This Week: Back to School after Third Wave Closures

VOH Chongwe (Zambia) Update: Returning to School!

School at VOH Chongwe reopened this week for all grades, and everyone is so excited to be back in school after the COVID-19 closure! To continue protecting all of our children and staff, we will be strictly observing the health and safety protocols that have been in place since the start of the pandemic. There are also newly enhanced sanitizing measures and procedures set out by the government that include regularly disinfecting the classrooms and all the surrounding areas. The entry point at our main gate has medical personnel stationed to take each person’s temperature upon entry. They also remind everyone of the guidelines in place, including wearing a mask, washing hands, and observing social distancing. We are thankful that everyone understands the reasons for these measures and that they are happy to cooperate. We wish our students and teachers a great and productive time together as they begin their final term of this school year!

VOH Kitwe (Zambia) Update: Back to School!

VOH Kitwe is excited to share that schools have reopened, and children are returning to the classroom! On opening day, our headteacher, Mrs. Chibale, took the time to welcome back the students and encourage them to work hard in this final term of the school year. She also reviewed all of our COVID-19 protocols and emphasized the need to continue to follow them. The kids are delighted to be back in school and see their friends and teachers. Everyone has settled back in, and the teachers are working hard to help students in any area they may have fallen behind during the closure. It’s so good to see the kids playing together once again during recess. Welcome back, everyone; we know it will be a great term!

VOH Luongo (Zambia) Update: Meet Ackim

VOH Luongo would like you to meet Ackim, who lives in a nearby community with his mother and father. Ackim wanted to be in school from a young age, but his parents couldn’t afford to send him. When VOH Luongo opened near his home, Ackim’s parents were so thankful to make his dream of school a reality. His mother and father were working various temporary jobs to support the family before COVID-19 hit the country. The severity of the recent third wave made finding work very difficult for them. Knowing that Ackim will attend school and receive HEPS porridge and medical care at VOH has been a huge blessing. Ackim is currently in grade 3. He loves to read funny stories to his friends in class, and when he grows up, he wants to be a doctor so he can help people in his community!

VOH Malawi Update: Reading and Writing Lessons

Extra lessons are in session every day at VOH Malawi during the school break. The goal of these lessons is to assist students who need extra help with reading and writing. Currently, there are 33 students taking advantage of this additional support. This is the first time we’ve offered these lessons, and we will be assessing the outcome to determine how often we should offer this kind of help in the future. We are so grateful for our teachers, who are committed to finding ways to support every child in our school!

VOH Mongu (Zambia) Update: Art Club!

At VOH Mongu, we love how much our kids enjoy working on their art skills! We have so many talented kids at our Centre, and with the help of VOH Africa Director Uncle Sergio, we recently began an art club. Uncle Sergio also meets over zoom with some of the kids interested in developing their drawing skills specifically. These zoom art sessions are very entertaining for the kids and help them discover hidden talents and develop their skills!

VOH Mwanza (Tanzania) Update: Handwashing Station!

VOH Mwanza students are taking full advantage of our handwashing station at the entrance gate of their school! Every child carefully washes their hands before entering the VOH Centre. The good news is that they love using the special washing station! In addition to washing their hands when they first arrive in the morning, they also go back to the washing station several times throughout the day. They wash during break time, before they receive their nutrient-filled porridge, and before lunch. We enjoy seeing them smile and laugh as they wash their hands together. It’s important our children learn good hand hygiene to protect themselves and others throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

VOH Zimbabwe Update: Distributing Food Packs

It’s porridge distribution time at VOH Zimbabwe! With schools remaining closed in Zimbabwe and the country under a lockdown, we can’t gather at the Centre for our regular feeding program. As a safer alternative, we pack the porridge in 5kg packs and deliver them to the children’s homes. This month we also gave them an extra 5kg of rice. While dropping off the food, we take the opportunity to see how the children and their families are doing during these difficult times and offer any encouragement and support that we can. It’s always better to have the children together, but if we can’t, we will find ways of ensuring they remain healthy and stay connected to their VOH community!

Help us continue providing food to VOH children and their families even during COVID-19 lockdowns by giving Hope Packs today:

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