This week at VOH Africa, we received school supplies and uniforms and built a sidewalk for walking to school!
VOH Africa: Christmas Hope Packs!
Hope Packs are targeted fundraisers in the form of care packages designed to meet specific needs within the VOH community. This month, we are launching a special Christmas Hope Packs campaign! We want to bless VOH kids with a special gift that says, “You are special and loved.” Each Christmas Hope Pack contains essential and fun items, including toys, clothing, and candy.
Give a Christmas Hope Pack today for only $25 and put a big smile on the face of a VOH child! Click here to give a Hope Pack!
VOH Bulale (Tanzania) Update: Thank you, Shigongo!
At VOH Bulale, caring for our school environment is the shared responsibility of everyone at our centre. We all work together to ensure things are kept clean and that no damage comes to any of our plants or gardens. Shigongo is our facilities manager, making sure our facilities are well-maintained. He is quick to take action whenever he sees an area that needs special attention. The work he does has beautiful results. In addition, Shigongo also grows vegetables, which are a blessing to all of us!
VOH Bwiza (Burundi) Update: Reviewing Last Year’s Lessons
The new school year has begun in Burundi, and our VOH Bwiza teachers are working hard to remind the students what they learned last year, so they are ready to start the course material for this new school year. Strengthening our students’ comprehension is one of the ways we support their success in future studies. Taking this time to review last year’s material is especially important for our Grade 9 students who will be writing national examinations later this year. We are very grateful for our teachers and their hard work and dedication!
VOH Chongwe (Zambia) Update: Upgraded Kindergarten Classroom!
At VOH Chongwe, we place a high priority on creating a conducive learning environment for our students. We work hard to ensure our children receive a quality education in a positive learning environment. With this in mind, we recently gave our Kindergarten class a facelift inside and out. We added bright and cheery murals, new tables and chairs, and carpet that will keep them warm during the cold season! The upgrades have brought joy and excitement to these beautiful, precious kids!
VOH Kitwe (Zambia) Update: Staff Gift Bags from CLA Church
This week at VOH Kitwe, we distributed gift bags to our staff. The gifts came in the container we recently received from our friends at CLA Church in Langley, BC. Receiving these special gifts packed just for them touched the staff and let them know their hard work for the sake of our children is noticed and appreciated. The sunglasses, in particular, were a huge hit! Thank you, CLA Church, you’ve put smiles on our faces!
VOH Luongo (Zambia) Update: Learning Assessments
This week at VOH Luongo, our school conducted weekly literacy and numeracy assessments. The Ministry of Education prepares these assessments through zonal leaders. The aim is to test the literacy and numeracy levels of the students. The teachers worked hard to prepare the children for the evaluations, and we are happy to share that our children completed the assessments without difficulty! Now, the results will be sent to the zonal centre. We are proud of our students. They work very hard, and it’s times like these that they can see their hard work is not in vain!
VOH Maramvya (Burundi) Update: Donated School Supplies!
A new school year has begun at VOH Maramvya, and thanks to generous donations from our friends in Canada, we were able to provide school materials for all of our children! The supplies included: backpacks, uniforms, notebooks, pens, pencils and more! The children were very happy to receive their supplies! Their parents were also happy, and they told us that when VOH helps their children, we are also helping them. There is no free public education in Burundi, so if it weren’t for VOH, their children wouldn’t be in school. The children have promised to work hard in class and are excited to have all the supplies they need for the coming school year!
VOH Mongu (Zambia) Update: School Uniforms
A school uniform is more than just a garment for kids to wear; it’s something they wear that makes them feel confident and thankful for the opportunity to be in school. This past week here at VOH Mongu, we were excited to give our preschool students new uniforms. The kids were thrilled, with big smiles on their faces! We want our children to be happy at school right from the beginning. We know they will reach their full potential if they feel safe and enjoy learning. Thank you to every VOH Mongu sponsor who helps make these young children’s dreams a reality!
You can sponsor a VOH Mongu child by visiting our new Child Sponsorship site!
VOH Mwanza (Tanzania) Update: Farewell, Mama Jackie!
Mama Jackie has been one of our VOH Mwanza housemothers since 2006. She is a great Mama to the children in her home and a wonderful colleague who serves with enthusiasm and always does her very best at whatever she is undertaking. Now, it’s time for her to retire. Her presence at VOH will be greatly missed. We held a farewell party, and all VOH Staff attended it. Several of our staff shared special acknowledgements of Mama Jackie’s time with us on behalf of the whole group. We closed the farewell party by praying for God’s continued blessings on her life. It was an emotional time for everyone; it is always sad to say goodbye. We are all so thankful for the time Mama Jackie was with us at our centre, and we wish her a healthy and happy retirement!
VOH Zimbabwe Update: New Sidewalk!
We are so excited at VOH Zimbabwe because the road leading to our centre was recently resurfaced! However, now that more vehicles are passing by, we recognize the need to increase our road safety protocols. We have installed a pathway along the wall for our children to walk on as they come to school to keep them away from traffic. The path was installed by Advance, one of our VOH Zimbabwe graduates. Advance graduated a few years ago and went to a teacher’s college to study building. He intended to become a teacher, but after graduating, he decided to start his own building company instead. Having him come and do this for the children is an exciting venture for him and us. We are proud of what Advance has become and are grateful for his continued commitment to his VOH family. We wish him continued success with his building company!