LETS MAKE THIS SEASON SPECIAL

Below are images of a previous Christmas celebration that we had with our children. The smiles tell it all.

We thank all the sponsors that have contributed to the Xmas party that we are organizing. It will take place next week, Saturday 22nd December 2018. We have secured very beautiful hotel gardens for the function.

Originally we had planned for our sponsored children and a few others but we have decided to make it a slightly bigger outreach to more children and youth in the community. We want to make Xmas special for 100 children and 50 youth aged 15-25. These youth are part of a group that we have been empowering through our partnership with SOARAWAY, a local NGO. For most of them this is the only opportunity they have in the year to move out of their familiar villages and have fun in a beautiful place with friends.

We will ask each of our sponsored children to invite two other friends so that they enjoy together.

We have calculated that we will spend 10,000Ush ( $ 3) on each child. Total cost for the party will be $450.
Those who still wish to contribute may do so through Linn Hultin. Its not too late.

LETS JOIN HANDS AND MAKE THIS SEASON THE BEST FOR THE CHILDREN!

BLESSINGS!

MERRY XMAS

We wish all our friends and sponsors a happy Xmas and new year 2019.We plan to make this festive season memorable for our children.We are organizing a party which will cost about $120. Any contribution to that will be highly appreciated.
Sponsors are also encouraged to send their children special gifts like the one sent to Isabella, pictured below,which was used to buy her new clothes.

ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT

Moving forward into 2019, the economic empowerment of families will be our top priority.We will purchase more animals and engage in commercial farming.
We will post more about that in January as we discuss new year plans.
Here one of our visitors bought a goat for a family.We thank her.

IMPARTING VALUES

Our mission is holistic child development. This means developing children in all aspects including spiritual, physical, cognitive and social emotional. Teaching and inculcating positive values in them is very critical. It prepares them to succeed socially and in their careers.
Here our volunteer, Fortunate, was teaching them christian values of patience and self control.

November fun

Its important for children to be exposed to people of diverse cultures and background. It helps them to learn early the skill of adapting to people different from them. Here we enjoyed playing with our visitors from Sweden and Belgium. The children learnt new games and really enjoyed it.
These memories will stay with the children and lighten the burden of the adverse circumstances in which they live.

WISHING THEM SUCCESS

Erina Nyirahafasha and Justine Cyimpaye will be completing their primary school level next week.
They will sit for their national exams on 5th and 6th November 2018.

Please keep them in prayer.

We are so thankful for the transformation in their lives and education. We begun to support them when they were in P3. Erina had at some point lost hope and had decided to leave school because of a hostile environment at home where she stays with the step mother. Her dad was also not eager to provide her with the basic recquirements. However, as we talked to her father and encouraged her, she returned to school and we hope she will continue and complete her studies.

Justine too had a big challenge when she suddenly lost her mum earlier this year. We stood with the family and visited them and she is coping well and ready to face the exams with confidence.

We are very grateful for the sponsors of these two wonderful girls. You have been with them through their hardships and its your support that is turning their lives around.

Wishing them success!!

Holistic child care

We believe that a school should be a place that develops a child as a whole and empowers them to succeed in life, not just in academics. For this to happen, self confidence, emotional security, acceptance and love need to be built into the child while they're at school. We work with the administration of the school and the teachers to ensure this is done.
Here we were in one of our school visits to do just that. The children feel loved and cared for whenever they see us coming to check on them. We hold discussions with their teachers and administrators to identify gaps in their development for further action. Then we liaise with their parents/guardians to ensure we work together as a team.

This is the third and last term of the academic year. Lets pray for our children to stay healthy and pass well to the next class.

Caring for families

Fortunate Nyirabashitsi is a graduate social worker who recently joined our team of volunteers. Here she was speaking to students in one of our school outreaches in partnership with SOARAWAY. Below, we were visiting the family of Devota Uwingabire, one of our new sponsored children. She also had a moment of counseling and prayer with Miriam Zihawe, a primary 7 candidate.

Inspiring the next generation

We were blesssed once again to host intern students from the US recently.
This time we went beyond meeting our own children only and visited our partner school so as to speak and inspire more children.

It was interesting how the children asked the visitors whether, in their country they have gardens and grow crops, whether they dig with hoes or other tools etc!

The school continues to assist us in following up on childrens discipline and academic study.
We also couldnt miss an opportunity for fun and games!

A NEW BEGINNING

We have entered a partnership with SOARAWAY, an educational consulting firm that also does capacity building for NGOs. Through this partnership we shall be running several programs that will benefit our children and the general community of Kisoro. The first intervention is a RESOURCE CENTRE containing academic books and other literature for children, teachers and the community to read.
We are also assisting SOARAWAY to reach schools in Kisoro where we shall start "iSOAR"clubs. Through these clubs we shall be assisting students with personal develpopment skills like goal setting, guiding them in their career choices and imparting positive values for their character development.
Academic seminars, an annual workcamp in Kampala and exchange programs are some of the upcoming interventions.

To kick off all that, we have done a training of trainers for teachers and student leaders who will be spearheading these programs in their institutions. 100 participants from both secondary schools and tertiary institutions were selected. We took them out to a health centre in the village for communtiy work at the end of the training. We helped to clean around the premises.
The training was officially opened by the District Education Officer, the government supervisor of education at district level.
We are hoping to be able to access some donor agencies through this relationship so that we can do the project income generating project that has been on our hearts for a long time.

Thanks for your continued support!!