Watoto News - US

WWW.WATOTO.COM | FALL 2015 | ISSUE NO.3

SPECIAL NEEDS SPORTS GALA July 11 was a special day for the special needs children under Watoto care. It was the annual Sports Gala and the children could not wait to participate in the various activities of the day.

The goal of the annual event is to give children with

special needs a platform for self-expression through participation in fun music, sports and many more activities while in a safe environment. The event attracted a number of foundations and organizations that care for children with both

mental and physical special needs.

“For other children, a sports day is a normal affair. This should be the same for our special needs children,” says Florence Namaganda, founder of the Special Children’s Fund.

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The day kicked off with the children marching to the main venue where the festivities took place. The Watoto children participated and competed in a number of games ranging from bottle-filling, ring-dancing, and chair-dancing to reciting poety, Continued on page 2

karaoke, and other activities.

While the children played, the Watoto mothers cheered them on with such pride. Sarah Kaisoke, one of the mothers, happily shared the reason for her excitement.

“I love coming here. Seeing my children doing all of this reminds me just how capable they are.

I know they can do everything, they just need the opportunity; More than that, it gives me hope to see someone who shares my struggle, sometimes taking on even more than I am. That is the reason I look forward to coming each year,” said Sarah.

The Ugandan government’s support of Watoto’s cause was expressed by the Deputy Speaker of the Ugandan Parliament, Jacob Oulanya, who was also the day’s

Guest of Honor.

“After what I have seen today, I no longer need to be mobilized,” said Oulanya. “I just need to be deployed. The government is with you.”

Beyond the day’s achievements, the gala has helped Watoto foster relationships and partnerships with like-minded organizations in Uganda.

“These galas help us to network with different organizations,” said Joel Kiisa, an occupational therapist at Watoto. “We are able to share information and get advice from one another.”

To learn more about the Watoto special needs program or to partner with us, email usa@watoto.com.

FOREVER CHANGED Small sacrifices can make a big difference. Ask Joslin Salant from Redding, Calif. whose life was first impacted when the Watoto Children’s Choir visited her church with a powerful message of hope.

“I was completely mesmerized,” said Joslin. “As the photos of happy children from the villages flashed up on the screen, I said to myself, ‘I must see this. I must go there and experience Watoto for myself.’”

God’s call on Joslin’s life to visit Watoto meant some big changes were ahead for her.

“Living in the Bay Area is expensive, but God started working overtime in my life,” said Joslin. “I decided to sell my house and move to an area where the cost of living is much less. This gave me the funds I needed to go to Watoto, so I signed up for a Global Mission Trip and was on my way.”

Joslin’s dedication to Watoto made a big difference in the lives of the children she served and loved during her visit.

Now back in the U.S., Joslin continues to support the children of Watoto with her time, prayers and sponsorships.

“My trip was more than I could ever have imagined,” said Joslin. “I loved helping with the babies and even got to meet my sponsor children, Mercy and Esther. God has fueled my passion for Watoto’s work and the children of Uganda. I feel blessed to be a small part of it. My life has been forever changed and I will never be the same.”

For more information on how you can partner with us by visiting Watoto, please contact our office at usa@watoto.com or call 866-492-8686.

A RAY OF HOPE Allen Mumpe, a mother of six, spent most of her hours in a garden planting potatoes. She sold them at a local market and collected the leftovers for her family to have a meal for the day.

“That is all we lived on,” said Allen. “Every day I knelt under the scorching sun and on the damp soil with tears in my eyes and asked God to help me get out of the situation. I continued working even though my back ached.”

A friend who knew about Allen’s situation connected her to Living Hope and she joined the program in March of 2014.

“I was very excited and the first thing I did was get on my knees and thanked God,” said Allen.

After completing discipleship lessons, Allen joined our jewelry

department. She is one of 133 women in Kampala who received skills training at Living Hope this year, with many more waiting to be empowered. The skills taught at Living Hope open doors of opportunity for the ladies, allowing them to provide a better future for their children.

Before Living Hope, Allen slept at a church to save money.

“That is in the past now,” said Allen. “It gives me so much joy to earn a salary. Something that used to be a dream is now a reality. I can never stop expressing my sincere gratitude to God and Living Hope for making me feel valuable.”

Living Hope restores dignity to vulnerable women enabling them to look after their children. We are excited to be a part of Allen’s empowerment journey and to see her securing a better future for her children.

A SONG FOR THE NATIONS Choir 73 had the unique opportunity to be a part of an incredible performance at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City in June. The concert featured more than 140 performers representing five continents as well as the New York Symphony Orchestra. The choir opened the event singing “Amazing Grace.”

“It was a privilege for the choir to sing at such an impactful event,” said Eugene Stutzman, Executive Director of the Watoto U.S. office. “We are grateful for the opportunity to share God’s love with so many influential world leaders and we pray that Watoto’s message of grace continues to impact lives in this city and across the world.”

A PAT ON THE SHOULDER It is a practice in our villages to reward children that have exhibited good behavior and who have encouraged the same for others.

August 1 was a day of excitement for the children at the Watoto Bbira village who had exhibited outstanding behavior since the beginning of the year. There was excitement and anticipation in the air as the children gathered around their senior mothers to receive their rewards.

The assortment of gifts handed out included clothes, notebooks, bags, candy, dolls, board games and more. The funds used to buy these gifts were received from a gift pool contributed to by many of our donors.

8-year-old Jasmine received her brand new Winnie the Pooh doll and a lovely pair of shorts with such a huge smile.

“It feels so good,” said Jasmine.

“I am going to play with my new toy on Saturdays and wear my shorts to church on Sunday.”

15-year-old Brian Kimbugwe received a Slammer’s board game and could hardly hide his joy.

“I am so excited,” said Brian. “I thank God and all our sponsors

because now I have something that my friends and I can play with over the weekend.”

Thank you to our supporters for all of your contributions. To find out how you can contribute to the gift pool, visit www.watoto.com/sponsorship.

WATOTO USA PO BOX 1320 LUTZ, FLORIDA 33548-1320

CONNECT WITH US Stay up to date with the latest information on Watoto by connecting with us online. Read stories of how God is working in the lives of the women and children of Watoto, see what the choirs are up to on the road, and much more.

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