Newsletter Quarter 2 - US

SUMMER 2016 NEWSLETTER BORN TO LEAD Julius joined Watoto in 2003 after the loss of his father in 2001 and moving from Rwanda to live with his paternal grandmother in Uganda.

Julius still vividly remembers the day he left for Watoto.

“It was April 14th, 2003. I remember this day so well because it is my birthday. I remember my grandmother telling me that I was leaving home and going to a better place. It wasn’t easy for me to adjust to Watoto because 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. But I adjusted and started making friends,” said Julius.

Now, 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 his city and the nation of Uganda better, Julius also has a passion for sports that has opened up many opportunities for him to influence others in a positive way. In the Watoto villages, Julius was often busy officiating soccer matches and he was encouraged to acquire several sports certificates, allowing him to become a professional soccer coach and referee.

“I have always admired Howard Webb and want to do as well as he did when he was a referee and coach at Manchester United,” said Julius. “I believe that with great training I will be able to acquire the necessary skill and knowledge to become better. After university, I

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Continued from page 1 dream of going for a professional course in soccer management.”

Julius was rewarded for his passion in sports at Uganda Christian University when he was appointed the Minister for Games and Sports.

“This came as a surprise for me because 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, people had noticed and wanted to trust me with such a big office,” said Julius.

“I was appointed the electoral commission chairperson but I turned it down because I knew I would not be effective. Shortly after, I was contacted by the guild president and appointed minister of games and sports. I immediately knew that turning down the first position was God’s plan and not my own wisdom.

God knew that I had a passion for the sports department and He wanted to use it for good,” said Julius.

Watoto is geared towards raising credible future leaders who will change their nation and the world at large. With the help of sponsors and supporters, children like Julius are being raised to become successful leaders of their country.

A HEART TO HOST Hundreds of welcoming families across the U.S. have opened their homes and most importantly, their hearts, to the children of the Watoto Children’s Choir. David Brookshier is one of our generous volunteers who hosted three members of Choir 77 during their visit to Frisco, Texas.

“What an honor it was to host Uncle Herbert, Andrew and Ivan,” said David. “I really enjoyed getting to know each of them.”

David shared meals and stories with the children and even got to teach them about one of his passions: meteorology.

“I taught them about the types of weather we get here,” said David. “It’s safe to say that Andrew and Ivan are now storm experts!

They were so joyful and I wished we had more time together. It was truly a blessing to host such great kids.”

ALL SMILES Watoto Children’s Choir 77 could not stop smiling after a visit with the generous staff at Jordan Valley Community Health Center while on tour in Springfield, Mo. in March.

“When I was asked about helping members of the choir with vision and dental visits, I connected with Jordan Valley Community Health Center,” said Deana Belote, who helped coordinate the office visits. “They helped put together an amazing team of staff to give everyone traveling with the choir the care they needed.”

During their visit, seven choir members received glasses and each member was given an optical and dental exam.

“I was amazed by the center’s generosity and willingness to help,” said Deana. “The timing is something that could only be God’s will. In fact, many of the staff members there are considering traveling to Uganda with our next Visit Watoto team.”

We are so grateful for the generosity of Brady Stark, Dr. Michael, Dr. Richter, Dr. Treadway and all of the staff at Jordan Valley Community Health Center, who cared for the choir children and adults.

“Having the Watoto Children’s Choir come to our center was a blessing for all of us,” said Susan Goddard, Clinic Manager of Pediatrics, Optometry and the Mobile Units at Jordan Valley Community Health Center. “Events like this fill us with joy and are what we are all about. We are grateful that we could help the members of the choir continue to spread their message of hope to others around the world.”

A NET’S WORTH Each year, an estimated 219 million people are infected with malaria and in Africa, more than 438,000 deaths are caused by the mosquito-borne disease.

No malaria-related deaths have occurred within our Watoto villages, but the disease contributes to 18-25 percent of all medical center patient visits. Each year, Watoto spends approximately 14 percent of all medical funds to treat and prevent malaria.

You can help us protect our Watoto families from the effects of malaria! Insecticide-treated mosquito nets protect Watoto children and house mothers and can help prevent the spread of the disease.

For just $10, your contribution will purchase a treated mosquito net for a Watoto child, promoting a better quality of life and reduced medical expenses. Together we can end malaria, one child and one net at a time.

To purchase a life-saving mosquito net, please partner with us by donating here or call 866-492-8686

VILLAGE-WIDE BLOOD SCREENING FOR BBIRA AND SUUBI VILLAGES The month of May was a busy but satisfying one for the medical team at the Watoto Suubi and Bbira villages, carrying out muchneeded village-wide blood screenings for all of the children and adults.

The teams tested the village population for diseases including HIV, Hepatitis B and Syphilis along with other essential monitoring

ARISE AND SHINE In April, the ladies of Living Hope came together for their semiannual Living Hope service. During the service, the ladies got to share their life stories and testimonies, the word of God, and also have some fun together.

April’s service was themed “Arise and Shine” to celebrate the ladies that have recently completed the two-year Living Hope course, and also to welcome the newest intake of ladies to the fold.

The women were able to let loose and have some fun competing in a number of activities including quizzes, a push-up contest, dancing and singing competitions.

The service continued with testimonies from the graduating women who were excited for a chance to share their stories with others. Among these amazing women was Ritah Ganda, who joined Living Hope in 2008 and is now a Living Hope teacher.

“I was in a very poor state, living in a one room house,” said Ritah.

such as blood pressure, weight and height.

At Suubi Village alone, it took a devoted team of 10 doctors, four nurses, nine clinical staff, six runners and five volunteers from Michigan University to screen each village child and adult.

“I can’t emphasize how good this is and I am so thankful that we have been able to carry out such an important task,” said Norah Kwagala, one of the nurses working with the team. “Keeping up-todate and accurate health records for each individual will continue to make our work efficient and helpful.”

Daily goals were set and each village was divided into five sections to allow the medical team to test those in the village and record results. Village families were assigned to doctors by Dr. Job Masaba who stayed busy ensuring the screenings were running smoothly.

Among the village houses to arrive for health screenings was Mama Nsubuga of House 198, along with her family.

“We were happy to come so that we can know how our health is,” said Mama Nusuga. “If anything is wrong we can have it easily treated and thankfully, the process hasn’t been long as all of the doctors are very active and helpful.”

We would like to thank the medical team volunteers and our sponsors for the support you give allowing us to continue to care for the health of the children and mothers at Watoto.

“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, which has already created three new groups.”

A very energetic and cheerful Jane Nsangi shared her testimony telling 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 me and ran from me,” said Jane. “But I thank God because there is a reason I am here. When I came to Living Hope, I had no idea how to sew but now I even own my own machine and the lessons that I learned give me hope and power.”

Christine Mugabi then shared a powerful sermon about forgetting the past, not dwelling on present circumstances and having faith in God’s ability to turn everything around.

“You are not your situation,” said Christine. “‘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 and there is no age limit for you to learn new things, so dream big.”

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 find purpose and finish the Living Hope course with faith that their own testimonies will help others.

“When things get hard, turn nowhere else but to God,” said Angella. “It’s after you remain steadfast that you can give a testimony.”

Launched in early 2008, Living Hope has transformed the lives of almost 3,000 women. Their children, more than 15,000 boys and girls, now have a better chance at a future. This year 500 new women have come into the program and we pray that through Living Hope, their lives and those of their children will be transformed.

EXPLORE WATOTO Have you dreamt of meeting your sponsor child? Cuddling the little ones at Baby Watoto? Hearing stories from the Living Hope women?

Now you can! Join us for a U.S. Watoto sponsor trip to Uganda to spend time with your sponsor child, explore the Watoto villages and even go on an African safari.

For more information on our upcoming sponsor trips, please email usa.sponsor@watoto.com.

WATOTO CHURCH AT WORK

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