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: Blessing’s Story
VOH Burundi is thankful for the life of Blessing. When he was just a toddler his mother abandoned him. His mother was in prison with him and she managed to escape but left him behind. A woman from the community rescued this sweet little boy from the prison premises.
Unfortunately, the woman was very old and living in difficult conditions and was not able to keep Blessing with her. She heard about VOH and came to ask if Blessing could stay with us. At that time, he wasn’t able to speak and everyone was convinced that he would never speak. He was unable to communicate because he had been traumatized by the difficult moments that he had faced.
We first shared Blessing’s story three years ago when he came to live with us and we are so thankful for how his life has been impacted in the past three years.
The happiness can be read on his face — Blessing is always smiling and making friends. He also is able to speak and communicate fully! We are excited to see what God has in store for his life!
Chongwe: Donation from Local Supporter!
VOH Chongwe was blessed by a donation from Florence, who recently heard about our ministry through a friend. She came for a visit and donated groceries, clothing, and bedding. Florence said she was very impressed with the level of care given to our children at the Village. We always appreciate our local supporters who come on board and help us bring hope to the child in need in our community.
Kitwe: Orange Harvest!
VOH Kitwe just harvested oranges from our orchard! The fruit was distributed to the children in our school and they were very happy to each be given an orange. We told the children that oranges are a very nutritious fruit, rich in vitamin C, good for the skin, and helpful in preventing illnesses such as colds and flu.
We remain forever grateful to Mr. and Mrs. Daka who donated the orange trees to us years ago.
Malawi: Treat Bags!
This week at VOH Malawi the kids were excited when a local businesswoman passed by with enough treat bags for every child in our program. The children were thrilled to receive their own surprise bag filled with delicious snacks! Each class had time to investigate all the goodies inside and to even taste a few before heading home for the day.
Mongu: First Aid Training
This week, the staff at VOH Mongu participated in an incredible training to learn First Aid. Organized and led by a group of Canadian nursing students from UBC Okanagan, the VOH staff learned the principles and technique of doing CPR. They also taught the basics of First Aid when dealing with situations such as burns, cuts, broken bones, sprains, snake bites, and dehydration.
This training was very helpful as we are now more equipped to help each other and all of the children at VOH in case of an emergency.
Mwanza: Annual Award Ceremony
Recently we held our annual Award Ceremony at Village of Hope Mwanza. Each year we take time to recognize the children who have excelled both at school and at home. We also celebrated several houses and housemothers who made the most of their household resources.
We welcomed the Ward Counsellor (community leader) from our local area as the guest of honour and she encouraged our children and staff and helped hand out the awards. It was a wonderful day to celebrate all our achievements over the past year!
Zimbabwe: Celebrating Easter!
Easter is an important season for the Christian community as we celebrate Jesus. On the night of the last day of school at VOH Zimbabwe, our children staged an Easter play for the parents and guardians. It was wonderful to see the diversity of talent and all the way the story of Jesus was portrayed through drama, music, and dance. All this was done by the children from the school and our own resident children took part in the activities of the day.
It was a celebration of life through Christ and also a time to laugh after a long school term. Happy Easter!
Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more stories and pictures: