watoto newsletter ug

WWW.WATOTO.COM | MARCH 2014 | ISSUE NO.1

One Amazing God

T H E F U T U R E I S N O W

YOU ARE INVITED

WHAT WE DO ORPHANED CHILDREN | VULNERABLE WOMEN | COMMUNITY TRANSFORMATION

WATOTO BIG PARTYThis year, Watoto celebrates

30 years of God’s faithfulness in

Uganda. From June 1 to June 8,

2014. Gary and Marilyn Skinner

will host a Big Party in Kampala

to commemorate the occasion.

“We are having a big party

because we want Jesus to be

famous for the good things

He has done in Africa. I am so

thankful for all of the individuals,

teams, churches and other

groups around the world that

have been involved in so many

ways, helping us make all of

this happen. God bless you,”

comments Gary Skinner, Watoto

Founder.

Currently, Watoto cares for

almost 3,000 children in three

self-contained villages and three

Baby Watoto facilities across

Kampala and Gulu, Uganda.

George Akankwasa, one

of the first students of Hope

Senior School in Watoto’s Bbira

Village says, “I have seen Watoto

grow tremendously from one

classroom block to over 10; from

four clusters of nine homes

per cluster, to over 15 clusters;

and from us doing only indoor

games to outdoor facilities for

various activities. We need to

celebrate and thank God for all

He has done for us, and what He

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is still doing.”

In the lead-up to the Big Party,

we are launching an exciting

challenge for people to do

something extraordinary, which

in turn will help raise awareness

and funds for Watoto. This is your

chance to make a difference and

to share your passion for Watoto

with others. Everyone’s challenge

will look different.

Watoto friend, John Burns,

from Relate Church Canada is

pushing his physical and mental

boundaries to run 200 holes of

golf in 24 Hours. He hopes to

raise $5 million for Watoto. Tell us

what your challenge will be. Log

on to www.manup4watoto.com

and start a challenge of your own,

or support John’s. Every effort

helps to transform the lives of

vulnerable women and children in

Africa.

For more information on

how to be involved in the Big

Party, please log onto www.watotochurch.com/bigparty.

A HELPING HANDIn February, Living Hope

community workers began

interviewing women who were

isolated, and struggling, both

financially and emotionally. We

hope to enlist 380 new ladies in

the program this year.

“When I hear their stories, I

realize how much they need to

be in the program,” says Hannah

Atim, a community worker.

Living Hope graduates like

Monica, who are now community

leaders, are helping us identify

and enlist new women. In 2005

when Monica was pregnant

she discovered that she was

HIV positive. She used to make

money by selling liquor, but this

was not enough to support her

five children. “Living Hope found

me when I was not doing well.

I thought I was dumped and

forgotten, but at Living Hope

I found joy and hope. I found

others who are like me, and

people who love me,” she said.

Monica, who works in our

jewelry department, is now one of

Living Hope’s community leaders.

She often visits other HIV positive

women to share her story, pray

for them and remind them to look

after themselves.

Living Hope empowers women

so that they can walk alongside

others who are in need of

support. They learn that their

stories have power to inspire

others and to change lives. By

helping women like Monica

engage in their communities, we

are able to infiltrate the most

impoverished neighbourhoods

and embrace others who are still

in desperate need of help.

This year we have framed

our program around three

words that we feel capture our

mission: Embrace, Empower and

Engage. We embrace women by

caring for their basic needs. We

empower them by developing

their life skills and we engage

them with the community by

helping them become successful

businesswomen and pillars of

influence.

Follow the progress at www.watoto.com/livinghope and

encourage others to partner with

us today.

Vocational Students Graduation

On December 4, 2013, 38

Watoto students graduated from

the Vocational School at Watoto’s

Suubi Village. The ceremony was

filled with jubilation and hope

as the students celebrated and

couldn’t wait to start their careers.

21-year-old Dodovico Nsereko,

who graduated as an electrical

installation engineer, believes that

choosing vocational studies was

the best decision he ever made.

“The practical lessons allowed

me to gain valuable skills that

helped me excel while I was a

student. I am excited about the

future,” says Dodovico.

He is currently working at one of

Watoto’s sustainability

projects as an electrical

installation engineer, where he is

convinced that he is gaining the

hands-on skills he needs to start

up his own business.

Watoto’s objective is to

rebuild the nation by raising

African leaders in every sector of

influence in society. We want to

celebrate empowered graduates

like Dodovico and thank all our

partners for their contribution to

this effort.

There are many children like

Dodovico, who need someone

to come alongside them to help

them pursue their dreams. Be that

support and encourage others to

do the same

www.watoto.com/sponsorship.

SPONSORSHIP INCREASE

Thank you to each and every

sponsor who chose to share a

portion of the increased costs

of care by raising your support

by $3 a month to ensure that we

can continue to provide quality,

holistic care for our babies,

children and mothers. We never

initiate such changes lightly and

appreciate your commitment and

generosity. With your ongoing

prayer and financial support, we

are able to continue to move

forward in the work that we do

in Uganda. We cannot say “thank

you” enough for your ongoing

sponsorship support.

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