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 welcomed new students, received a donation of cabbage, and got new stoves!
Don’t forget to scroll all the way to the bottom to see our photo of the week!
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- Kelowna: Friday, September 27
- Winnipeg: Friday, October 4th
- Ladner: Saturday, October 5
- Ottawa: Friday, October 11
- Toronto: Saturday, October 19
- Vancouver: Friday, October 25
- Langley: Saturday, October 26
- Comox: Friday, November 1
Bulale (Tanzania): Hand Washing!
At VOH Bulale we are teaching all of our children how to properly wash their hands.
Our healthcare program includes teaching and training on how to prevent sickness, and washing hands is one simple way for our kids to protect themselves.
We want all of our kids to understand what germs are and how washing their hands before eating or handling food and after using the washroom will help prevent the spread of germs.
The kids appreciate the lesson!
Bwiza (Burundi): Visiting the Children’s Homes
Burundi is on school holidays until September and here at VOH Bwiza we are taking this opportunity to visit our children and their families at their homes in the community.
It is a special time for our children when they receive visitors to their homes and it allows us to be updated on their living situation.
Some of our children recently received letters and small gifts from their sponsors and we were able to share these with the children when we visited.
The children consider their sponsors to be extended family and they are so excited when they receive a letter or gift!
Chongwe (Zambia): Meet Our Housemothers!
VOH Chongwe would like you to meet our lovely housemothers!
During their weekly meetings, among other things, they read and then discuss books on parenting and how to raise children to know God and to understand that He loves them. The same books are then used during family evening devotions in the individual homes.
The Mothers love this gathering so much because they can share their challenges, encourage one another, pray for the children, and pray for specific challenges and needs they are facing.
We thank our lovely mothers for their passion and dedicated hearts in raising our boys and girls!
Kitwe (Zambia): Feeding Program
At VOH Kitwe we have been on school break for August, but we continue to serve the High Energy Protein Supplement (HEPS) to our students as well as their younger siblings who are not yet old enough to be attending our school.
Our HEPS Aunty, Beauty, loves the children and pays close attention to their overall health as she serves them their porridge.
For many of these children, their serving of HEPS is the only meal they receive in a day. Some may be given a serving of maize at home, but it contains little nutritional value.
We are thankful to our faithful supporters who make it possible for us to care for this most basic need for our children!
Malawi: Student Orientation and Welcome Party!
We had an exciting day at VOH Malawi recently because we held our welcome and orientation meeting for the 36 new students who have joined VOH Malawi as we prepare for the start of the new school year.
A few weeks ago the local community leaders that we work with helped us sort through all the applications we received for the new school term. They joined us for our welcome meeting, too.
Everyone had a fun time measuring the children for their school uniforms and school shoes, taking their pictures, gathering information for our child sponsorship program, and hosting an orientation meeting where they were able to learn all the necessary details of what it means for them to be a VOH child.
We talked about the start of the new school term in September, the daily feeding program, our child safeguarding policies, and our healthcare program.
The children enjoyed porridge at the start of the morning and we all enjoyed lunch together. What a great day!
Maramvya (Burundi): Visiting Anny and Zainabu
This week at VOH Maramvya we visited two of our children, Anny and Zainabu, who both attend our Preschool.
Dolaine is 7 years old and is going into 1st grade this September. She would like to become a doctor. Her sister, Zainabu, is 5 and is in preschool.
Their mother is a hard-working widow. After her husband passed away in 2015, she began farming. Lately, she’s been learning how to sew so she will have another way to earn a living and continue to support her children.
Mongu (Zambia): Visitors from i5 City Church
We loved having a team visit VOH Mongu from i5 City Church in Maryland, USA! This team of 7 people came to bless the Village with lots of amazing donations and to help out with different programs.
They were able to conduct training with some of our the leaders of our kids’ programs and taught them new songs with fun motions and new ways of sharing Bible stories.
The team also brought lots of balloons to make balloon animals and bubbles to play with. The kids had a blast playing with them!
The church also sent lots of donations for the Village, including toothbrushes, toothpaste, school materials, games, puzzles, crayons, colouring books, and sports equipment.
Thank you for being such a blessing, i5 City!
Mwanza (Tanzania): New Stoves!
Recently at VOH Mwanza, we were able to complete a small project that allowed us to change our cooking system for our feeding program from firewood to propane stoves.
Every day our committed staff cook meals for over 300 children. We are excited to be able to have a more efficient and effective method for cooking for all of our children!
Our staff are so excited about the new system, which is making the process of cooking each day much easier. Our kids also approve of the meals cooked on the new stoves!
Zimbabwe: Donated Cabbage!
At VOH Zimbabwe this week we are grateful to those who are always considering the welfare of our children.
Recently, as some local farmers passed by the Village with their newly harvested cabbage, they decided to stop in and share their harvest with us.
They had never come to the Village before but felt the desire to stop by to give back and we are so grateful they did!
View our photo of the week(this one will make you laugh!)