VOH Bulale (Tanzania) Update: Care Packages!
Recently at VOH Bulale, we were able to put small care packages together to send home with our children. Most of the children we serve in Bulale come from very difficult situations at home and their parents and guardians struggle to provide for basic needs.
Occasionally we send basic supplies home with the children. The care packages include items like soap, flip-flops, matches, lotion, clothing, and toothbrushes. These items are so helpful to our community parents and help them take good care of their children.
We are grateful for all the donations we receive that go towards making these care packages possible. The VOH kids are always so excited to receive them!
VOH Bwiza (Burundi) Update: Evaluating Education
This past week our leadership team at VOH Bwiza had a meeting to discuss the education of our children. Each year in July the school year comes to a close and we meet to discuss the children’s progress, their challenges, their opportunities, their strengths, and weaknesses and to talk about ways we can help them when school reopens.
We are very thankful most of our children have good reports and we believe they will keep improving as we encourage them to work hard for a bright future.
VOH Chongwe (Zambia) Update: Returning On-Site
The ministry of health is pleased with how well we are following all of their safety guidelines at VOH Chongwe and recently permitted us to welcome the children to return on-site daily for the feeding program. While at the Village, the children will also pick up their schoolwork and to receive any medical attention they may need.
During the lockdown, the children have been exchanging letters and prayers with their friends so they can stay connected. They are excited to once again reunite in person–even if it’s from 6 feet apart!
It is great to be able to continue to provide holistic care for our children even during these challenging times!
VOH Kitwe (Zambia) Update: 100 Hope Packs!
This week at VOH Kitwe we were able to send 100 children home with Hope Packs that they can share with their families!
Many children in the surrounding community are under pressure to find work to earn money to help provide food for their families. Usually, this means long days trying to sell food and other items in the streets to passersby.
However, we have been told that because we are sending these packs home with our children, the caregivers are not needing to have the children help provide income for the home.
These are difficult times in Zambia because of the pandemic and we are thankful for the generosity of all those who have and continue to contribute to our Hope Packs campaign.
The children are thrilled that they can fully concentrate on school work and don’t have to worry about earning an income by selling in the streets.
VOH Luongo (Zambia) Update: Hope Pack Distribution!
This week at VOH Luongo, it was yet another exciting time where children received a Hope Pack to share with their families at home. As they were receiving the Hope Packs, the teacher emphasized the importance of following health regulations and assured them of the love of God.
The guardians were so happy and grateful for the gesture shown to them, especially right now as the local economy is very bad. With this, the children and their guardians are learning form us that even in times like these, it is important to show love and share.
Support our Work During COVID-19 by Giving Hope Packs!
Each package contains:
- 1 bottle of liquid hand soap
- 2kgs of nutritious porridge
- reusable face masks (with use and care instructions)
- children’s multi-vitamins
- a COVID-19 safety handout
Each HOPE Pack costs $20.
VOH Malawi Update: Preparing a New Garden
At VOH Malawi all of our staff have been working hard to prepare a vegetable garden. In Malawi, we expect the pandemic may cause inflation in food prices, so we’re growing our own.
The beds for the crops are marked and the manure has been applied. It’s currently being cultivated and next week transplanting of crops from the nursery will begin.
We’re grateful to have a borehole near the garden to help us water it. It’s dry season in Malawi and we don’t expect rain again until November.
VOH Maramvya (Burundi) Update: Preparing for Harvest!
At VOH Maramvya, we are at the start of the school holidays, so we are busy preparing our vegetable garden. The children will come back to school during harvest time, just in time to enjoy seeing the produce!
In our garden, we have cabbage, carrots, and eggplant. Later, when the rainy season begins, we will plant beans, corn, sweet potatoes, and soy.
Our garden helps us provide the children with a well-balanced diet year-round!
We are thankful that in the dry season like we are currently experiencing, and in the rainy season which will be coming soon, vegetables grow abundantly in this area.
VOH Mongu (Zambia) Update: Selling Chickens!
Six weeks ago, we got 400 brand new baby chicks at VOH Mongu to raise and sell as part of our local initiative and income-generating projects.
This week, the chicks were big enough and ready to sell! Within three days, we sold every single one of our chickens and turned over a great profit that will go back into the Village to help us provide care for our kids.
Everyone was so excited about coming to buy chickens and we sold many to our staff and the teachers at the surrounding schools. The kids that helped with this initiative were incredibly proud of their huge chickens and are excited for the next round of chicks.
This has been such a successful project and we are so excited to see it continue!
VOH Mwanza (Tanzania) Update: Colgate Visits the Village!
Recently at VOH Mwanza, we received a generous donation from Colgate including toothbrushes and toothpaste for all our kids. They also came to our school and offered training with several of our classes about the importance of dental hygiene and how to properly take care of your teeth.
The kids enjoyed the training and were happy to receive a toothbrush and tube of toothpaste to take home with them.
We love seeing smiles on our kids’ faces–it’s even better when we know they’re learning how to take good care of their teeth!
VOH Zimbabwe Update: Thank You, Mrs. Chekera!
At VOH Zimbabwe we said goodbye to one of our long-serving teachers who reached retirement age. Mrs. Chekera has been with VOH for almost 13 years. She served as one of our school board members before the school opened and then moved schools to be part of our staff a few years later.
When she joined, she was responsible for our special class. This class is for children who have notable learning challenges. It provides them with special attention before rejoining the standard class with the other children. Once they’ve returned to the standard class, they still receive additional attention from Mrs. Chekera to make sure they are learning well.
We witnessed the students’ transformations as they took part in Mrs. Chekera’s class! She was a joy to work with, a teacher to many children, and mother figure to many as well.
In total, she served children for over 40 years! She had so much experience that she shared with the teachers at the school and we hope to continue tapping into her wisdom and experience with our outreach programs.
Mrs. Chekera, you will be missed!