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 got new shoes, received a visit from our Executive Director, and connected with our community!
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): New School Shoes!
Thanks to generous donations, at VOH Bulale we were able to purchase new school shoes for the children.
Most children’s families are not able to afford quality shoes. Some of the children had outgrown their shoes while others didn’t have any school shoes at all. We are very happy to be able to provide for this need.
All of the children were very excited to receive their new, handmade shoes. They now wear them proudly with their school uniforms!
Bwiza (Burundi): Meet Gabriella
Meet Gabriella, one of our preschool children at VOH Bwiza. Gabriella is living nearby with both of her parents, but sadly they do not have the means to provide her basic needs or pay for her education.
We were happy to help by welcoming Gabriella into the VOH family while she continues to live with her parents nearby. She is very thankful to attend our preschool and has hope for a brilliant future.
Gabriella is a twin and was very proud to take a picture with her twin sister who is also doing preschool 2 at Bwiza center.
This week, she was very excited to receive a letter from her sponsor, Emily. She was happy to hear from Emily and to write back to her.
Thank you, Emily, for being part of Gabriella’s story!
If you would like to sponsor a VOH Child, please visit vohafrica.com/child-sponsorship
Chongwe (Zambia): Visit from the Executive Director!
VOH Chongwe was blessed this week to have our Executive Director Uncle Serge visit the village for two days in a row!
He conducted two meetings with the lead Team. The meetings left the Lead Team equipped and ready to strategically plan and work on our various projects.
Uncle Serge also reviewed our discipleship program and worked with staff on how to continue implementing it.
We appreciate Uncle Serge for his passion and commitment to VOH!
Kitwe (Zambia): Visit from the PAOC’s Africa Regional Director
Recently, VOH Kitwe was very happy to have Jeremy Feller, The Africa Regional Director for the PAOC, visit our Village. We took him on a tour where he had the opportunity to meet many of the teachers, moms, and children.
He saw our gardens, visited the clinic, and learned about our Youth Empowerment classes. He also shared with our students some words of encouragement.
After the tour, he met with the Lead team members who each gave him a short description of their roles and how long they had been part of the VOH family. We wrapped up his visit by sharing a welcome cake and cookies that the students in the Youth empowerment class had just baked for his visit.
We were especially happy that Aunty Nancy (the VOH Africa Director of Development) came to join us for this special occasion! It was a wonderful visit that concluded with Jeremy praying for all the children, staff, and the ministry.
Malawi: The Lord’s Prayer
Recently Uncle Serge visited us at VOH Malawi and one of the things he did during our time together was to talk with the children about the Lord’s Prayer. We learned how important this prayer is and he showed us that the prayer uses words like “us”, “our”, and “we”, which is an important reminder for us to look outside ourselves and remember each other as we pray.
God’s blessing is for us all and when we pray for one another our community is strengthened!
Maramvya (Burundi): Term 2 Results!
This week at VOH Maramvya, the preschool children and their guardians were excited to receive their school results for Term 2.
The guardians were particularly thankful that we are supporting the Maramvya community and their children.
We believe that education is one of the pillars of a successful life. We build hope in the lives of these little ones by educating them so they can grow up and be able to support themselves and their communities.
Mwanza (Tanzania): Easter Celebrations!
This year for Easter at VOH Mwanza each of our children’s homes got to plan their own special event as a family. Some of the homes went into town while others cooked up feasts at home.
Most importantly, each family enjoyed the holiday together. There was plenty of time spent together and lots of food to share!
On Easter Sunday, everyone dressed in their best clothes and attended the Easter Sunday service at church. It was a great weekend of remembering the cross and enjoying quality time together as families.
Zimbabwe: School Break
During school break at VOH Zimbabwe, we offer the students a chance to still attend class to review the things studied during the term and to finish off the required curriculum early, which will then allow them more time to study for their national exams.
One of the groups that took advantage of this opportunity was the students in our Building class. They came to complete their written work and continue working on the practical hands-on portion of the class. The practical lessons constitute 60% of their final mark!
We appreciate our teachers’ willingness to volunteer to come and assist the children during the break. This is all done to help provide our children with a bright future and hope.