you are greatly appreciated!
We have a new website!
In case you didn’t notice, our website got a redesign. We put together a short guided tour that walks you through all the new and updated features. We hope you like the fresh look and the updated information about our Villages and Programs!
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