Upcoming Event: Faith and Child Safeguarding Summit hosted by Keeping Children Safe
Don’t miss this free online event hosted by Keeping Children Safe from November 8-11th!
VOH Executive Director Sergio Bersaglio is on the planning committee and Pastor Zowa from VOH Zimbabwe is giving a presentation entitled: “Amplifying Our Voices.” The event will also feature a special presentation from VOH children who will share their experiences with child safeguarding.
It’s an honour to have VOH children and staff have a global voice on this important topic.
We hope to see you there!
GET YOUR FREE TICKETS: https://faith-and-child-safeguarding.heysummit.com/
VOH Bwiza (Burundi) Update: Welcome, Melouck!
At VOH Bwiza, we are excited to introduce our new housemother, Melouck. We have two children’s homes at our VOH Bwiza Centre, one for boys and one for girls. Donavine, our former housemother in the girl’s home, has faithfully served for many years and is getting married next week. We are so thankful for Melouck, and we know that she will continue to love and care for the girls living in the home at our Centre. We pray for Donavine as she begins her married life, and we pray for Melouck as she picks up this most important role. We know that she will be a great blessing for all our children!
VOH Chongwe (Zambia) Update: Learning about Computers
This week at our VOH Chongwe Centre, we were happy to introduce our Grade 2 students to the computer lab. Computer studies is a part of our Zambian curriculum starting at this age. Understanding computers is an important part of education, and we are so grateful for the beautiful computer lab we have here at VOH Chongwe! The students are so excited for the opportunity to learn this important skill so they can improve their work and prepare for careers in a world where computers have become as common as pencil and paper.
VOH Kitwe (Zambia) Update: Felix’s Story
Felix joined VOH Kitwe in 2009. He worked hard in school and graduated from grade 12 in 2015. After high school, he attended Mukuba University to study Mathematics and Physics. He recently came back to VOH Kitwe to visit and let us all know that he completed his university studies! Felix is so grateful for the support he received throughout his years at VOH, and he continues to consider VOH an important part of his life! We are so proud of Felix and all he has been able to accomplish. We are happy to be adding his story to the many other stories of success that former VOH students have come back to share!
VOH Luongo (Zambia) Update: Distributing Hope Packs!
At VOH Luongo, we are excited to distribute Hope Packs once again! Hope Packs are VOH Africa’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the pandemic started, schools and feeding programs occasionally have closed, and many families are struggling. Hope Packs contain food and other essential items for VOH students and their families. It was such a joyous time for the children at VOH Luongo and their guardians when they received their Hope Packs this week! The guardians were invited to participate in the distribution. In addition to essential items, Hope Packs also provide VOH families with a friendly reminder that they aren’t alone during these challenging times.
So far, we’ve raised over $30,000 for this ongoing initiative, and we thank everyone who has given Hope Packs so far!
Click here to donate a Hope Pack today for just $20!
VOH Maramvya (Burundi) Update: Letters for Sponsors!
This week at VOH Maramvya, the children wrote letters to their sponsors. Letter writing is one of their favourite activities! When the children write these letters, they are always excited to communicate with their sponsors and ask plenty of questions. They ask their sponsors how they are doing, what their favourite hobbies are, what the weather is like in Canada, and much more! They also let them know that they are praying for their sponsor and their families regularly. During letter-writing time, every child is happy to know someone loves and cares for them and is looking forward to receiving their letter. For some of our newly sponsored children, this was their first time to write to their sponsor, and they had so much fun carefully working on their very first letter to their sponsor!
VOH Mongu (Zambia) Update: Final School Term
It’s another exciting week here at VOH Mongu! Our kids are excited to be back at school after a two-week break, and everyone is feeling great and optimistic about the final school term. With all of the beautiful smiles on their faces, we can tell that our kids are ready and eager to learn and accomplish their goals. Our Grade 7, 9, and 12 classes are feeling good about final exams, which start in just a few weeks! We are grateful to our dedicated school staff for how well our kids are doing with their studies. We pray for God’s love and care for each VOH Mongu student as they strive hard to gain more knowledge and work towards achieving their goals for the future!
VOH Zimbabwe Update: Thank You, Rumbi!
Meet Rumbi, our Social Worker at VOH Zimbabwe. Rumbi joined VOH in November 2019, and her responsibilities have been very demanding, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. She came in when we were busy revising our Child Safeguarding Policy, and she has been working hard on ensuring all children and staff are familiar with it and following it. As our Child Safeguarding Officer, all children’s issues are overseen by her. Rumbi also oversees safeguarding issues in our outreach programs. She studied for her degree at the University of South Africa and is very skilled and passionate. Besides working with children, Rumbi also likes singing, and the children love to hear her when she sings in church! We are so happy to have Rumbi as part of the team at VOH Zimbabwe and are thankful for the vital role she plays in the children’s lives!