VOH Bulale (Tanzania): Preparing for the Rains
At VOH Bulale we are welcoming the rainy season by preparing all of our gardens. Our community parents and caregivers have been incredibly helpful in this process. They helped prepare the grounds for several different gardens. They are also helping us plant sweet potatoes and several different green vegetables. The rains have started and we continue to pray that we will have a good rainy season so all of our gardens at the centre can do well and provide food for our feeding program. We are very grateful for our parent’s and caregiver’s involvement and help! They are always ready and willing to come help at the centre and they are taking great care of our gardens.
VOH Bwiza (Burundi) Update: Thierry Returns Home
Thierry’s mother abandoned him when he was just a baby and neighbours found him crying, alone in the house. A generous woman from the community rescued him and took him home. She took care of him and brought him to us at VOH Bwiza, where we welcomed him into one of our homes. Now that Thierry has graduated high school, this kind and caring woman is welcoming him back into her home as family! We will miss Thierry, but we know he is well-loved and cared for!
VOH Chongwe (Zambia) Update: Supporting Widows and Children
This week at VOH Chongwe, as our staff were delivering Hope Packs to the children living in the surrounding communities, a young widow named Sharon saw us and asked about VOH. After talking with her, we discovered she is raising four children all on her own with no source of income. To support her family, she depends on finding temporary jobs and piece work. We are grateful we can now help support her family through our feeding program and Hope Packs campaign. We are also happy to share that her three oldest children have are now enrolled in our school!
You can help us support families like Sharon’s by giving Hope Packs! Visit vohafrica.com/hopepacks to learn more!
VOH Kitwe (Zambia) Update: New Photos!
It’s time once again to take photos of the VOH Kitwe children to send to their sponsors! The children are excited for their sponsors to receive their photos and see how they’ve changed. The photos are sent annually along with an update on each child. VOH sponsors always tell us how much they appreciate receiving new photos and updates about their sponsor children. The children love writing to their sponsors to show their gratitude!
You can sponsor a VOH child today by visiting vohafrica.com/child-sponsorship
VOH Africa: New Back to School Hope Packs!
Our new Back to School Hope Packs will ensure each student has access to all the things they need for a safe and successful school year!
Each Back to School Hope Pack costs $30 and contains:
- Exercise Books
- Pencils
- Pens
- An Eraser
- A Ruler
- A Pencil Case
- Soap and/or Hand Sanitizer
Support our Work During COVID-19 by Giving Hope Packs!
VOH Luongo (Zambia) Update: New Clothes!
At VOH Luongo, we know our children love to look smart and clean but that most do not have many nice clothes to wear. This week, we were so excited to distribute donated clothes to all of our children! The children had lots of fun showing each other what they received. Their parents loved seeing their children so excited and expressed how grateful they are to VOH and everyone who donated these clothes.
VOH Malawi Update: Handing Out Soap
This week at VOH Malawi we took time to say hello to some of the kindergarten kids as they headed home after school. They were so happy to share greetings as they went home after another fun day at school. Today they received their bar of soap, which we hand out weekly to ensure everyone is able to keep clean. Never has this been more important than during COVID-19. We continue to talk to the kids about the importance of washing hands and staying safe because even though a lot of time has passed COVID-19 is still around.
VOH Mongu (Zambia) Update: Afternoon Play Time!
At VOH in Mongu, we enjoy seeing our kids come together every afternoon after school to play together. Practicing crafts, drawing, and painting during their free time always leads to hours of fun. We always encourage the children–young and old–to explore their creative sides. It’s encouraging to watch them become increasingly confident. These group activities keep them happy and smiling!
VOH Mwanza (Tanzania) Update: New Welcome Banner!
At VOH Mwanza we recently changed our office space, including adding a large sign with our mission and vision in the main entrance. We want all visitors to know who we are as soon as they walk in the door. Some of our children were admiring the new banner and reading our mission and vision. It’s great to have the children know what we are striving for and to get their feedback on how we’re doing since it’s all about caring for them. Thankfully the feedback we got from them was positive. They love the banner and can see how everything we are doing follows our mission and vision!
VOH Zimbabwe Update: Providing Psychosocial Support
Part of providing holistic care for our children at VOH Zimbabwe includes offering psychosocial support. Children go through so much and sometimes they do not feel comfortable talking with people they are familiar with. For this reason, we invited a group of counsellors from the Viva Network to come and talk one-on-one with the children living in our children’s homes. The counsellors used a child-friendly program and the children found it easy to open up to them. The team also came back again for a follow-up with the children to see how they were doing after their first meeting. We are so grateful to the team from Viva Network!