JUNE -2016 NEWSLETTER BORN TO LEAD Julius is a 24-year-old pursuing a bachelor’s degree in development studies at Uganda Christian University. At the end of the course he hopes to be a development practitioner majoring in urban planning. “I believe that the biggest hindrance to development is poor monitoring and evaluation of projects in Uganda. With the integrity and morals that have been instilled in me, I know that I will be able to make the necessary reports and thus ensure that work is done correctly and at the right time, ” says Julius. Besides wanting to make the city and nation better,
Julius has always had a passion for sports, often officiating soccer matches on the Watoto villages. His love for sports has seen him acquire several certificates in sports courses in pursuit of becoming a professional soccer coach and referee. “I have always admired Howard Webb and want to do as good as he did when he was a referee and coach at Manchester United. I believe that with great training I will be able to acquire the necessary skill and knowledge to become better. After University I dream of going for a professional course in football management,” he says. Julius has seen the reward for his passion, at the
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Continued from page 1 university; he has been appointed the Minister for games and sports. “This came as a surprise for me, I did not think that the Guild President knew I loved sports. I would officiate inter-course games at the university. Little did I know that people had noticed and would actually trust me with such a big office,” he said. Before being appointed minister of games and sports, Julius was president of all the university class representatives and had also been contacted about becoming the university Electoral Commission chairperson. “I was appointed the Electoral commission chairperson but I turned it down because I knew I would not be effective. Shortly, I was contacted by the guild president and appointed minister of sports. I immediately knew that my turning down of the EC position was God’s plan and not my own wisdom. God knew what I would be more effective at the sports department and gave it to me,” he gleefully adds. Julius joined Watoto in 2003 after the loss of his father in 2001. He left Rwanda for Uganda and stayed with his paternal grandmother in Masaka. Julius still vividly remembers the day he left for watoto. “It was on the 14th of April 2003. I remember this day so well because it was birthday. I remember my grandmother telling me that I was leaving home and going to a better place. We were 5 children, we left home with our belongings and were picked up from a church,” he recalls. “It wasn’t easy for me to adjust into Watoto. I came to a place where people spoke a language I did not understand. I was not good at English and only spoke Rwandese and French. I also hated school but later adjusted and started making friends.” He said. For Julius the homes were easy for him because the lady he came to Watoto with turned out to be his housemother on the village. Watoto is geared towards raising credible future leaders who will change their nation and the world at large. With the help of sponsors, this is coming to be through children like Julius and many more.
UK SPONSORS IN UGANDA In May, we took a team of eleven UK Sponsors on a trip to Uganda to meet their sponsor children and mothers and to see the work of Watoto for themselves! The team visited all three villages, Baby Watoto, Watoto Church and our Living Hope Projects. Jane Penry, UK Sponsorship Coordinator said, ‘It was an amazing week, I loved watching the faces of the children and their sponsors as they met for the first time! Most of our sponsors were surprised by the size of the Watoto villages: they were so much bigger than they had thought. An unexpected highlight for many was our visit to the Living Hope projects, where Watoto works with HIV+ and vulnerable women, and where they had the time to sit and talk with the women. We loved sharing the work of Watoto with our sponsors.’ To register your interest in future UK Sponsor Trips, contact: europe@watoto.com
PARACHUTE JUMP RAISES AN INCREDIBLE £4,500 David Cardno, from Fraserburgh, Scotland, recently took part in a parachute jump which raised £4,500 for the work of Watoto- despite his recent hip replacement! David says, “I wanted to support Watoto after hearing the Watoto Children’s Choir, and ended up becoming Sponsor a lovely little girl called Enid. In 2013, I visited Uganda for the first time. After seeing first-hand the amazing work that Watoto does, and meeting Enid and the other children, I
just wanted to help! Doing a skydive seemed crazy enough to attract some serious attention, which helped me to raise as much as possible for Watoto. The actual skydive experience was amazing. I can’t even find the words to describe how awesome it was- but I’m glad that the next time I’ll be travelling through the air without a parachute, it’ll be because I’m heaven-bound!” A long-term friend of Watoto, David is an amazing individual. He’s proof that you’re never too old to make a difference when something touches your heart. Thank you!
“I think we have done well. 82% (1183 of 1435) of the Suubi village population has been covered and yet we are still working on the last section. This is also a very good statistic because some of the children are not at the village right now. Some are out for basketball and football games and will be tested as soon as they are back.” Thank you medical team and thank you our sponsors for the support you give towards the children and mothers at Watoto.
VILLAGE WIDE BLOOD SCREENING The month of May was a rather busy but no doubt satisfying one for the medical team at the Watoto Suubi and Bbira villages, carrying out much needed village wide blood screening for all the children and adults. The teams tested the village population for diseases including HIV, Hepatitis B and Syphilis along with other essentials like blood pressure, weight and height. At Suubi village alone, it took a devoted team of 10 doctors, 4 nurses, 9 clinic staff, 6 runners and 5 volunteers from Michigan University to cover the entire population. “I can’t emphasize how good this is. I am so thankful that we have been able to carry out such an activity. It will make our work much easier as we will know the people we are treating because we now have proper records about their health.” Said Norah Kwagala, one of the nurses working with the team Having promptly divided the village into 5 sections, with daily goals, the team was able to hit their daily goals and have everyone tested. Among the last people to show up for the exercise was Mama Nsubuga house 198, along with her family. “We were happy to come so that we can know how our lives are faring. If anything is wrong we can have it treated before it gets even worse. Thankfully the process hasn’t been long as everyone is active at their role.” She said. The different families were assigned to different doctors by the Doctor in charge, Dr. Job Masaba. Despite being in the middle of that, and making sure everything was running smoothly, he was happy to share how proud of his team he was.
BABY WATOTO TRIP TO THE ZOO Going to the zoo is a fun time for all ages, but especially children. On 14 June, 24 toddlers took a trip to the Entebbe zoo. Their eyes opened in amazement as/when saw crocodiles, snakes, monkeys and many other animals that they had only seen in their storybooks. A one baby Eliot kept on calling out “crococodile” on seeing the crocodile. “Going to the zoo is a learning experience. Coming face to face with these incredible creatures is something they will talk about for a long time. It is/was good to see the excitement in their faces on recognising some of the animals they had only seen in books,” said nanny Christine. Little by little they made their baby steps around the Zoo. They were reminded of their animal songs they had been taught back at their Baby Watoto. They sang along, calling out on given animals they set their eyes upon. The zoo trip was also an opportunity for the children to have a fun time and an educational opportunity outside the usual at the Baby Watoto facility.
ARISE AND SHINE Every twice a year the Living Hope ladies come together to worship God and be encouraged by a mentor. Here the ladies get to share their life stories and testimonies, the word of God and also have some fun together. This time, the ladies got together under the theme “Arise and Shine” to celebrate those that have just recently completed the 2 year long course and welcome the newest intake of ladies to the fold. The sermon kicked off with testimonies from the graduating ladies who were excited for a chance to share their stories. Among these was Ritah Ganda, who joined Living Hope in 2008 and is now a teacher to the ladies. “I was in a very poor state, living in a one room house. It was everything, the sitting room, bedroom, bathroom and toilet. Since I came to Christ, He has done a good work in me. I could not read the Bible or write when I first came to Living Hope but now I am a teacher. I am also a leader of my cell (small prayer group).” She said. A very energetic and cheerful Jane Nsangi was also
happy to share her testimony of how she was almost buried alive because she was very sick and thought to be dead, only to be saved by an unknown gentleman. “People feared and ran from me. When I came to Living Hope, I couldn’t even fold my legs to sew but now I own my own machine and the lessons that I learned gave me hope and power. The people that used to fear me now look at me in amazement.” Christine Mugabi then shared a powerful sermon, which revolved around forgetting the past, not dwelling on present circumstances but having faith in God’s ability to turn everything around. “You are not your situation. Widow is not your name. Don’t look at your children as orphans instead count yourself blessed to raise God’s children. God’s word says dare to start dreaming again. God wants to do a lot in our lives. There is no age limit for you to learn new things so dream big.” She said. Angella Kimuli, the production coordinator at Living Hope also reminded the women to keep testifying wherever they go so that those around them will be encouraged. She also encouraged the new ladies to purpose and finish the course because then they will have even stronger testimonies. “When things get hard, turn nowhere else but to God. It’s after you remain steadfast that you can give a testimony.” She said. The women were then able to let loose and have some fun competing in number of activities that included quizzes, pushups, dancing and singing competitions. Living Hope started in 2008 with 2, 100 women. In 2013 and 2014, we had other intakes, entering 500 women each. In a bid to reduce the number of vulnerable women in Uganda, we continue to bring in women. This year 500 new women have come into the program. We hope that through Living Hope, their lives and those of their children will be transformed.
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