This week we prepared for a return to school and the exciting new school year ahead!
VOH Bulale (Tanzania) Update: Back to School!
The school year in Tanzania has resumed, and our staff, children, and parents at VOH Bulale are ready! Our children are excited about the new year. They have progressed in many ways throughout the past year–physically and emotionally. As they enter a new level of learning, they walk into school this week in their brand new uniforms, which were given to them as part of our education sponsorship program. It is a very exciting week, and we look forward to all of the school activities ahead!
VOH Bwiza (Burundi) Update: School Feeding Program
At VOH Bwiza, we are very grateful to provide two meals per day for our children! Most of our children live in the surrounding community, and many don’t receive the nutrition they need to grow and stay healthy. They come to the Centre in the morning, have their breakfast before school, and then come back again at around noon for lunch before tutoring. Nutrition is essential for a child to be healthy and focused in class, which is why we are so thankful for all of our sponsors who help make these meals possible!
VOH Chongwe (Zambia) Update: Preparing for the new School Term
The school break for our VOH Chongwe students is almost over. Our teachers have been busy planning and preparing lessons for the new term over the past two weeks. During the break, teachers met regularly to plan and to learn about the new COVID-19 Omicron variant and the safety procedures at our Centre. Our clinic personnel worked alongside school staff to ensure our classrooms were clean and safe. All schools in Zambia will be opening next week. The students are so excited and looking forward to being back in school. Seeing their teachers and friends again gives them so much joy. Everyone is looking forward to a great term ahead!
VOH Kitwe (Zambia) Update: Fun in the Garden!
We are in the rainy season in Zambia, and here at VOH Kitwe, we experience a lot of grass growing fast and tall. This week mother Esther and her children were busy removing weeds from their vegetable garden and the surrounding area. The children were excited to be working side by side with their mother, taking turns throwing the weeds into the wheelbarrow. Mother Esther gave guidance and supervision while working to ensure nobody got hurt. It was a fun time for Esther and the kids to work together and immediately see the results. Everything looked so clean when they finished!
VOH Luongo (Zambia) Update: Preparing Learning Aids
This week at VOH Luongo, our teachers are preparing for the new school year. The teachers made learning aids, including number and letter cards. Learning aids help teach children because children tend to learn well with pictures. Everyone is looking forward to seeing the children back in class. We love seeing how much the children enjoy being in school!
VOH Malawi Update: Welcoming New Children
This week was the first week for our newly enrolled kids at VOH Malawi to come and be part of our school. The first activity the new kids took part in was the feeding program. They will now come daily to eat our nutritious porridge and milk. They can also access our health program, which allows them to go to a local clinic in partnership with VOH Malawi. We expect them to be in class next week and their teachers are excited and ready to welcome them this new school year!
VOH Maramvya (Burundi) Update: Prayer Week
At VOH Maramvya, our staff devoted time to prayer throughout the week before the students return for the second term next week. We have spent the week praying for all of the VOH children and staff, our sponsors, and our VOH Africa leaders. We also spent time enjoying being together again as a staff after the long Christmas break. The staff were delighted that we planned this week of prayer, and they requested that we always reserve time for a week focusing on prayer at the beginning of each new year.
VOH Mongu (Zambia) Update: Meet Mwangala
Meet nine-year-old Mwangala, one of the lovely kids here at our VOH Mongu Centre. Mwangala, along with seven other children, lives in one of our children’s homes and her housemother Hellen loves all seven of them very much. She cares for them, guides them through life, and does a wonderful job. Mwangala, who is now in third grade, is growing into a talented and respectful girl who loves to be involved in church activities such as dancing and singing. We are so grateful to God for bringing such amazing mothers like Hellen and children like Mwangala to our Centre, allowing them to have a home and loving family!
VOH Mwanza (Tanzania) Update: Preparing for the School Year
At VOH Mwanza this week, we have a lot to prepare for the new school year. In our Under the Same Sun partnership program, before children head back to school, a series of evaluations are done to ensure they are healthy and ready for the term. This includes scheduled health check-ups which include skin screening at the clinic. Chausiku and Jenifer, two of our students, are looking smart and ready for the year ahead in their school uniforms. They are both starting their final year of high school, and we wish them all the best!
VOH Zimbabwe Update: Graduates Give Back!
It’s time to give back at VOH Zimbabwe! Usually, before school opens, we have many things that need to be put in place. We’ve had so much rain this season, and everything has grown faster than usual. This week, we requested all of our available staff and graduates help with the hedges and grass. We were blown away by the response and how many came out to help! The graduates plan to continue volunteering when they are on school break to show their appreciation for all VOH has done in their lives! Thanks to everyone’s hard work, VOH Zimbabwe is looking great!