Partnership Pack

UK. UGANDA. THE WORLD.

CELEBRATING CHRIST. CARING FOR COMMUNITY. TOGETHER.

Watoto UK Partnership Pack

CARING FOR COMMUNITY COMING ALONGSIDE AFRICA’S MOST VULNERABLE Join with us as we continue to go into the hardest of places, sharing the love of Jesus, providing education, jobs and medical care, empowering women, raising future leaders and rebuilding this beautiful Africa.

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PARTNERING WITH WATOTO Thank you for taking the time to read this Partnership Pack and to explore further partnership with Watoto. We simply cannot do all that we are called to do without the commitment and support of churches, sponsors and friends from around the world.

We want to thank you for coming alongside us as we continue to care for vulnerable women and children in Africa. Through this pack, we hope to inspire you by sharing more details about our work, exciting future developments and opportunities to get involved.

“Pure and unblemished religion [as it is expressed in outward acts] in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit and look after the fatherless and the widows in their distress.” - James 1:27, AMP If you are a Pastor or Church Leader, we would love to come alongside you by helping you share the good news of the gospel in a dynamic and creative way, reaching your local community and stirring up a passion in your church for mission and social justice. Through partnering with Watoto you are impacting so many lives, by sowing a seed into the future of Africa, and also into your church and community.

If you are a sponsor or supporter, you play a significant role within the Watoto family, ensuring that the forgotten have a place to belong. Your support and generosity makes it possible for us to step forward into all God has called us to do.

We hope that you will be inspired by this pack to deepen your partnership with us, whether it is through sponsoring a child or mother in Uganda, visiting Watoto, volunteering or hosting a Watoto Sunday at your church here in the UK. We look forward to pursuing this God given vision together and we pray that through working together we will see our communities flourish, both here in the UK as well as in Uganda and South Sudan.

You matter and we want to say Thank You for your ongoing support. We look forward to working together with you to make sure the forgotten have a place to belong.

Richest blessings,

JonathanWhite Hutchison Andrew UK Director Watoto UK CMS House Watlington Road Oxford, OX4 6BZ Phone: 0203 225 1048 Email: uk@watoto.com Charity No: 1090810

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CONTENTS WHERE WE ARE.........................................................................................................................................................4 1. WATOTO’S STORY................................................................................................................................................. 5 2. WATOTO’S FUTURE ............................................................................................................................................. 8 SOUTH SUDAN................................................................................................................................................................. 8 BOBI: SUSTAINABLE FARM & TRAINING CENTRE ....................................................................................... 10 3. SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES......................................................................................................................12 BABY WATOTO ..............................................................................................................................................................13 NEIGHBOURHOOD MOTHER ....................................................................................................................................13 WATOTO CHILD ............................................................................................................................................................ 14 WATOTO MOTHER ...................................................................................................................................................... 14 4. WATOTO CHILDREN’S CHOIR ......................................................................................................................... 16 HOST THE CHOIR ......................................................................................................................................................... 16 REACH OUT TO YOUR COMMUNITY ................................................................................................................... 16 SEE & BOOK THE CHOIR ............................................................................................................................................17 SUPPORT THE CHOIR ON THE ROAD..................................................................................................................17 5. BECOME A PARTNER CHURCH ...................................................................................................................... 20 WATOTO CHURCH ..................................................................................................................................................... 20 MISSIONAL PARTNERSHIP ...................................................................................................................................... 20 WATOTO SUNDAY .......................................................................................................................................................21 6. VISIT WATOTO ....................................................................................................................................................24 TAKE YOUR OWN TEAM.......................................................................................................................................... 24 JOIN A NATIONAL TEAM ......................................................................................................................................... 24 VOLUNTEER ....................................................................................................................................................................25 7. BECOME A WATOTO AMBASSADOR ............................................................................................................28 CHOIR & CHURCH AMBASSADORS .................................................................................................................... 28 FOCUS AREA AMBASSADOR ................................................................................................................................ 28 EVENTS AMBASSADORS ......................................................................................................................................... 29 8. UK BASED SUPPORT ..........................................................................................................................................32

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WHERE WE ARE Watoto began as a church in 1983 in Kampala, Uganda. As you can see on the map below, we now have 13 church campuses across Uganda and South Sudan and started many different ministries, including Baby Watoto, Keep A Girl In School, children’s villages, Neighbourhood centres and sustainable farms.

As the ministry grew, so did the need to facilitate support offices where our partners and sponsors live. Today, we have nine support offices throughout the world, including our Watoto UK office in Oxford. We would love to connect with you further and find new ways to partner with you to reach the lost and hurting in our communities together.

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1. WATOTO’S STORY At the heart of Watoto is a local church who Celebrates Christ and Cares for Community. In 1983, in a time of civil war, Gary and Marilyn Skinner planted a local church in Kampala, Uganda, to speak hope and life to the nation. Over the past 35 years, we have seen God transform many lives. We now have the privilege of seeing over 29,000 people celebrate Christ in 12 church campuses across Uganda, and 1 in Juba, South Sudan.

AIM AT THE PAIN It was about two years after planting the church in Kampala that Uganda was hit by HIV/AIDS with one of the highest infection rates and the highest number of AIDS orphans in the world. A defining moment for Gary at that time, was meeting a grandmother who was taking care of 26 grandchildren all by herself. Her husband and 6 of her 7 children had died, leaving her grandchildren orphaned. “I realised I could not pastor a great church and ignore the problems of the people. And it was during that time that God began to very clearly speak to me. One day He said to me: “Gary, I want you to look after My children.” Instantly I knew that this was the orphan, because He is the Father of the fatherless.”

Across our three Watoto villages we now provide a loving family, home, education, food and medical care to over 3,000 orphaned and abandoned children every year.

As Watoto started to take care of orphaned and abandoned children, Gary felt God speak to him about taking a choir of rescued children around the world. For over 25 years, our Watoto Children’s Choirs have shared the gospel with many people and it has been an opportunity for the children to speak on behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves. It has also allowed them to travel and expand their worldview, and equip them to be successful leaders in every sphere of life. To date, we have sent over 100 choirs and the powerful stories of our children have been shared at most of the major parliaments of the world, including Buckingham Palace and the White House.

Several years later, Watoto church felt challenged again, this time to respond to the cry of the abandoned baby. Because of poverty, disease and (sexual) violence, many girls in Uganda end up with unwanted pregnancies. They have no means to care for the baby and often get rejected by their own family. They get kicked out of the house and are not allowed to go back to school, unless they get rid of the child. As a result, every year thousands of babies are abandoned. In response to this need, we started Baby Watoto in 2007 and to date we have rescued over 1,400 orphaned and abandoned babies. Baby Watoto is a place of safety where tiny little babies, who are often malnourished or born prematurely, can be nurtured and cared for until they are healthy enough to be reunited with relatives or taken in by a loving family in one of our Watoto villages.

In more recent years, Marilyn felt God call her to do more and to not get comfortable: “I have something else I want you to do. I want you to begin to restore dignity to Uganda’s most vulnerable women.” Life can be really tough for Ugandan women. It is often characterised by subordination, illiteracy, early marriage and unwanted pregnancies. Watoto Neighbourhood is about embracing these women who, through no fault of their own, have often contracted HIV, have no way of supporting themselves and are going to die and leave their children orphans unless we do something about it.

With over 3,000 women in its care, representing over 15,000 children, Watoto Neighbourhood is giving these mothers the medicine to stay alive and empowers them with discipleship and life skills.

We teach them how to read and write, how to manage a small business and how to sew and tailor, so that they can earn an income and look after their children. We want to let these women know that there are no boundaries to God’s greatness, that they can dream again and that they can live a life of dignity.

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To reduce school dropout of vulnerable girls in our community, we also started a project within our Watoto Neighbourhood ministry called Keep a Girl in School. Education is not only important for a brighter future, but to many girls in Africa, it is critical to their survival. Many girls in rural Uganda and South Sudan stay home during their period, missing out on weeks of education every year, causing them to fall behind and eventually drop out of school. Girls that are not going to school are also more vulnerable and at a higher risk of abuse, unwanted pregnancy, HIV and early marriage. By providing them with sanitary towels, hygiene supplies, sexual education, life skills and character development, Keep a Girl in School reduces school dropout, increases exam completion and gives the girls a greater chance in life.

Watoto feeds a lot of hungry mouths. With three busy villages, full of families, we know it is important to work towards self-sustainability. Watoto runs four sustainability farms that provide fresh vegetables and eggs for our villages and goats milk for Baby Watoto. By producing wholesome food for our mothers and children, we are reducing our expenses on food and healthcare. More importantly, we are giving our families the nutrition they need to grow up healthy and strong. Our farms also provide learning and employment opportunities for our young adults and local farmers in our communities. Watoto’s sustainability initiatives are a critical part of its development strategy.

Over the past 35 years, the challenges facing the nation have changed, but our vision in all this remains the same. As we work alongside the most vulnerable in our society, our aim is to rescue individuals and raise each one as a leader in their sphere of life, so that they in turn will rebuild their nation. 1

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Watch the full Watoto Story here: vimeo.com/141139819 Partnership Pack

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SOUTH SUDAN

REACHING OUR NEIGHBOURHOOD “With eyes of faith I see a miracle unfolding before me–where women and children will have their stories transformed. Mothers will raise up a generation who know the Lord and will transform the nation for His glory.”

Vernita Rwotlonyo, Watoto Neighbourhood

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2. WATOTO’S FUTURE There is more to be done As Watoto church we have faith in Jesus, but we also ask ourselves, what good is our faith if our brothers and sisters lack food or clothes and we do nothing? (James 2:14-17) Over the past 35 years, we have seen God use our faith-in-action in Uganda to accomplish more than we could have ever imagined. As we continue our work as Watoto church across our community and in the Watoto children’s villages, we are seeking to expand into new regions where we see real need.

We want to share two key development areas with you that are a priority for us as we seek to move forward. We are expanding our work into South Sudan and are aiming to become even more selfsustainable through our new Bobi agriculture business and training centre in Gulu. We value your prayers and partnership to see both these developments establish, so that we can continue to bring hope in places of despair and further transformation to Africa.

SOUTH SUDAN The Republic of South Sudan gained independence in 2011. A year later Watoto Church started holding services in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, and we did not leave when civil war broke out in 2013. The need in Juba is staggering as South Sudan is dealing with survivors of war and displacement, desperate circumstances very similar to Gulu, Northern Uganda, several years ago.

We are convinced that together we can help bring about the same transformation in South Sudan as we have seen in Northern Uganda. Watoto’s first project in Gulu started in 2007 and was primarily focused on trauma rehabilitation, medical intervention, education and transformation of society.

Today we have a Baby Watoto facility, a Watoto children’s Village and established our Watoto Neighbourhood ministry in Gulu and we can honestly say the community has improved vastly and hope has been restored.

For South Sudan we are looking to do the same. We want to expand our reach by multiplying everything we have been doing in Uganda for the past 35 years. In October 2018 we took our first step and launched Watoto Neighbourhood and our Keep A Girl In School project in Juba. It was a great success, but we are now looking for ongoing supporters and Neighbourhood sponsors to help us continue to embrace and empower these women and girls and reach many more.

Although what is happening in Juba right now is devastating, we know that God has a great plan for the city and the nation of South Sudan. With your support we can continue to reach out into the hardest of places and come alongside the most vulnerable women and children in our neighbourhood. Join us as we put our faith into action!

GET INVOLVED If you would like to put your faith in action too and support our work in South Sudan, please consider sponsoring a Neighbourhood Mother (see section 3). To find out more about our work in South Sudan, please see our website www.watoto.com or contact us directly at 0203 225 1048 or uk@watoto.com.

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SUSTAINABILITY PROVIDING MILK, FOOD AND LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES “I have seen that we have massive resources, right here in Africa: tremendous potential, human potential, as well as economic and natural resources. It is time for us to have a very strong sustainability programme.”

Gary Skinner, Co-founder Watoto

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BOBI: SUSTAINABLE FARM & TRAINING CENTRE We realise it is important to work towards self-sustainability for the continuing development of Watoto and the empowerment of those in our care. Our vision to celebrate Christ and care for community is not only about providing the most vulnerable and marginalised with food, clothes, shelter and health care, but also about empowering them to be able to provide for themselves and their families. Putting food in their hands is critical, but providing the tools in their hands to become self-sustainable leaves an impact for generations to come.

We are very excited about our new sustainability project in northern Uganda where we are launching a farm and training centre that will provide practical education and technical business training to our young adults, while at the same time providing food for the women and children in our care. With this project we strive to raise leaders in Uganda’s agricultural sector to positively influence the development of agricultural policy and impact the nation.

The Bobi Agri-Business initiative (named after the area where it is situated) is located on a 400 acre plot of land outside of Gulu, Northern Uganda, and serves a three-fold purpose: x x x

provide technical skills and business training to Watoto high school graduates in preparation for gainful employment in Uganda’s agricultural and food sector produce quality plant and animal products for those in care of Watoto and to sell in nearby markets develop leaders with shared core values to guide Uganda's future and contribute to the (economic) development of Africa

In partnership with experts from the College of the Ozarks and the University of Arkansas, graduates will be trained in general agriculture and one of three specialty areas: plant sciences; animal sciences or agribusiness. Select graduates will also have the option of receiving an additional year of advanced training.

As this project has just commenced, we are now in the early stages of building the first student and professor housing and have started fundraising for other immediate requirements, including fencing, a class room block, tractor, generator, boreholes and a dam/reservoir for crop irrigation.

GET INVOLVED Wherever we operate, our goal is to see transformation in our neighbourhoods and we believe that through partnering together we can work towards a bright sustainable future.

If you would like to get involved, fundraise or donate towards a specific need, please contact the Watoto UK office at 0203 225 1048 or uk@watoto.com. We would also like to welcome you to come to Uganda yourself on a team trip, to see the project and help us with the funding, building and stewarding of this amazing initiative.

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SPONSORSHIP RESCUING & RAISING FUTURE LEADERS Our Watoto sponsors enable us to rescue abandoned children and vulnerable women, raise them up as transformational leaders to positively impact every sphere of society and rebuild the nations of Uganda and South Sudan in the process.

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3. SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES Help transform the lives of women and children in Africa Sponsor a baby, child or mother and enable us to rescue even more vulnerable women and children in Uganda and South Sudan, raise them as leaders and rebuild their nation. You could sponsor as an individual, family or even as a small group, church, class or school.

Our faithful sponsors and donors make it possible for us to do all that we do through their consistent monthly support. By becoming a sponsor you are significantly impacting a life and sowing a seed into the future of Africa.

“The Watoto Village is a community that raises a child holistically. Not only are basic needs provided, but above all: a parent and home.” – Gary Skinner, Co-Founder Watoto

HOLISTIC CARE Watoto sponsorship is unique as our models are built around holistic care. Because the children we rescue have been abandoned or orphaned, Watoto becomes their home. Along with joining a loving family (with a mother and brothers/sisters) in one of the houses in a Watoto village, children are clothed and fed from the produce of Watoto’s sustainability projects and farms. They are also enrolled in a Watoto school, receive spiritual care from our mothers and Watoto pastors and have access to medical care through our medical centres in the villages. We have a Watoto Church campus in each of our children’s villages. Our heart is to care for and empower the children in every area of life.

Through Watoto Neighbourhood we have expanded our work into caring for women and children living in our local communities. By sponsoring our Neighbourhood Mothers, you can help us take this same holistic care model to these vulnerable women and her children, right where they are at.

BECOME A SPONSOR Our heart is to reach out to many more women and children in need and with the help of new sponsors we can make this possible. Explore our four different sponsorship opportunities on the next two pages and please consider and pray what you can do. You can also view individual profiles of children and mothers in need of a sponsor online at: www.watoto.com/give/sponsor/ If you would like to correspond with the individual you sponsor, please consider choosing to sponsor a Watoto/Neighbourhood child or a Watoto house mother, which provides the opportunity to write to them and share words of encouragement and prayer. When you choose to sponsor Baby Watoto or our Neighbourhood Mothers your financial support will go to the specific ministry in general.

If you would like to become a Watoto sponsor, we would be delighted to speak with you about this.

Monthly sponsorship payments to Watoto are £23 per month (or £30 per month for children with special needs) and are most commonly administrated by a monthly direct debit. Please give our Sponsorship Coordinator a call on 0203 225 1048 or email sponsor.uk@watoto.com. You could also sign up for sponsorship directly through our website: www.watoto.com/give/sponsor/

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BABY WATOTO

BABY WATOTO Sponsor Baby Watoto and help provide critical care to orphaned or abandoned babies aged 0-2 years, giving them the best possible start in life. These infants often come in to Watoto premature, abused or with complicated medical conditions. They require love, care and immediate attention to thrive. When they are older and physically well enough, they either graduate to a Watoto village, where they become a member of a permanent Watoto family, or they are reunited with existing relatives. Baby Watoto sponsorship is not for a specific child, but for all of the babies in our care.

NEIGHBOURHOOD MOTHERS

NEIGHBOURHOOD MOTHER Africa’s greatest resource is her women. When a woman is equipped, she is able to manage her own life and that of her children. Watoto Neighbourhood is about coming alongside and meeting the needs of vulnerable women and children in the community. Their key needs include housing, medical care, employment and education. If you become a Neighbourhood sponsor, it is not only the women that benefit. When a woman is embraced and empowered, her children are nurtured and educated to reach their full potential and her community is impacted.

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WATOTO CHILD

WATOTO CHILD Your sponsorship of a boy or girl helps to provide holistic care for a vulnerable child from the community or an abandoned or orphaned child now living in the Watoto village. The Watoto village model is designed not only to meet the physical need of a child, but to provide everything they need to grow up healthy and whole, with purpose and meaning. We believe this is possible when each child is raised within a family with a loving mother and brothers and sisters. Your sponsorship helps us provide your child with a home, food, clothing, education, medical and spiritual care.

WATOTO MOTHER

WATOTO MOTHER Our Watoto villages provide homes and families for over 3,000 orphaned and vulnerable children. In each house in the villages you will find a woman who has come to Watoto, often widowed or abandoned, to be a mother to eight vulnerable children. Together they are a family and she is raising them with love and dignity. The children will stay connected to their Watoto mother, brothers and sisters throughout their lives. Your sponsorship helps us take care of these precious mothers, who truly form the heart of their families.

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WATOTO CHILDREN’S CHOIR A VOICE TO THE NATIONS “He has taken the children who may seem weak and enabled them to be a voice to the nations.”

Gary Skinner, Co-Founder Watoto

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4. WATOTO CHILDREN’S CHOIR HOST THE CHOIR One of the unique ways in which you can partner with Watoto is by hosting a concert performed by the Watoto Children’s Choir at your church or organisation. The title of our newest production is “We Will Go” and it includes music from Watoto Church as well as other popular worship songs.

With stories of transformation and hope, our concerts continually impact individuals and communities in the UK and beyond.

The Watoto Children’s Choir includes 18 children and 10 adults who have travelled to the UK to share their stories of hope. Most children in the choir (and some of the adult leaders) have been rescued

by Watoto after suffering the loss of one or both parents. Being on Tour is a life-changing experience for them, it provides them with the unique opportunity to travel, experience new cultures, gain confidence, develop leadership skills and expand their worldview and dreams. During the tour, our children have the privilege of telling thousands of people, “It is possible to have joy, to laugh and to have hope, no matter what you are going through. Look at what God has done in my life.”

A Watoto Children’s Choir concert lasts approximately an hour and fifteen minutes, during which we share the love of Jesus Christ in a dynamic and creative way. Our concerts are also a way for Watoto to raise awareness, funds and sponsorship for those back home in Uganda. After the concerts, we have our sponsorship opportunities available (see section 3) and we promote the sale of Watoto merchandise, which includes our music, apparel and jewellery/bags made by the women in our Neighbourhood ministry. This enables us to raise vital funds, so that we can continue to care for our community and keep reaching out to those in need.

A Watoto concert is free for both the church to host and for people to attend. We simply ask for an offering to be taken to support the work of Watoto during the concert, and for the church to provide meals and overnight accommodation for the choir (in church host home families) and the drivers and Choir Leader (in hotel accommodation). We have a detailed coordinators pack which helps churches plan the choir’s visit once the concert date has been confirmed.

REACH OUT TO YOUR COMMUNITY Hosting the Watoto Children’s Choir helps churches to reach out to their local community and share the gospel. The choir also presents churches with the unique opportunity to engage with local schools through hosting a school concert (a shortened version of an evening concert) or to visit and minister to local outreach programmes connected to the church.

You can increase the impact of our choir in your area by working together with other churches to organise a large event, rent a bigger venue or arrange a local hub week. A hub is a group of churches in a geographical area who host the choir for a series of concerts (between 4-7 days), working together to the benefit of the community in which they serve.

Having our choir stay in a particular town or region for a longer period of time has many benefits for both the churches involved as well as the choir. There is great excitement and momentum gained when running a series of concerts and it gives a unique opportunity to reach a larger number of people with many hearing about Jesus for the first time. We tend to use the same host homes for the duration of our stay, which is beneficial for the choir as they have a consistent base for the week and it provides an opportunity for the local host families to spend more time with the children they are hosting and to really get to know them. Also, spending a longer period in a town creates more opportunities for us to do schools work and for our choir to visit other local community outreaches, given our travel times between concert venues are reduced.

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Practically, we kindly ask for one church in particular to take the lead on organising a hub week with our UK Tour Coordinator and this designated church would be the key link between Watoto and the group of churches involved. For more information about the opportunity of running a local hub week in your area, please call our UK Tour Coordinator.

SEE & BOOK THE CHOIR To see when and where the choir will be visiting, please view our tour calendar which shows the details of all our upcoming concerts: www.watoto.com/app/choir/calendar.

For more information about hosting the choir at your church, school or organisation, please contact our UK Tour Coordinator on 0203 225 1048 or choir.uk@watoto.com or fill out a contact form at our website: www.watoto.com/app/choir/book

SUPPORT THE CHOIR ON THE ROAD We would love to hear from you if you are interested in engaging more with the Watoto Children’s Choir by helping to resource and fund the choir tour. Whether you can donate a gift-in-kind, volunteer, make a financial donation or are a local business that can support us, each of these things would be a huge blessing to our Choir while they are on the road here in the UK! We would value your support in the following areas: x x x x x x x

Volunteer coach drivers Sponsored outings (sponsor a ticket, or use a contact you have to ask for free entry) Catering volunteers for start, mid and end of Tour Individual donations to help cover logistical costs like clothing, health insurance, flights and transport for the choir Opticians offering free eye tests/glasses Dentists offering free dental check ups A free vehicle service and maintenance for our van/coach

Please contact us at choir.uk@watoto.com or 0203 225 1048 if you would like to help us in one of these areas. Thank you so much for supporting our choir and for helping us to continue to share the love of God and our message of hope across the UK.

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WE WILL GO SHARING GOD’S LOVE ACROSS THE UK “We had just under 700 people attend the concerts and two-thirds of people were from outside the church. I had people signing up for Alpha off the back of this performance - anyone who sees Watoto cannot help but be transformed! It is such a blessing to your church and it is transforming, not just for your church but for the people you want to come to your church.”

Andy Sachs, St John’s Colchester

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CHURCH PARTNERSHIP INSPIRE A HEART FOR MISSION IN YOUR CHURCH At Watoto Church we have seen the love of Jesus Christ in action, transforming thousands of lives. It is this love that compels us to embrace those hurting in our world. Let’s work together in reaching our communities, building up our neighbours and bringing the lost home.

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5. BECOME A PARTNER CHURCH We are incredibly grateful to each church, pastor, coordinator and host family for opening your hearts and homes to the Watoto Children’s Choir. Thank you for partnering with us in reaching the UK with the love of God, raising awareness and support for Watoto and enabling us to continue to care for vulnerable women and children in Africa. We would love to continue partnering with you beyond the choir tour and engage with your church throughout the year to help you keep a heart for mission at the forefront of church life.

WATOTO CHURCH As a church we would love to build church to church relationship with you, serve and seek the Lord together and make sure the forgotten have a place to belong. At the heart of Watoto is a local church committed to celebrating Christ and caring for community. We meet collectively every weekend with over 30,000 people at 13 different locations across Uganda and South Sudan, but we know that this all means nothing if our neighbour is left hungry and alone.

“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” - James 2:14-17 At Watoto we have seen the love of Jesus Christ in action, transforming thousands of lives. It is this love that compels us to embrace those hurting in our world and care for our community. We work hard to put this vision into practice through small gatherings throughout the week where we walk beside one another and by running our holistic children’s villages, Baby Watoto facilities and our Neighbourhood ministry for the vulnerable women and children in our communities.

MISSIONAL PARTNERSHIP We want to ask you to prayerfully consider coming alongside us financially and making Watoto one of your missional partners. Your contribution helps support our choir and operational costs on a monthly basis. This enables us to keep sharing God’s love with thousands of people across the UK, introducing many for the first time with the gospel, and helps us to keep reaching out to the most vulnerable places in our African communities.

As a church, small group, youth group or kids ministry you could also decide to sponsor a baby, child, young adult or mother. Sponsorship is essential to all that we do at Watoto as it enables us to provide holistic care to vulnerable women and children, including a safe place to call home, a lovely family, education, health care and discipleship. Through sponsorship you help us rescue and raise future African leaders, by empowering them to break away from poverty, grow up healthy and whole and live a life of hope and purpose. Please see section 3 for more information about our different sponsorship opportunities.

We would love to arrange regular mission trips to Uganda for you and your congregation to experience first-hand the difference your support is making. Visit Watoto to see our work, meet sponsored children and mothers, work in one of our projects, build a house or class room and meet those whose lives have been impacted by your generosity. We could arrange a tailor-made trip for your church/youth team, but it is also possible for individuals of your congregation to join one of our national team trips. Please see section 6 for more information about Visit Watoto.

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WATOTO SUNDAY Based on our vision to celebrate Christ and care for community, our Watoto Sunday elements are created to inspire your congregation about the role the church can play in bringing hope and transformation to its community, both in Uganda and at home here in the UK. If you desire to deepen your relationship with Watoto, below are some suggestions to consider as part of your Watoto Sunday, women’s events or regular church services.

RESOURCES Our Watoto Sunday resource pack contains content for you to use as part of one of your weekly church services. The materials have a particular focus on our Watoto Neighbourhood ministry, to raise awareness and support for the expansion of our work into our communities in Uganda and South Sudan. Invite Watoto staff to speak at your church or you take the theme and materials provided as a church leader/team and tailor them to suit your particular church service or event.

You could choose to simply run a special feature in your service with a short video and introduction to Watoto Neighbourhood, or fill a full service with the sermon notes provided in the pack.

PRAYER We would love to raise up a base of prayer support across the UK for the work of Watoto. Whether you could take 5 minutes during the Watoto Sunday service to pray corporately or pray regularly for us during prayer meetings, we would very much appreciate your spiritual support.

ANNUAL PROJECT We would love for you to take a special offering, as part of your Watoto Sunday or women’s event, towards the specific project highlighted that year. Currently the funds raised will go directly towards purchasing Embrace Packages for new women that we reach out to through our Neighbourhood ministry. To help with the offering, we can provide you with leaflets to put on the seats for those interested in making a card donation or signing up to become a monthly sponsor for Watoto Neighbourhood (see section 3).

An Embrace Package is a first step in the journey of restoration for the vulnerable women in our community; it improves her quality of life and empowers her by providing her with basic necessities.

One embrace Package costs £45 and includes a mattress, a blanket, cooking utensils and a bucket for cleaning and hygiene purposes. This practical act of love helps break down the barriers of mistrust of the vulnerable women in our community, enabling her to open herself up to renewed hope and faith.

WOMEN’S EVENTS This year’s focus on Neighbourhood and the empowerment of vulnerable women creates an ideal opportunity to use the Watoto Sunday resources to run a women’s event. Perhaps you could plan your next girls’ night around our theme and fundraise and sell merchandise during the evening to support our Neighbourhood women.

MERCHANDISE If you would like to engage with selling Watoto merchandise as part of your Watoto Sunday or women’s event, please let us know. We have various merchandise packs available to purchase at a discounted price for churches/charities, including Watoto music, books and bags and jewellery made by our Neighbourhood Mothers. If your church has a resource centre or bookshop and you are interested in purchasing larger quantities of Watoto merchandise to sell throughout the year, please get in touch with us to discuss the options we have available.

If you are interested in any of the above or in receiving a Watoto Sunday resource pack, please let us know by sending an email to uk@watoto.com or call the UK office on 0203 225 1048. Please do let us know the date you are planning to run a Watoto Sunday or event at your church, so that we can support you with prayer and any other resources you might need.

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WATOTO NEIGHBOURHOOD RESTORING HOPE AND DIGNITY “Watoto took me in when I had nothing. Because of the war, I didn’t know where to go. But they helped me overcome my suffering and empowered me to be a mother and leader. Now I can support children.”

Santa Aber, empowered mother of four

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VISIT WATOTO EXPERIENCE OUR WORK FIRST-HAND “After experiencing the Watoto Children’s Choir and sponsoring Baby Watoto, we wanted to get closer to this wonderful ministry. Our family of six ventured to Uganda to spend time serving and learning with Watoto. We experienced first-hand the warmth, beauty and life of the Ugandan people… and what a full and life changing trip it was for us all!”

Simon Higgins, Baby Watoto Sponsor

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6. VISIT WATOTO Have you ever dreamt of visiting Africa?

Watoto invites you to travel to Uganda to see how your generosity is making a tremendous impact in the lives of thousands. Visit us to see first-hand the work we are doing and meet the babies, children and mothers who have had their lives changed.

Each Visit Watoto trip is tailored to reflect the specific interests of the team or individual. It gives a deeper understanding of the impact of Watoto’s work in Uganda and offers a unique opportunity to interact with those whose lives are being transformed. A visit to your sponsored child or house mother and our many different projects will be included in the trip.

You can meet rescued babies at Baby Watoto and visit the mothers in our Watoto Neighbourhood centre and hear their moving stories. You can visit our sustainable farms, the Vocational Training School, our Keep a Girl in School project, the Sports Academy or see Watoto’s work in Gulu (Northern Uganda). We also offer optional excursions like Safari, white water rafting and fishing.

You could take your own (church) team or visit Watoto individually by joining an organised trip or volunteering in one of our projects.

TAKE YOUR OWN TEAM Visit Watoto together with family, friends, colleagues or people from your church. Watoto facilitates several life-changing opportunities for those who would like to create their own team. Whether it is a mission’s trip or the African experience you are interested in, visiting Watoto as a team is a great option. If you are interested or already put your team together, please contact us so we can assist you in planning your visit. The Watoto UK team will create a custom trip that is tailored to meet your needs. At the moment we especially need build teams to come and help us repair houses in our Watoto villages and build new student houses and classrooms at our new sustainable farm and training centre in Northern Uganda (for more information, see section 2).

JOIN A NATIONAL TEAM You could also join a trip organised by the UK Office as an individual and make your next adventure a visit to Watoto in Uganda. These trips are led by a Watoto UK staff member who, along with a Ugandan Watoto Guest Liaison, will be your guides around Uganda and give you an extensive overview of the work of Watoto. On the next page you can find an overview of team trips that we offer.

To discuss your ideas and plan your trip to Uganda, please contact our Visit Watoto Coordinator on 0203 225 1048 or visitwatoto.uk@watoto.com.

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Whether you are organising your own team trip or joining a national team, these are the different team trips we offer: SPONSORSHIP TEAM You will have the life changing experience of meeting your sponsored individual and spending time getting to know them and their family. You will be blown away when you see the difference you have made in their life! Our Baby Watoto and Neighbourhood sponsors will also get the opportunity to experience their sponsored project first-hand, along with other projects in the Watoto model.

BUILD TEAM This trip is for anyone who would like to help practically and is not afraid to get their hands dirty! You don’t have to be a skilled builder, but you need to be ready for some manual labour. Working alongside our construction team and local builders, you could help build new student homes and educational facilities at our new Agricultural Farm and Training Centre or help with much needed repair at our existing Watoto homes (painting, re-flooring and tiling).

NEIGHBOURHOOD TEAM We love our Neighbourhood women and we know you do too. This trip is an opportunity for you to serve them and be a part of a project that is empowering women in Uganda. You will spend time ministering and blessing our Neighbourhood women, hearing their incredible stories and experiencing other Watoto projects such as Baby Watoto and the Watoto Villages.

MEDICAL TEAM If you are a counsellor, doctor, nurse, psychologist or someone experienced in pastoral care we invite you to be a part of a five day medical outreach through a pop-up medical centre in one of the local communities that Watoto works with in Uganda. Use your skills and expertise to help us reach the spiritual, emotional and physical needs of the community.

SPORTS TEAM Are you a coach or a skilled rugby, soccer, basketball, table tennis or volleyball player? We want you on our Sports Team to help coach and run training sessions at our Sports Academy. Sports are a unique way of teaching teamwork, discipline and motivation to children of all ages. Watoto has a number of naturally gifted sports stars who we would love your help to train and coach to get them to the next level.

VOLUNTEER At Watoto, we also welcome long-term volunteers (a minimum one month commitment) within various Watoto departments. For example, we currently have volunteer opportunities for a Clinical Psychologist, a Speech and Oral Therapist at Baby Watoto, a Copy Writer in our Sponsorship Department, Children’s Church Facilitators, a Graphic Designer, a Photographer and an Accessories Designer. Every volunteer has the unique opportunity to serve alongside the Watoto team.

Volunteering is an experience that will not only impact Watoto, but it will be life-changing for you as well. Volunteer positions in Uganda are available all year round.

The above list of opportunities in Uganda is by no means exclusive, so if you interested in coming to visit Watoto, please get in touch with us to discuss the opportunities available in further detail. Our Visit Watoto Coordinator would be happy to help on 0203 225 1048 or visitwatoto.uk@watoto.com.

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VOLUNTEER AT WATOTO BECOME PART OF OUR TEAM IN UGANDA “For as long as I can remember, God has given me a love for babies. I am blessed to serve in the nursery at Baby Watoto, which takes care of the most vulnerable and delicate babies. We currently have 12 babies and I’m in love with all of them! I love seeing them become healthy and grow up as they are being loved on by their new mommies.”

Mikayla Ravasio, long-term volunteer

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WATOTO AMBASSADORS IMPACT YOUR REGION & RAISE SUPPORT Become a Regional Ambassador for Watoto and help us book the choir, build momentum in your area, develop long-term partnerships, engage people with our work at events and Watoto Sundays or be a Watoto Ambassador in the marketplace.

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7. BECOME A WATOTO AMBASSADOR Impact your region with the gospel and raise support for Watoto Being a Watoto Ambassador is a unique volunteer role that helps us build momentum in a specific region or focus area and is vital in helping us develop long-term partnerships with churches, schools, sponsors, donors, businesses and professionals.

We started Watoto Ambassadors to: x Foster a community of committed volunteers across the UK who are empowered and encouraged to share their story, skills and resources to support Watoto initiatives x Create opportunities for existing Watoto sponsors and donors to engage with Watoto projects on an ongoing basis x Exponentially increase Watoto’s impact in Uganda and Africa by utilising our collective skills and resources in a collaborative and innovative way A Watoto Ambassador represents Watoto in his or her church, city and region, sharing the mission of Watoto and encouraging others to become involved. Through collaboration with the Watoto UK office and fellow ambassadors, utilising his or her skills and resources, a Watoto Ambassador proactively pursues ideas to increase engagement and connection to Watoto’s transformational work in Africa.

CHOIR & CHURCH AMBASSADORS The Watoto Children’s Choir travel through the UK every year on a 4 month tour. We visit churches right across the country including partners in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands, sharing our stories of hope and the good news about Jesus. We are keen to partner with multiple churches across an area to have a significant impact on a town or city by organising a series of concerts or one larger event.

Our Choir Ambassadors are vital in helping us build momentum in a specific region and developing long-term partnerships with churches and schools in their area. We are looking to grow our team of Choir Ambassadors who support Watoto in the following ways: Concert Bookings Choir Logistics Partnerships

Helping us to connect with new and existing churches to confirm concert bookings in advance of a new choir tour.

Be our local point of contact and support the choir logistically when they are in your region.

Strengthen our relationships with local churches, partners and individuals, such as sponsors and advocates.

The time commitment for this volunteer role is 5-6 hours per month, with additional time required in the weeks leading up to and during the choir’s visit to your region. Our aim is to create a team of 1012 ambassadors, each with a particular geographic area to cover. All training and resources are provided by the UK office team, along with extensive support from the UK Tour Coordinator in relation to concert bookings.

FOCUS AREA AMBASSADOR Focus Area Ambassadors work directly with other ambassadors in their chosen project or focus area to engage people and achieve goals set in collaboration with Watoto UK leadership. Focus areas include: Pastoral Partnerships, Education, Medical, Worship academy, Sports Academy, Baby Watoto, Watoto Neighbourhood, Keep a Girl in School, Sustainability and Corporate Engagement.

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EVENTS AMBASSADORS Our Events Ambassadors help us raise awareness, sponsors and support at local events. Help us at stands during conferences, speak or engage with churches during Watoto Sundays or women’s events and help us with sponsorship and selling merchandise at Watoto Children’s Choir concerts.

If you you are are interested interested in in becoming becoming a a Watoto Watoto Ambassador below, If Ambassador and and can can find find yourself yourself in in the the qualities qualities below, please get in touch with our Country Director, Andrew White at 0203 225 1048 please get in touch with our Country Director Jonathan Hutchison at 0203 225 1048 or or andrew.white@watoto.com. We would be delighted to hear from you! jonathan@watoto.com. We would be delighted to hear from you!

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WATOTO AMBASSADORS USE WHAT IS IN YOUR HANDS Moses learned to use in faith what God had put in his hand: his staff. God used that simple wooden stick to deliver the Israelites from Pharaoh, to open the Red Sea, to win a battle with the Amalekites, to bring water from a rock. He wants us to use what is in our hands too and when we do, He can do “exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.” – Ephesians 3:20

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UK BASED SUPPORT USE YOUR TIME, NETWORK AND RESOURCES “I wanted to support Watoto after hearing the Watoto Children’s Choir and ended up becoming a sponsor to a lovely little girl, Enid. In 2013 I visited Uganda for the first time. After seeing first-hand the amazing work that Watoto does, and meeting Enid and the other children, I just wanted to help!

Doing a skydive seemed crazy enough to attract some serious attention, which helped me to raise as much as possible for Watoto.” - David Cardno raised an incredible £4,500 for the work of Watoto!

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8. UK BASED SUPPORT “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.” - Proverbs 31:8. NIV PRAYER Prayer is vital to the work of Watoto in Uganda, South Sudan and for the protection of the choir on the road here in the UK. It is something that everyone can do. We would be really grateful if you would stand with us and cover our ministry in prayer, asking God to lead and protect us in all that we do and praying many people will be reached with God’s love through the choir.

BECOME A SPONSOR Sponsor a baby, child or mother as an individual, with your workplace, school, small/youth group or church and enable us to rescue even more vulnerable women and children. Your sponsorship enables us to raise them as future leaders and empower them to rebuild their beautiful nation. For more information, please see page 12.

VOLUNTEER IN THE WATOTO UK OFFICE We could always benefit from extra help in our Watoto UK office in Oxford with mail outs, data entry, filing, fundraising and catering for the choir throughout the UK. If you would like to commit to helping us in a practical way, we would love to hear from you!

CORPORATE ENGAGEMENT Are you passionate about doing good with your business and expertise? We would love to partner with you and help you engage your company, colleagues, clients and followers to make a lasting difference in the world! Whether you are able to sponsor or fundraise among colleagues, partner with one of our projects that really has your heart, provide a service or product as a gift in kind, donate a percentage of sale, support us through monthly business tithing or visit Watoto to share expertise, your generosity helps us reach thousands of lives in Uganda and South Sudan, as well as here in the UK through the Watoto Children’s Choir.

SPORTS ACADEMY If you are an elite level athlete or coach, there is an opportunity to get involved with one of Africa’s foremost Sports Academies. Our Sports Academy takes a child’s natural love of the sport, teaches them to play at their best and provides them with a chance to shine.

PERSONAL FUNDRAISING Why not consider what you can do? Fundraise for Watoto on a personal level, inspiring others to give and get involved. Whatever you do, small or large, makes a massive difference to the one being helped. There are so many ways in which you can fundraise, from running a marathon and asking for small donations, to organising a fundraising event. Feel free to give us a call at 0203 225 1048 to chat through your ideas. We would love to support you in this!

SPREAD THE WORD Do you have a passion for Watoto and are you interested in helping us by spreading the word about Watoto and the Watoto Children’s Choir? You can inspire others to get involved and increase Watoto’s impact by simply sharing our content on various social media outlets or by sharing about our work in person to friends, family and church leaders. Find inspiring stories, updates from the choir and fundraisers on the Social Media platforms below and spread the word!

If you are interested in any of the above, please get in touch with our UK office on 0203 225 1048 or our Country Director Jonathan Hutchison at jonathan@watoto.com. We would be delighted to hear from you!

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SUPPORT THE CHOIR ON THE ROAD We would love to hear from you if you are interested in engaging more with the Watoto Children’s Choir by helping to resource and fund the choir tour. Whether you can donate a gift-in-kind, volunteer, make a financial donation or are a local business that can support us, each of these things would be a huge blessing to our Choir while they are on the road here in the UK! We would value your support in the following areas: x x x x x x x

Volunteer coach drivers Sponsored outings (sponsor a ticket, or use a contact you have to ask for free entry) Catering volunteers for start, mid and end of Tour Individual donations to help cover logistical costs like clothing, health insurance, flights and transport for the choir Opticians offering free eye tests/glasses Dentists offering free dental check ups A free vehicle service and maintenance for our van/coach

Please contact us at choir.uk@watoto.com or 0203 225 1048 if you would like to help us in one of these areas. Thank you so much for supporting our choir and for helping us to continue to share the love of God and our message of hope across the UK. CONTRIBUTE If you are inspired to give a gift directly to Watoto, you could make a donation over the phone at 0203 225 1048, via our website (www.watoto.com/app/donate/categories), via a BACS transfer or by sending us a cheque. Please provide your contact details and what you would like the donation to go towards.

Watoto bank details:

Royal Bank of Scotland, Romford, Essex Account Name: Watoto Child Care Ministries Account number: 10186625 Sort code: 16 30 10 IBAN Number: GB 15 RBOS 163010 10186625

Cheques can be made payable to:

Watoto Child Care Ministries CMS House, Watlington Road, Oxford, OX4 6BZ

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A Fa t h e r t o t h e fa t h e r l e s s , a d e fe n d e r o f t h e w i d o w s , is God in His holy dwelling.

H e s e t s t h e l o n e l y i n fa m i l i e s .

- Psalm 68:5-6

THANK YOU

FOR MAKING A DIFFERENCE Thank you on behalf of thousands of vulnerable women and children for coming alongside us. We hope you were inspired through this Partnership Pack with what is happening in Uganda and South Sudan and the opportunities to get involved and partner with us further. We thank God for all the lives that have been changed so far, but also recognise that the need is still so great and there is more to be done. With God nothing is impossible and as part of the global church, we can all play our part. Together we can really make a difference.

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WATOTO UK CMS HOUSE WATLINGTON ROAD OXFORD, OX4 6BZ PHONE: 0203 225 1048 EMAIL: UK@WATOTO.COM CHARITY NO: 1090810

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