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 received generous donations, went on school break, and got new winter coats!
Don’t forget to scroll all the way to the bottom to see our photo of the week!
Save the Date: Evenings of Hope 2019
Save the date for an evening of hope near you!
- Friday, September 27 in Kelowna, BC
- Saturday, October 5 in Ladner, BC
- Friday, October 11 in Ottawa, Ont
- Saturday, October 19 in Newmarket, Ont
- Friday, October 25 in Vancouver, BC
- Saturday, October 26 in Langley, BC
- Friday, November 1 in Comox, BC
And more dates to come!
This week we received generous donations, went on school break, and got new winter coats!
Bulale (Tanzania): Thank You to our Teachers!
At VOH Bulale we are very grateful for our hard-working and committed teachers!
Currently, in Bulale we have three classes: Preschool, Kindergarten, and Grade One. All of our teaching staff are very faithful and do a great job day in and day out teaching all of our little ones (over 70 kids).
Our teachers, of course, have been through teaching college in Tanzania, but also regularly attend training and look for ways to grow and continue improving their teaching skills. They try to use various methods to help all children learn. They work in groups with kids, use students to help teach other students, and also work one-on-one with some students who may have a more difficult time.
We do our best to keep our class sizes manageable so that teachers are able to get to know each child and their needs so they can serve them better.
We see so much growth in our children over the last year and we know our teachers are a huge part of this success!
Bwiza (Burundi): End of School Year
The 2018-2019 school year concluded in Burundi this past week and our preschool children at VOH Bwiza were excited to have completed their first year of school.
We are very happy with the amazing progress these young children have made in the different subjects they were taught in class this past year. They are ready to go forward into the next grade.
We are especially proud of Shalom, Chris Beni, and Emina as they were first in their classes!
We can’t thank our sponsors enough for helping to make stories like these possible. We are confident these children will contribute to breaking the poverty cycle in their communities and in our country of Burundi.
Chongwe (Zambia): First Aid Training
This Week at VOH Chongwe our nurse conducted First Aid training. The aim of the training was to equip housemothers and teachers with the skills of First Aid so they can prevent harm and act quickly if anyone is injured.
The trained mothers and teachers are confident that they are now ready to care for any injured children immediately.
Kitwe (Zambia): Donation from ZOCS
This week VOH Kitwe received a donation from Zambia Open Community Schools (ZOCS). ZOCS was introduced to VOH Kitwe by the Ministry of Education. They provide workshops for teachers in community schools and, at times, they also provide educational materials.
We were very thankful that they visited and donated some textbooks for our grades 1 to 7 classes. They also donated soccer jerseys!
It is exciting for our kids to see local organizations supporting them.
Malawi: Winter Coat Distribution!
Malawi is in the Southern Hemisphere, which means it’s winter here, or as close to winter as we get. With temperatures in the single digits overnight it can be quite chilly at times. That’s why we were so excited to do a warm coat distribution with the preschool class last week.
Many of our children have never owned such a warm coat before and so they were happy to zip themselves into them. Our staff worked diligently to find the right fit for each child.
The smiles on the faces of the children say all you need to know about their excitement!
Maramvya (Burundi): School Break Activities
At VOH Maramvya, our children are enjoying a break since the close of this school year. Even though school is officially on break, we continue to welcome them at the Village in the morning for different activities.
They start by receiving their meal from our feeding program, then they play together and learn new skills and songs. They are happy to have some fun with their friends and to also build new friendships.
VOH is a child-friendly center and we are happy that our children want to come together even when school is not in session!
Mongu (Zambia): Update from Save A Life Centre
So much is happening at our Save A Life Centre (SAL) at VOH Mongu! We were so excited to see three of our children discharged from the feeding program last week as they and their caregivers were deemed healthy, educated, and ready to leave the program!
These caregivers did so well in the classes and learned many valuable things about childcare. They learned about the correct nutrition for their children, how to keep their surroundings clean and safe, how to build a micro-business, and how to help their child to learn and develop their fine and gross motor skills.
We also saw two new children admitted to the SAL feeding program last week. N’andukelo and Joseph are two little boys that were both brought in by their mothers who were struggling to provide the proper nourishment for these growing boys. We are so excited to see their progress on the program and know God has huge plans for both of these little boys.
Thank you to all of our donors and sponsors who make it possible to care for the children at our Save A Life Centre!
Mwanza (Tanzania): Youth Camp!
At the end of June, VOH Mwanza partnered with Mwanza Pentecostal Church to put on our annual Youth Camp. This is a special few days aimed at youth and young adults where there is specific teaching, training, and fun geared to them!
There were many events and activities including outdoor and team games, team building activities, training sessions on making the most of opportunities, empowerment and discovering your identity in Christ.
The camp was very well received and all of our young people, along with youth from the surrounding community, had a great time.
We know many learned a lot and are energized and excited to take on all that God has planned for them. We believe these young people have so much God-given potential and we can’t wait to see who they will become and how they will impact this world!
Zimbabwe: New Couches!
At VOH Zimbabwe this week two of our children’s homes are celebrating their new couch sets courtesy of our friends from Trinity Pentecostal Church in Oshawa!
The original couch sets were well-used and definitely in need of being replaced. The children were sitting on the chairs from the dinner table, instead, while they waited for a replacement.
Now, they are happy to have a comfortable place to relax once again! We are all very grateful for this generous donation!