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 are dedicating our news blog to our sponsors. We wrote letters to our sponsors and even met some in person! If you would like to sponsor a VOH child, please visit our Sponsorship Page
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/2019-04-23/watn-justina
Bulale (Tanzania): Meet Aisha
Meet Aisha, she is 4 years old and is in pre-school at VOH Bulale. Aisha lives with her single mother and her brother and sister. Her mother continually seeks out work to provide for her family but, unfortunately, the occasional work she does is not enough to provide a steady income for the family.
Aisha loves playing with the other children and is learning so many new things at our school. Through VOH Bulale, Aisha and her family have new hope for the future!
Bwiza (Burundi): Alphonse’s Story
VOH Bwiza would like to update you on Alphonse, who lives in one of our children’s homes. His mother abandoned him and ran away from Burundi during one of our recent times of unrest. Alphonse was only 4 years old at the time.
After his mother left him, he was living in very bad conditions with a neighbour who took him in. Sadly, this woman also ended up running away from Burundi not long after taking in Alphonse.
Thankfully, he was found living with a lady from the local church and she brought him to VOH. He was malnourished and scared and we offered him a home and a new loving mother.
Today, Alphonse is happy, healthy, in school, and full of hope!
If you would like to sponsor a VOH child like Alphonse and bring them hope for a future, visit our Child Sponsorship Page.
Chongwe (Zambia): New Minibus!
At VOH Chongwe we are excited to announce we’ve purchased a new minibus! We are so grateful to our donors who made this purchase possible.
The minibus will allow us to take the children on field trips and help the staff get around. It will also be used for daily operations.
The children and staff are loving it and say it’s very comfortable!
Kitwe (Zambia): Meet Catherine
Meet Catherine. Her brother brought her to live at VOH Kitwe after both of her parents passed away.
After graduating from high school, Catherine was reunited with her family. She went on to pursue her studies in Nursing at Apex University in Lusaka for three years and obtained a Diploma. She just graduated recently and now has her practicing license.
Catherine has now come back to serve here at our VOHclinic. Today was her first day, and the senior nurse welcomed her and began her orientation.
She enjoyed the first day of work! She did malaria tests, checked blood pressure, and measured some of the children to track their growth!
Malawi: Visitors from Waterloo
At VOH Malawi we had the chance to do something very special with some of the team members from Waterloo Pentecostal Assembly in Waterloo, Ontario. The team members who sponsor VOH Malawi children had the chance to visit their homes and meet their sponsor children and family.
It was a meaningful experience for the sponsors and the children!
Maramvya (Burundi): Term 2 Exams
This week at VOH Maramvya our children wrote their 2nd term exams. The teachers planned some special activities for the kids so they could relax and have fun after the hard work and concentration that went into preparing for and writing their exams.
The children had lots of fun playing sports and games with one another. These activities always remind them they are loved and cared for!
Mongu (Zambia): Therapy Department
Our VOH Mongu therapy department is always a fun place to be! We have so many amazing children that come to receive therapy and support from our skilled staff each week.
We currently have a qualified Occupational Therapist volunteering with us from South Africa who is working in our therapy department and helping out for 3 months. We also have Connie, who has been working with us as a therapy assistant for the last 2 years and is a huge asset to our team.
We love that the caregivers who bring their children to therapy get to form a support group among themselves and are able to encourage other mothers whose children are receiving therapy, while also receiving encouragement and support from our staff.
The children also have fun playing together and doing their fun therapy sessions every week!
Mwanza (Tanzania): Writing Letters to Sponsors!
It’s letter writing time at VOH Mwanza! Our children are taking the time to write to their sponsors. Our kids take this time very seriously and want to remember to update their sponsors on everything that has been happening with them.
The children love to share their lives with their sponsors. They share how they are doing in school, what they like to do in their spare time, what they have been learning, and who their friends are. They always make sure to let their sponsors know how grateful they are for their support.
We are truly grateful for everyone who sponsors a child at VOH Mwanza! Visit vohafrica.com/child-sponsorship to learn more about sponsoring a VOH child!
Zimbabwe: Welcome, Portia!
This week in Zimbabwe we welcome 6-year-old Portia to the family! Social Welfare brought Portia to us from a suburb about 50 km away from the Village.
Sadly, Portia was abandoned and picked up by well-wishers who took her to the Department of Social Services.
She has joined the family in our Genesis house and all have welcomed her with open arms! Portia is very bright and is adjusting well to her new home!