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.
Burundi: VOH Maramvya Opens!
VOH Burundi is excited to share with our friends and beloved sponsors that we recently opened a new location, VOH Maramvya! This will allow us to bring lasting hope to these beautiful new faces who are entering preschool in Maramvya. The children will also receive a daily feeding program, discipleship and health care, which is standard care for all VOH children.
VOH Africa: Committee Meeting
Last week the Africa Committee met in Lusaka Zambia. They met to review current policies and discuss each of the Villages and how we can ensure the policies allow us to continue to provide the best care for our children.
The committee members are Everlyn Chitente (VOH Kitwe); Julius Kenyamanyara (VOH Mwanza); Misty Duggan (VOH Administrator); Munetsi Zowa (VOH Zimbabwe); Odette Niyibigira (VOH Burundi) Sergio Bersaglio (Executive Director of VOH Africa).
Chongwe: Welcoming New Teachers
VOH Chongwe welcomes new science teachers who joined our teaching staff. This year our school has gone up to grade eleven! We thank God for the commitment, passion and hard work shown by the new teachers as well as our other staff members. And we thank you, our faithful sponsors and partners for making it possible for us to bring free education to children in need.
Kitwe: Benson Helps with CCP
Benson is a member of our VOH Kitwe staff and one of his responsibilities is to help us with the ChildCARE Plus program. Benson was one of the Village of Hope students and while at school he also had a CCP sponsor! He is currently taking pictures of our new preschool students that require sponsorship. We are very thankful for our partnership with CCP and each sponsor who helps us with the cost of providing care for our children. To sponsor a VOH child, visit vohafrica.com/child-sponsorship
Malawi: Farewell, Buzzy Friends!
A large hive of bees was discovered in one of our mango trees at VOH Malawi and though they have been very peaceful guests, for safety reasons we still wanted to have them removed. We called in the experts who came and safely relocated the hive to a bee farm near the Zambia/Malawi border. Bees are an important part of the ecosystem and we were glad they could be safely relocated.
Mongu: Children show their Gratitude
The children at VOH Mongu are the sweetest kids and are so thankful for all that is being done for them at the Village! Recently, while on their way to their occupational therapy session these kids decided to pick flowers and bring them to Megan, our Occupational Therapist. They said they wanted her to put them in her room so she can always think of them.
We are thankful for the family spirit at our village and happy to see that our children know they are special and loved.
Mwanza: New School Year!
At VOH Mwanza our new school year is off to a great start! We have some wonderful new teachers, new students from the community, and everyone is excited about a new year. Our school is now officially a complete pre and primary school, going all the way to grade 7.
This is the first year we have both grade 4 and 7 national exams. Everyone is working hard to prepare students well, but they’re also having lots of fun along the way and of course enjoying a nutritious meal every day through our feeding program!
Zimbabwe: First Greenhouse Crops!
Whenever you plant a seed you expect fruits. The greenhouses that were donated to VOH Zimbabwe in October 2017 have begun to yield positive results. Our first crop of tomatoes is being harvested. These tomatoes are used in the children’s homes and some sold to benefit the Village. We are forever grateful to our friends for the kind donation. After the tomatoes, we will be planting peppers and are praying for a bumper harvest as well. The VOH school children are able to learn about Agriculture through these greenhouses!
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