VOH Bwiza (Burundi) Update: Growing Up!
At VOH Bwiza, it is a joy to watch our children growing up happy and healthy. Every year we take pictures of them, and it’s exciting and encouraging to compare these images to see how they have grown. We believe that through the two meals our children receive each day, along with the healthcare they receive as needed, VOH plays a significant role in making all of the children’s transformations possible! We thank God for the privilege of caring for our children’s health and safety.
VOH Chongwe (Zambia) Update: Government Nurses Join our Clinic
Over the years, VOH Chongwe has worked hard to ensure we are in good standing with local government ministries. These good relationships play a big part in allowing us to provide holistic care to our community’s children! This week we are happy to share that the Ministry of Health has sent us a group of newly trained nurses who will serve on attachment at our VOH clinic. Due to the current rising number of patients throughout Zambia, the government is increasing the workforce at all government-approved healthcare centers. We are very thankful to the Government of Zambia for their support, particularly as the numbers of COVID-19 cases are rising across our nation.
VOH Kitwe (Zambia) Update: James’ Story
VOH Kitwe would like you to meet James. James is 12 years old and in Grade 5 at our VOH school. James excelled in school, but then he began having a problem that impacted his ability to walk. The school administration heard about his condition when he started missing classes for days in a row. Our clinic staff was determined to help him and to discover what the problem was. After a thorough checkup and implementing the treatments recommended, we are thrilled to share that James can now walk again and is ready to resume school! We are so happy we can change a life through the financial support we receive from our faithful donors!
VOH Luongo (Zambia) Update: Feeding Program During Lockdown
Due to increasing COVID-19 cases, the government of Zambia only allows students to be in school for a total of two hours each day. At VOH Luongo, we are continuing to run our daily feeding program during this time to ensure our children aren’t missing out on essential nutrition. For most of our children, HEPS is the only nutritious meal that they receive most days. Fortunately, two hours is just enough time for the students to pick up their lessons, receive a daily reminder of the health guidelines, and eat their HEPS porridge. We are thankful that our school grounds have lots of space, making it easy to maintain physical distance while the children are with us.
VOH Malawi Update: Starting Afternoon Classes
This week at VOH Malawi, we began running an afternoon shift of classes. This change followed a government education inspector visit last week. They spent all day inspecting our Center, and they were happy with what they saw! We agreed with their recommendation that we divide our morning class into two groups so half of the students continue to come in the morning and the other half come in the afternoon. Their recommendation was to provide us with even more space to increase our physical distancing as COVID-19 continues to spread in the country. Our staff have been fantastic as usual; they accepted this task of a second shift in the afternoon without hesitation for the safety of the kids and themselves. We thank our teachers, students, and caregivers for making this change happen so smoothly!
VOH Mongu (Zambia) Update: Boxes of Love!
Due to the recent third wave of COVID-19 in Zambia, schools have been closed for a few weeks, and we are unsure when they will be allowed to open again. Here at VOH Mongu, we have begun giving out homework and our nutritional HOPE Packs to ensure the children stay healthy and don’t fall too far behind in their studies. We were thrilled that this past week we were also able to distribute Boxes of Love, which recently arrived in a container sent from British Columbia, Canada. Every child who came to school to pick up their school work and Hope Pack also received a Box of Love. The excitement amongst our children was amazing! The timing couldn’t have been better; what a great way to lift spirits during these challenging times. We offer a huge thank you to CLA Church for once again organizing the Boxes of Love container! You are truly a blessing!
VOH Mwanza (Tanzania) Update: Inter-House Competitions!
Our VOH Mwanza children are safe, healthy, and happy during the ongoing school break as they enjoy different activities planned by our staff. They are also excited to be making new friends since our recent merging with Under the Same Sun, an organization that provides advocacy and support for children with albinism. Together they are practicing teamwork as they engage in inter-house competitions for a chance to win awesome prizes. A representative from each home from our Shelter program here at VOH Mwanza participated in a cooking competition where they had the opportunity to showcase their cooking skills by making two popular local dishes: Ugali and Dagaa. Tumaini won the competition, and the first prize was a delicious dinner for Tumanini, his housemother, and his VOH brothers and sisters. This competition showed us what a great team of housemothers we have!
VOH Zimbabwe Update: All the Best, Angela!
It’s never easy to say goodbye when you have worked with someone for a long time. At VOH Zimbabwe, we said goodbye to our loyal Sister in charge of the clinic, Angela. Angela joined VOH Zimbabwe in 2013 when we finished construction and opened the clinic. She was responsible for setting up and the operations of our clinic. In the early days, Angela was the only employee in the clinic but never complained. She worked with all her heart right up until the time of her departure. It was amazing to see her grow with the organization. Now she has taken up an offer to further her studies abroad, and she will be dearly missed. Her impact on the children and the rest of the staff was a huge blessing! We congratulate Angela and wish her all the best in her new venture.