14 minute read
WATOTO VILLAGES
A child needs more than a house. A child needs a home, and a family.
In our villages, children find mothers to love them, education to inspire them, healthcare to strengthen them, and their value and identity in Christ. In short, they have everything they need to grow up happy, healthy and full of purpose. That’s how we’re raising Africa’s future leaders.
EDUCATION
Our teachers go above and beyond to love, train and educate our children.
It’s a big job providing education for over 3,000 students, but our teachers are working together to raise the next generation of African leaders. In fact, they help complete our family.
It’s not just about our children “getting jobs”, we want to equip them to transform their communities. Our teachers play a vital role in making this happen. They not only provide an education, but also build the student’s identity in Christ, their character and integrity.
We’re continuing to expand education beyond the purely academic, so that we can encourage and equip all children—wherever their talents lie. We provide vocational training, as well as extracurricular activities like sports and creative arts. This way each child can explore their passions and discover God’s will for their life.
In 2018, we celebrated as 69 of our students graduated high school, 83 graduated from vocational training and 35 graduated university. And we can’t wait to see their dreams fulfilled.
No matter what path our children choose, we know God has big plans for each of them. We’re grateful for our sponsors and partners who make this possible.
MEET GIFT
It seems like 11-year-old Gift loves just about everything. She loves school and church, dancing and reading stories. She loves her family, and she loves her sponsors because they help provide her with an education. For Gift, school is a place where she can learn, develop and begin to dream for the future. It’s a place she loves.
MEDICAL
For our doctors, nurses and healthcare assistants, providing medical care is an act of love. It’s seeing a neighbour in pain and responding. It’s helping kids grow up healthy and loved. Our medical team plays a key role in ensuring we provide holistic care to everyone in our family. When our mothers and children are healthy, they grow and flourish—and are able to fulfill their God-given potential.
In 2018, there were 27,280 visits to Watoto clinics made by mothers and children—a 20% reduction from the year before. That’s because our medical team has been working hard to provide nutrition and hygiene education in the villages. We also focused on disease prevention, providing 1,338 immunizations and distributing close to 1,400 new mosquito nets to our mothers and children.
Additionally, we continued to partner with international teams to provide medical outreaches to the community. Healthcare is expensive and difficult to access for families in rural areas, but through our outreaches we treated over 10,000 patients, meeting the most pressing needs of the community.
Alongside the everyday work of keeping our mums and kids healthy, we often see the lives, and futures, of our children dramatically transformed. With our global partners, we were able to help Baby Luke, who was deaf, to hear for the very first time.
Today, with his new cochlear implants, Luke is doing great. He’s transitioned from Baby Watoto to one of our villages, where his mother, Rosemary, is helping with his rehabilitation. His speech is developing, and he’s loving navigating the world as he adjusts to sound. With his new confidence, Mama Rosemary has trouble keeping up with him. Medical intervention has opened up a new world for Luke, and we know that he’s on his way to becoming one of Uganda’s future leaders.
MAMA HILDA & ALEXANDRIA
Every child needs the love of a family. We’re happy that four-year-old Alexandria has Mama Hilda to love her, care for her and guide her through life, so that she can grow up to become a future leader.
Alexandria may be little, but she’s always on the move. Whether she’s taking part in school dance performances or eating lots of her favorite food, Mama Hilda is there to see it all happen. She’s got Alexandria in her heart.
And it’s not just Alexandria, Mama Hilda has a full house raising eight children. With Alexandria’s sisters and brothers, the whole family sings together, dances together, and plays hide and seek together. They’re a family full of love and laughter.
Mama Hilda’s favorite thing about being a Watoto mother is when she hears a child, like Alexandria, who never knew her biological mother, call her “Mama” for the first time. At the end of the day, Hilda wants her children to grow up proud of where they’ve come from, knowing that she’s been able to give them a good life.
With your help, we’re bringing together vulnerable women and children, like Hilda and Alexandria, allowing them to become mothers and daughters, giving them hope for the future.
-Andrew
-Mark
MARK & ANDREW’S STORY
You’re not seeing double. This is Mark and Andrew—twins who were rescued when they were babies.
Mark recalled, “We were found abandoned in a rubbish pit and brought to Watoto.” Andrew added, “But we’ve grown up happy and feel that our Watoto family is a miracle. They have given us love, an education, provision and a future.”
As kids, Mark and Andrew traveled together on the Watoto Children’s Choir and even performed for Her Majesty the Queen. They’ve had incredible opportunities in life and look forward to attending university in the near future. Andrew wants to pursue a career in Marketing, and Mark wants to study Economic Development.
Andrew shared, “I believe Watoto is a platform of hope for vulnerable children, just like us. Mark and I are proof that they’re rescuing and raising future leaders.” Mark continued, “Being where I am today makes me feel that God has a plan for me—from the rubbish pit, to a person of influence.”
We believe that too. We’re so grateful to you, and all of our sponsors, for making dreams for kids like Mark and Andrew come true. Thanks for your faithful love and support.
SPONSORSHIP
A sponsor is a parent, a mentor, a friend—our family from all over the world.
For ten years, Knut and Kathe Elin from Norway have been sponsoring and loving Sandra and Maria, from their childhood right into their late teens. Their support has met practical needs, like education, counseling and healthcare, but it’s also shown Uganda’s most vulnerable children that they belong to a wider family—a family that spans countries and continents.
“We like to say that we’ve got two daughters at home, and two in Uganda. It’s such a privilege to all be together and see how Sandra and Maria have grown and changed.”
For Sandra and Maria, Knut and Kathe Elin remind them that there are people who love them. For a whole decade, their letters and photos have been a special encouragement to these two young women.
“We know that we’re a part of their family and loved. They’re always there for us, remembering us and providing for us. When they visited, we were blessed to show them our home and introduce them to our Ugandan family in return.”
That’s what happens when a family from Norway opens their world to include two girls from Uganda. Thank you to every sponsor who’s done the same. You’re the parent, mentor and friend helping us raise Africa’s future leaders.
Sandra & Maria at Watoto’s Suubi village.
These are the smiles of two future journalists. Sandra and Maria have big dreams, to be the next Ugandan journalists telling the news with truth and integrity.
Both girls lost their parents when they were just children. Because of sponsors like Knut and Kathe Elin, we were able to welcome them into a new family and home in Watoto. They’re both powering through school, with Sandra reading everything she can get her hands on, while Maria is one of the top students in her class. And they can do all this, because they know that they’re loved.
SPORTS ACADEMY
From a regional match to a friendly game after school, sports gives children the chance to shine.
When you walk through a Watoto village, you can see a love of sports everywhere. From posters in rooms, to casual games in a circle, our kids are always running—and they’re often running after a ball. Our Sports Academy provides a chance to take a child’s natural love of the sport, and teaches them to play at their best with support and guidance from coaches. In basketball and soccer, teams learn to work together, pray together and play together. Above all, it’s a chance to grow in skill and character.
Across the Watoto family, we’re seeing the positive impact of sports. Mothers, in particular, are amazed at the changes in their children and have loved seeing their confidence grow. These children are, in turn, providing a positive influence to other kids both inside and outside our Watoto villages. The coaches have worked hard to build a culture of respect, and our sports teams are known across Uganda for their attitude and the way they serve. We’re proud that they have a reputation for cleaning up the sports pitches before and after matches with teams from other schools. Small actions like these show the potential of our future leaders.
For coaches like David, the role is really about stepping up and being a father-figure to children in the villages.
“I love being a part of the children’s lives. Just recently, I was able to share my story with the kids that I’m also an orphan. They were inspired to know that I had the same background as them, but that I’d done something really good with my life. I think we’re really showing them the love and acceptance that a father would show, and it’s a real privilege.”
Theodore prepping for a match at Watoto’s Bbira village.
This year, 338 children participated in Sports Academy activities. And thanks to international partners, we were thrilled that we could give every child playing soccer or basketball appropriate footwear—it’s been a game-changer for us.
LYDIA’S STORY
Lydia means “light”, and our basketball-loving daughter is busy lighting up the USA.
Like any proud parent, we’re excited when great opportunities open up for our children. That’s why we’re thrilled that Lydia’s dedication to basketball has taken her on scholarship to a school in the USA. It’s an international experience that’s shaping her perspective on the world, allowing her
to impact others and preparing her to be a future leader.
But looking at Lydia today, you wouldn’t guess her story. She lost both her parents when she was just a small child, and relatives struggled to care for her and her sister. They used to walk miles to get to school, desperate for any chance at an education, and when they made the long walk home, they never knew if there’d be food waiting for them.
Her situation today couldn’t be more different. Lydia and her sister were rescued and brought into a new family on one of our Watoto villages. They were free to be children—no longer worrying about how they were going to live—and they had a new mother to love them as her own. With a firm foundation, Lydia flourished in school and joined the Watoto Sports Academy, where coaches recognized her talent and hard work in basketball.
“The coaches really cared about us and they gave us so much training and encouragement. They told us that we should work hard to achieve our dreams.”
Although her two favorite things are worshiping God and playing basketball, she never imagined that sports would take her overseas. Last year, Lydia was offered a scholarship for basketball to Victory Christian Center, in North Carolina, USA. Her coaches and teachers are all full of praise for her hard work and enthusiasm in her new school and new surroundings. We’re proud that she is growing, maturing and even leading others.
“Lydia is a joy to have—she’s a light and an example to everyone she encounters,” says her principal, Mrs. Riley. “We’re expecting God to do amazing things in her life. It’s been a great experience for her to study internationally, and it’s been a good thing for us too. She shares her testimony with other children and encourages them—she’s already impacting those around her with her faith.”
Whatever path she takes, the skills that Lydia has learned, both with us at Watoto and during her time in the USA, are preparing her to be a leader. Above all, she wants to help children who are suffering just like she did, especially those who have lost their parents.
“I’m thankful for Watoto. I don’t know what would have happened to me without them. I believe that I’m a future leader who is going to change lives in Africa and help other children. I really want to give back to my country and I’m excited about this opportunity to further develop during my time here at Victory Christian Center.”
And with all that heart and passion, we believe Lydia’s going to do just that.
Lydia & Mrs. Riley at Victory Christian Center in N. Carolina.
WORSHIP ACADEMY
The Worship Academy is raising our children to share God’s love with the world.
With over 200 students in creative, music and production, the Worship Academy is equipping young leaders with a skill and passion for worship. We believe that worship heals hearts, affirms identity and creates community. Last year, our children wrote and produced one of the songs, “Shepherd” on our new choir album, “We Will Go”. Together, they’re telling their own story and bringing hope to people across the world.
We recently introduced traditional African instruments to our music curriculum. For drummers like Moses, it’s an opportunity to explore his local culture, improve his drumming skills and begin to develop a contemporary African sound. The Worship Academy has helped Moses to graduate from playing his mother’s pots and pans, to becoming a skilled musician, but he’s most grateful for the opportunity to worship.
“I think when we play together and lead people in worship, it reminds me that I’m a child of God. It makes me confident in who I am in Christ.”
Moses & Ben outside the Worship Academy.
PARTNERSHIP
Over ten years ago, worship leader Martin Smith came to Watoto and planted the seed of what would become our Worship Academy. On his recent return visit, Martin saw for the first time the results of his 2008 trip. He experienced firsthand some of our students leading in worship, and it was a powerful moment for him.
“I’m gobsmacked to see what’s been happening here— from the dance studio to the kids learning electric guitar. It’s fantastic to see that children who’ve been rescued are now looked after, and on top of all that they’re making brilliant music.” Martin continued, “Music and the arts bring lots of healing to people, don’t they?”
Ben, who leads our Worship Academy, was part of the group that originally hosted Martin back in 2008 when Ben was still a teenager in Watoto.
“When Martin visited that first time, I saw him stand where the Worship Academy is today, and he said, ‘I see an arts center training kids in music and worship.’ It blows my mind to share with him the songs we’ve written and the stories of how children’s lives have changed because of it. Thanks to partners like Martin, we’re raising kids to find healing and their identity as they learn to worship.”
Peter & Martin Smith take a selfie.
