Childcare Ministries

In this last week, the international students have been touring and learning about the various ministries that Watoto has to offer.  There is still a lot more that we haven’t even seen yet but it is so cool to see things I have heard about for so long.

 

Last week, we went to Baby Watoto Bulrushes which is a home to about 100 babies from pre-matures to I think 10 months.  Don’t quote me on that one!  Unfortunately, we were unable to touch the babies as they were under quarantine from a spread of hepatitis throughout the home.  We walked by crib after crib that held beautiful children, some on oxygen, some with physical deformities, and all with big beautiful eyes staring at us.  These children were mostly abandoned on streets, police stations, or hospitals.  Some of the babies’ mothers have passed away so Watoto is nurturing them until their fathers can take care of them.  I can’t even begin to tell you the amount of times I have been on the verge of tears this last week.  

On Saturday, we had our tour of the two children’s villages in Kampala.  First we traveled to Subi which is the larger of the two.  The village is up on a hill and is home to about 1400 people which include 1000 children, and the rest are mothers, teachers and other staff workers.  Each village includes a primary, secondary, and vocational school where the children from the village and some children from the neighboring community attend.  In Subi, the homes are arranged into clusters where each house is home to eight children, and one mother.  One of classmates invited us into her home and we saw a few of our new friends throughout the tour.  Bbira, the smaller village, is home to about 1000 people in houses arranged in circles and is located on a flat ground surrounded by a forest.  

  I can’t even describe how amazing the villages are! The more I see it with my own eyes the more I realize how God’s hand has played a major role in the development of this place.  I can’t believe how self-sustaining they are becoming.  They have a large metalwork and woodwork shop so that they can make their own bed frames, windows, doors, etc.  There are even hopes to start selling their products to the community.  Also, because baby formula is so expensive, Watoto researched that goat’s milk is the next best thing to formula, so in Subi, there is a goat farm to provide milk for the baby homes.  

So as some of you might know, I have a sponsor child with Watoto.  I have been told that I will get to meet him while I am here.  The program coordinators will find out the village and house number of this little seven year-old boy and arrange a formal meeting with him.  Anyway, as I toured through both the villages, I was praying that somehow in the midst of these hundreds and hundreds of children, I would get to meet him informally.  I mean that would be so cool right?!  Throughout the tour, many children would come up to us to wave, hold our hands, or give us hugs.  I could never get tired of that… EVER!!  Anyway, I came to the conclusion that I would just have to wait until my formal meeting with him.  As I walked down the path in Bbira, there was a little boy playing on the side of the path and he looked up at me.  I did the usual ‘hello, how are you?’ and asked him what his name was.  He informed me that his name was my sponsor kid's name….. My heart started to race.  “It’s so nice to meet you.  How old are you?”  He shyly told me he was seven.  MIND BLOWN!!  I asked him a few other questions while attempting to really study his face to see if I could recognize him from the one picture I have.  I wasn’t one hundred percent positive it was him until later the next day.  On Sunday, we were at Watoto’s annual Festival of Hope and there was a table set up from the child sponsor department.  I worked up the nerve to ask them if they could look up where my sponsor child was from and sure enough they easily located him with just the first name that I provided them.  He lived in Bbira and I totally met him!!!  I so easily could have walked right past him or have missed him entirely due to the hundreds and hundreds of children that live in the village.  Anyway, God is so good!  I cannot wait to meet this kid again and formally get a chance to introduce myself.  Every Saturday, we will be going to Subi or Bbira to put on Sports Days for the children.  So yes, I will get to see a lot more of my sponsor child!

Anyway, I am just so awestruck by how many people Watoto is reaching and developing.  Again, my description won’t do it justice.  You really need to see it for yourself!  This next week, we have a full week of classroom work to learn more about the Watoto mindset before we get into the outreach side of things.  

Subi Village homes

Woodwork shop in Subi

Classroom in Bbira

Secondary School in Subi

View from Subi

Goat farm

Peace and love