WWW.WATOTO.COM | WINTER 2015 | ISSUE NO.1
WELCOME HOME We were thrilled to graduate over 10 toddlers from Baby Watoto to our Watoto Suubi Village this February. The bubbly infants were welcomed by excited moms and siblings in their new families. It was a momentous occasion for all. Babies rescued by Baby Watoto find a permanent home in a Watoto village when they’re old enough. It was a rainy morning, but not even the weather could dampen
the spirits of both moms and babies. “I am excited for my new bundles of joy. I’m going to love and care for these two boys with all my heart. My other children are in school, so I have quite a bit of time to dedicate to the babies during the day,” said mama Rose Nabulime. “The toddlers’ graduation to the homes is an opportunity for them to be in a new environment, with siblings to grow up with,” said Fred Katoogo, Baby Watoto Team Leader. A month before the toddlers moved to the village, their new mothers spent time with them at Baby Watoto. This helped in
the bonding process, which is key to their security and development. “This practice is encouraged to help the mother and child get to know each other and also build a relationship. At the time of graduation the mother is no longer a stranger to the child but rather a person who loves and cares for them,” said Katoogo. Since 2007, over 1,000 vulnerable babies have been rescued through Baby Watoto. They now have a chance at a real future. Partner with us to rescue babies. Log onto www.watoto.com/ sponsorship to sponsor Baby Watoto now.
WHAT WE DO ORPHANED CHILDREN | VULNERABLE WOMEN | COMMUNITY TRANSFORMATION
ACHIEVERS 2014 was indeed an incredible year. And the academic excellence achieved by our students added to the jubilation. The release of the 2014 Primary Leaving Examinations and Uganda Certificate Examinations brought Watoto such pride and joy. The students of our schools, Hope Junior School and Hope Senior School, performed well beyond our expectations. Jeremiah Mutyaba, the best performing student at Hope Senior School, ranked among the best performing students in the country. Jonathan Muganzi at Hope Junior School achieved
A NEW START Lucy Anyanyo is one of 191 women who joined Living Hope Gulu last year and experienced the power of community. When Lucy was bedridden and hopeless, she received a visit from Florence Acaa, an HIV+ woman who has been empowered through Living Hope. Florence is now a community leader for Living Hope in Gulu. She works at her stall in the market, but is actively involved in finding women like Lucy who are hiding because of their HIV status. When Lucy’s husband died of HIV/AIDS, Lucy lost all hope. “I was certain that the next thing for me was death, and that my children would lose their mother. I thought the
stress alone would kill me,” she said. Florence had met Lucy at the clinic and recognized her as a neighbor. When she noticed that Lucy was becoming very sick, Florence knocked on her door and shared her own story with Lucy. “I couldn’t tell that Florence was also HIV positive until she disclosed it. Florence convinced me that I could live,” she said. With Florence’s support, Lucy took her first steps toward recovery. Florence was there to pray with her as Lucy overcame the strong effects of the ARV treatment. Last year, Florence helped Lucy sign up for Living Hope. “Through trauma counseling I was able to release the stress and pain from my past. I learned that God loves me no
matter what,” she said. The ladies from our 2014 intake have experienced our embrace, but this year they will also be empowered through one of our many skills departments. We are excited to see them thrive as they continue to grow in different areas. Lucy is learning how to sew Living Hope’s new Amito doll, which is on sale with the Watoto Children’s Choirs this year. The allowance she makes as a trainee at our center helps her support her three children and pay her rent. Email us at livinghope@ watoto.com if you would like to help us empower women like Lucy so that they also become leaders who engage with their community and bring hope to others.
CHOIR 69 AN EXCITING V On January 16th, Watoto Choir 69 was so excited to join 20,000 other Millwall FC fans as they played against Ipswich United. The game took place at Millwall football stadium, a.k.a, The Den. Growing up most young boys in Uganda love playing football. So when the boys of Choir 69 heard that we were going to be a part of a football game, the first question they asked was, “Do we get to
5 aggregates in 4 subjects, a pass with several distinctions. As a result of these and other performances, our primary school finished as the top school in the district and our high school finished as one of the top 10 schools in the district. Your faithful giving has contributed to these accomplishments. Jonathan’s dream is to become a medical doctor, and Jeremiah wants to study food science and technology. “I want to solve the problem of wide spread hunger in Africa. That’s why I thought it would be good to become a food scientist,” says Jeremiah. If you already sponsor a child, get somebody else on board in this worthy cause. Direct them to www.watoto.com/sponsorship.
VISIT TO THE ‘DEN’ go onto the pitch and kick the ball around as well?” It was to their great joy that the answer was “Yes” and that we had the opportunity to sing one of our favorite new songs, ‘Heirs’. It was so exciting to see this large crowd watching in awe as 18 children and 4 adults boldly proclaimed the love of Jesus and that those who believe in Him are heirs in the Kingdom of God! We spent the rest of the afternoon cheering on Millwall.
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