This week we celebrated Africa Day, learned how to grow home gardens, and won an interschool tournament!
VOH Bulale (Tanzania) Update: Home Gardens
Last week at VOH Bulale, we initiated a new program to assist our community parents in establishing home gardens. We organized training sessions on how to get started with these unique gardens and have established a trial garden at our school. The purpose of this program is to complement the daily nutritious meal the kids receive while at VOH and provide an opportunity for easy access to healthy vegetables for their entire family. Sometimes the children’s families experience food shortages at home due to a lack of funds to purchase vegetables from the local markets. Planting vegetables in their homes is a simple and effective way to support children and parents from our VOH Bulale community!
VOH Bwiza (Burundi) Update: Preparing for Exams
Here in Burundi, the academic school year is nearing completion, and at VOH Bwiza, we are busy helping our students prepare for final exams. The teachers are working hard to ensure the students are well equipped. We are doing all we can to support our children academically and physically so they feel prepared and healthy. These government exams will determine if each student will move on to the next grade. We are thankful for our teachers, and we pray that our children will perform well, remembering all of the things they have been taught throughout the year.
VOH Chongwe (Zambia) Update: Learning to Raise Pigs
This week at VOH Chongwe, we are happy to share how our children continue to acquire knowledge and skills in different areas of agriculture. Our high school students have been successfully growing vegetables and rearing chickens for some time now. This week our grade 11 students had a productive and educative time as they visited a successful local farmer who raises pigs. During their visit, they saw the practical part of management and administration of medicine. A big thank you to our local farmers for the assistance and partnership in supporting the futures of VOH kids!
VOH Kitwe (Zambia) Update: Gifts for Cold Season
Children always get excited whenever they hear from their sponsors! This week, some VOH Kitwe children received gifts from their sponsors. The children were so happy to pick out things that they each needed. The gift money came at the right time because we are entering the cold season, and many of them did not have blankets or warm clothes. With the gift money they received, they each chose a blanket, a sweater, a pair of school shoes, a school bag, and socks to keep their feet warm! The children’s parents came to share in the excitement. They were so grateful and asked us to pass on thanks and wished God’s blessings on the sponsors.
VOH Luongo (Zambia) Update: New Jackets!
This week everyone at VOH Luongo is thankful for recent donations to purchase whatever is most needed for our children! Here in Luongo, most children under our care live in swampy areas, and with the cold season now here, they have been greatly affected. We are even finding that some are arriving late to school because of the slow start to the day due to the cold weather. A late start to their school day can negatively impact their learning. The good news is that this week, each VOH Luongo child received a warm jacket to overcome the cold! The children were so excited to have warm jackets. They are no longer coming late to school, and the school program is no longer affected. These warm jackets will also prevent the children from getting ill. Their parents are so happy and grateful!
VOH Maramvya (Burundi) Update: Harvesting Soybeans!
At VOH Maramvya, we harvested soybeans for the second time this year. Normally, we harvest only once a year, but this year is special. Among the meals we give to the children, soy is very important; we use it for their daily porridge before school. Due to the shortage of fuel in Burundi, food prices are on the rise. When we consume what we grow, we avoid excessive expenditure. We never stop thanking Pascal, our gardener, and his team for their extraordinary talent and dedication to their work!
VOH Mongu (Zambia) Update: Baby Class
Fun and excitement are the best words we can use to describe our Baby Class here at VOH Mongu! Our kids have so much fun together and are creating the best memories with each other while learning. Two of their favourite activities are colouring and drawing. It’s wonderful to see how they create a special bond and show love to one another during these fun activities. We love watching them grow into all that God has designed them for.
VOH Mwanza (Tanzania) Update: Interschool Sports
Recently we had an interschool sports competition between our VOH Mwanza primary school and another local school. It was an exciting time to see our team compete and the rest of our children happily cheering them on! Everyone was full of enthusiasm and hope for victory! We played football and netball and are overjoyed to share that our school won both competitions! The team captains were so excited to see their teams play hard and win. Congratulations, everyone!
VOH Zimbabwe Update: Africa Day
Africa Day is the annual commemoration of the foundation of the Organisation of African Unity on 25 May 1963. It is celebrated in various countries on the African continent, as well as around the world. This year’s theme was “The Year of Nutrition.” We desire that every child gets a nutritious meal at least once a day, and our VOH feeding programs provide that to over 1,500 children. To celebrate this day at VOH Zimbabwe, we had multiple activities lined up in which the children exhibited their talents and artistry. It was a day we celebrated being African, and we are proud to be such.