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.
This week we participated in inter-school sports, welcomed visitors, and celebrated hope!
Don’t forget to scroll all the way to the bottom to see our photo of the week!
Don’t miss our latest blog:
Read: https://vohafrica.com/blog/2019-04-01/watn-fredrick
Bulale (Tanzania): Receiving Generous Donations!
Through generous local donations to VOH Bulale, we were able to pass that generosity on to the children and families in the community.
Children and their parents joyfully received free clothes, shoes, and other items they may not have the means to purchase themselves. They were very grateful for these gifts.
We’re thankful for people in our community who donate and support the work of the Village and help us make a lasting difference in our community!
Bwiza (Burundi): From Hopeless to Hope-Filled
The children at VOH Bwiza have been affected by many different hard situations in their lives. They are orphaned and vulnerable, and often they are struggling emotionally. In many cases, their difficult backgrounds make it hard for them to make friends and many rarely smile.
We are so very thankful to see the children, after joining us at VOH, become relaxed and happy. We can see it in their eyes and their smiling faces that they are full of hope!
We are very encouraged to see the positive changes in our children’s lives!
Chongwe (Zambia): Meet Mwaka
Mwaka is a double orphan; she lost both of her parents at a very young age. When her parents passed away, her relatives grabbed everything they had and left Mwaka with nothing. They didn’t want anything to do with her.
Thankfully, one of her aunts was very kind and she took Mwaka to live with her in a different community. Unfortunately, the auntie died and the auntie’s husband wanted nothing to do with Mwaka and so Mwaka was forced to drop out of school because there was nobody willing to pay school fees for her.
Fortunately, one of Mwaka’s friends saw what she was going through and told her mother, who arranged to bring Mwaka to live at VOH Chongwe where she found a loving, caring family, and she was able to continue schooling.
Now, nine years later, she is in her final year of high school and she is also the school Head Prefect and a part of the discipleship program. When she completes school, she wants to be a medical doctor.
We thank God for our faithful and supportive partners who make it possible for us to bring hope to children in need!
Kitwe (Zambia): Home Economics Class
VOH Kitwe is happy to share what our students learned this past week in our life skills classes at our Youth Empowerment Program (YEP).
Home Economics is a new class just added to this year’s curriculum. This past week, the students had the opportunity to practice what they learnt.
First, they were taught the recipes, and then they prepared the drinks and food. They made ginger juice and orange juice, and they also baked muffins and scones!
When everything was ready, some of our Lead Team members were invited to sample what had been prepared. It was so encouraging to see the children enjoy themselves and know what they are learning they will be able to use in their daily life.
Malawi: Asha Pays a Visit
Asha was the very first child cared for by VOH Malawi back in 2007. She graduated from the program in 2016 and recently returned for a visit. She now has a diploma in journalism and is working on her degree.
Asha shared her story with the preschool and primary school classes and the children were so encouraged by their big sister!
Her visit was an excellent reminder of the important work we are doing.
Maramvya (Burundi): Harvesting New Vegetables
At VOH Maramvya many of our children are suffering from malnourishment, we decided to cultivate various plants to help elevate their BMI.
This week, our children and our staff are excited about our eggplant harvest!
Mongu (Zambia): Inter-School Track and Field
We couldn’t be more proud of our VOH Mongu School if we tried! Our students competed for the first time in the Mongu inter-school track and field day and did extremely well!
They ran their hardest, threw their farthest, and really gave it their all. Our teachers and our headmaster were there, cheering them on.
We were blown away by our girls that went and competed. Anita won her heat in the 60m sprint and went on to place 2nd overall in the 60m! This has qualified her to go on to the district competition to represent Mongu in this race.
We are so proud of our students and the hard work they put in to compete at this level!
Mwanza (Tanzania): Visitors from Calgary
Recently at VOH Mwanza, we welcomed two school teams from West Island College in Calgary, Alberta. Each team consisted of 29 people (teachers and students) and each team was on the ground with us for 3 days.
They helped re-paint our entire pre- and primary school! The students and staff raised the money for this project and came to physically help as well.
They did a wonderful job and also had fun playing with the kids! We are very grateful for their generosity and willingness to serve!
Zimbabwe: Student Leadership
Every year the school at VOH Zimbabwe appoints new student leadership. This is a group of students that will make sure their peers are following the rules and behaving. They are the eyes and ears of the teachers in the class and outside.
These student leaders are taken through training and teaching on what it means to be a leader so they can be effective in their roles. When the training is done, the parents are then invited for a badging ceremony.
The 2019 leaders were announced this week, and they are excited and ready to take on the responsibility and do a good job!