Watoto News - AU

WWW.WATOTO.COM | ISSUE NO.1

WELCOME HOME We were thrilled to graduate 10 toddlers from Baby Watoto to our Watoto Suubi Village this February. The bubbly infants were welcomed into their new families by excited mums and siblings and it was a momentous occasion for all. “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 Baby Watoto Team Leader, Fred Katoogo. Babies rescued by Watoto find a permanent home in a Watoto village when they are old enough and well enough. A month before they move to the village, their new mothers spent time with them at Baby Watoto. This helps with 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 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 an incredible year at Watoto 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 much joy, with the students of our schools.

The students of our schools, Hope Junior School and Hope Senior School, performing extremely well. Jeremiah

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, a HIV+ woman who has been empowered through Living Hope. Florence is now a community leader for Living Hope in Gulu and is actively involved in finding women like Lucy who are struggling because of their HIV status. When Lucy’s husband died, she 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 recognised her as a neighbour. When she noticed that Lucy was becoming very sick, Florence knocked on her door and shared her own story.

“I couldn’t tell that Florence was also HIV+ until she disclosed it.

She 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 counselling 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 Choir this year. The allowance she makes as a trainee at our centre 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.

Watoto is currently changing the lives of nearly 3,000 children in Uganda, East Africa. Amongst them are these 18 gorgeous and excited children who are about to commence their 2015 tour with the Watoto Children’s Choir.

This team of children,

COME WITH US TO BEAUTIFUL AFRICA Have you ever dreamt of meeting your sponsor child, mother or teacher? Cuddling the little ones at Baby Watoto or hearing firsthand stories from the ladies at Living Hope? Well now you can! Consider this your

personal invitation for our annual Watoto sponsor trip to Uganda.

You will have the opportunity to spend time with your sponsored individual and their family, and experience all the Watoto projects including our villages,

INTRODUCING

Baby Watoto, Living Hope and sustainability projects. For more information, or to express interest visit www.watoto.com/watototrip or give us a call (07) 3208 3500.

Mutyaba, the best performing student at Hope Senior School, even ranked among the highest scoring students in the country.

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. Jeremiah now dreams of studying 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, why not encourage your friends and family to do the same and help us raise up more leaders who will rebuild the nations of Africa. www.watoto.com/sponsorship.

WATOTO’S EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR VISITS AUSTRALIA The Australian office was thrilled to welcome Watoto Child Care Ministries E.D. Arora Majugo last month, as he made the trip from Uganda to spend invaluable time with the Australian team. Arora has been a part of Watoto Church since its inception 30 years ago, and has been on staff for the past 8 years. He does

an incredible job overseeing the ministry worldwide and our team was honoured to spend time learning from him and being inspired by the ongoing vision of Watoto. We also made sure he had the full Aussie experience by trying vegemite, having fish and chips on the beach and meeting some of our local wildlife.

G CHOIR 72! along with the 10 adults who accompany them, will travel extensively throughout Australia during their 6 month tour, bringing their brand new production Oh, What Love to QLD, NSW, ACT, VIC, SA and WA. You won’t want to miss out

on the opportunity to, not only experience Choir 72 in concert, but also meet these beautiful children and hear their stories.

Visit our website to find out when they will be in your area. www.watoto.com

GREAT OCEAN ROAD CHALLENGE Last month, eight passionate Watoto supporters took up the challenge of cycling 300 kilometres to raise funds for Watoto. This incredible team cycled for three days along the Great Ocean Road in partnership with 25000 Spins, an organisation dedicated to helping reduce global poverty.

Their fundraising efforts were outstanding and between them, they have raised over $20,000 to help vulnerable women and children in Uganda. If you would like to join the team on next year’s ride, let us know by emailing mediaau@watoto.com.

SEE THE WATOTO CHILDREN’S CHOIR LIVE IN CONCERT www.watoto.com/the-choir/see-the-choir

WATOTO AUSTRALIA PO BOX 782 SPRINGWOOD, QLD 4127 (07) 3208 3500 AUSTRALIA@WATOTO.COM

Global Development Group (ABN 57 102 400 993), a DFAT approved NGO, is proud to be a partner of Watoto Child Care Ministries Australia and responsible for aid & development projects J210, J329, J416 according to DFAT guidelines.