VOH Bwiza (Burundi) Update: Mosquito Nets
Malaria affects many families in Burundi and leaves orphans and widows behind. Children under five and pregnant women are particularly vulnerable. At VOH Bwiza, we provide mosquito nets to our newly enrolled preschool students and their caregivers to protect them. We are grateful that their guardians understand that malaria is dangerous and that they are committed to ensuring their children sleep under nets every night. Mosquito nets can be expensive for those living with financial struggles and we are very thankful to Cross Church in Winnipeg for donating the funds needed to purchase these nets for VOH Bwiza families!
VOH Chongwe (Zambia) Update: Writing to Sponsors
It’s letter writing week again at VOH Chongwe! Our children are always excited to communicate with their sponsors. In their letters, the children share how their classes are going and how they are holding up during COVID-19. They also ask their sponsors how they are doing and share their appreciation for their love and support. We are so grateful for every VOH sponsor!
You can sponsor a VOH child by visiting vohafrica.com/child-sponsorship
VOH Kitwe (Zambia) Update: Meet Martin
Meet Martin, one of our VOH Kitwe students. Martin started school in preschool, and last year he wrote his grade 9 National Exams. We are so proud of him for passing with excellent grades. Now he’s ready to start grade ten. Martin is also a part of the Youth Empowerment Program (YEP) that teaches students life skills for today and their futures. Martin participated in planting a maize field during his YEP class. The crops are doing well, with big cobs of maize!
VOH Luongo (Zambia) Update: Supporting Children
This week at VOH Luongo, one of our students wasn’t feeling well. Her teacher visited her at home and brought her some high-protein porridge from our feeding program. We also helped her access medical care. We hope she begins feeling better soon!
VOH Malawi Update: Donating Maize
At VOH Malawi, we are so grateful for recent donations that allowed us to buy maize bags for our children and their families. This week, 21 families received 50kg bags of maize each! They were all happy to receive this, saying it came at just the right time because of COVID-19. Many of the children’s parents do business at the markets, but this is no longer possible due to the COVID-19 restrictions, putting a strain on the families’ resources. We are so grateful to be able to assist by providing them with this staple food!
VOH Maramvya (Burundi) Update: Distributing Mosquito Nets
Malaria kills people of all ages, particularly children under five. The area of Maramvya is among the most affected in Burundi. Here at VOH, we have made it a goal to help our children’s families fight malaria and stay safe. We recently distributed mosquito nets for every new child at our Center. Their caregiver accompanied each child, and we served more than 40 families!
VOH Mongu (Zambia) Update: Singing Lessons!
Here at VOH Mongu, we are grateful for technology, especially during COVID-19. Thankfully, we can connect over Zoom for various activities. One of the activities our children enjoy is weekly singing lessons with Suzie! We love helping each child discover and grow their passions and giftings.
VOH Mwanza (Tanzania) Update: Harvesting Maize
VOH Mwanza has a farm that we cultivate to support our feeding program. This week we are excited to harvest our maize crop. Our children are excited about the harvest because they enjoy grilled or boiled corn as a snack. Apart from snacking on corn, maize is also an essential ingredient in our children’s mid-morning nutritional porridge. We are so grateful to our staff for working hard on our farm over the past several months to ensure we get a good harvest this year!
VOH Zimbabwe Update: Cooking Together
In Zimbabwe, we have electricity challenges more often than not. So we have provided the children’s homes at our VOH Zimbabwe Center with gas cookers. Surprisingly the children liken this cooking method to the traditional, African way of cooking. When they lose power, they prepare their fire using wood in their gazebo and start making food there. The big sisters and brothers do the cooking while the little ones mingle around, watching the cooking and telling stories. This is what happens in many African homes, and having our children experience this cultural approach to cooking is very important.