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 the VOH Africa Director, Sergio Bersaglio, visited several of our Villages, we received a generous corporate donation, and our students prepared for their grade 9 exams.
Don’t forget to scroll all the way to the bottom to see our photo of the week!
Bulale (Tanzania): Uncle Sergio Visits
Recently at VOH Bulale, we were very happy to receive a visit from VOH Africa Director Uncle Sergio! The children were very excited to see him and he was happy to see how things are going at the Village.
Uncle Sergio spent time with our grade one class teaching them about Shema: loving God and loving others as yourself. They learned a story about two little children just like them who practiced Shema in practical ways throughout their day.
It was a great session and the kids caught on very quickly. They enjoyed Sergio’s visit very much and we’re sure even the teachers learned a thing or two. Thank you, Uncle Sergio!
Bwiza (Burundi): Learning Love
The VOH Bwiza children were excited to welcome VOH Director Uncle Sergio, who visited us this week. He was sharing the Shema prayer with them and illustrated it with a practical book for kids to understand God’s love.
The lesson taught that we show our love to God by sharing love. God’s love can be shared by giving our time to others, sharing our toys with them, listening to them, and caring for them.
Chongwe (Zambia): Grade 9 Exams
Grade 9 exams are the second set of Zambian national final exams set by the Examination Council of Zambia. These exams determine which students qualify and progress to highschool.
At VOH Chongwe our teachers have been helping the students prepare for these important exams. They are also running extra tutoring classes for students who need additional support.
Regular assessments in the form of classroom exercises and regular tests are conducted to track the academic progress of the students to ensure they are on track.
The teachers are going above and beyond and are even taking time from their lunch breaks to help prepare the students for these exams.
We are confident and hopeful that our students will pass their exams and proceed to grade 10 with good grades!
Kitwe (Zambia): Donation from Airtel Zambia
Recently, VOH Kitwe received a donation of assorted groceries from Airtel Zambia. As part of the corporate social responsibility initiative, VOH Kitwe was one of the places Airtel targeted to visit and present their donation.
Children and staff were at hand to receive them with a welcome song. The team took time to encourage and interact with the children who are always happy to see visitors. The Airtel staff were delighted to see well-cared and joyful children.
We are so grateful for Airtel and their generosity!
Luongo (Zambia): Playtime!
The children at our new VOH Luongo location love having time to play. Despite not yet having a well-defined playground, they still find lots of fun things to do together!
Play is always supervised by the teachers and ensures that our children develop socially and physically as they interact with their friends.
The children love this fun time together and always look forward to it!
Malawi: Meet Christopher
Christopher is in Grade 1. Christopher came to VOH when he was 4 years old and has been in our program for 3 years now. He lives in the community of Kauma where VOH is located and can easily walk to Lilongwe Hope Academy where he attends school.
Christopher lives with his mom and has two sisters. When Christopher grows up he wants to be a bus driver. His favourite part of attending Lilongwe Hope Academy is receiving porridge. His favourite animal is a lion, and his favourite colour is white.
When he is not at school he loves playing football with his friends.
If you would like to sponsor a child like Christopher, please visit vohafrica.com/child-sponsorship
Mongu (Zambia): Student Health Week
This week was such an amazing week here at VOH Mongu. We loved seeing our kids getting healthcare treatment during our regular school health week program.
It was such a huge blessing to have Estee, a medical student from the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa. Estee helped our Medical staff and Dr. Kwan Yim perform screening on all the students for common diseases.
The kids were thrilled to be receiving such good care.
Thank you, Estee, Dr. Kwan Yin, and the VOH Mongu staff for making a huge difference in the children’s lives!
Mwanza (Tanzania): Uncle Serge Visits!
Recently at VOH Mwanza, we were thrilled to have Uncle Sergio visit! He had a very busy few days in Mwanza but he was able to leave a big impact. He spent some time with our lead team reminding us of our vision and celebrating the future of VOH.
He was also able to visit our newest satellite location, Nyasaka, and see the preschool program there, which is less than a month old.
Uncle Serge also spent time with our grade one class in Mwanza, teaching them the Shema prayer and how they can live it out, showing love to God, themselves, and others every day.
We’re so grateful for Uncle Sergio’s leadership and his passion for every child we serve!
Zimbabwe: Planning for 2020! 
This week at VOH Zimbabwe the Administration team took time out to plan for the upcoming 2020 year. It was an eye-opening and fruitful week with each department laying out their plans, budgets, and aspirations for the upcoming year.
If you don’t plan, you are planning to fail. This is what we always tell the children. We know their future is bright with such a hardworking and gifted team of educators, pastors, nurses, and counsellors!