WATOTO CANADA • PO BOX 98 • VICTORIA, BC V8W 2M1 1-888-9WATOTO • CANADA@WATOTO.COM

ALL FOR THE GLORY OF GODThis June, Watoto held a big party to

celebrate 20 years of Watoto Child Care

Ministries. Thousands of people including

many of our global friends joined in on the

anniversary activities in Uganda. For the past

20 years, Watoto has rescued and raised

more than 4000 children in Africa (3000 in

current carfe). During the same week, Baby

Watoto rescued its 1,000th baby. We are

greatfull to God for His never ending mercy.

The Watoto Children’s Choir opened up the

celebrations with an epic “Beautiful Africa“

performance, a song loved by many.

Restore Tour; “Child Soldier No More” a

production that depicted the plight of

people in northern Uganda during the LRA

war and mainly consisted of former child

soldiers, left many in tears. The choir also

had the honor of performing alongside

grammy award-winning artist Israel

Houghton, the guest artist of the night.

During the same week, several people were

able to visit Watoto’s Suubi village and other

Watoto sustainability projects such as the

poultry and vegetable farms. During the

vision tour, Watoto founder Marilyn Skinner,

recognized Watoto moms who have served

for over 19 years, for their faithful service in

helping raise and nurture Watoto children.

We were honored that many of our

partners, friends and sponsors all over the

world managed to come to Uganda for

the celebrations. We give all the glory and

honour to the one amazing God who has

brought us this far.

Newsletter_June_CA.indd 1 6/30/14 10:22 AM

Pregnant with her fifth child,

Mercy joined the queue of

expectant mothers waiting to

sign up for prenatal treatment at

the busy maternity unit.

After three hours of waiting for

her HIV test results, she was led

into a small room where she was

told by a nurse that she was HIV

positive. A wave of emotions

broke over Mercy. She was

shocked, afraid and angry.

She was told by the nurse that

with treatment she would be

fine and transmission of HIV to

her child would be prevented.

Unfortunately, a year after their

son’s birth, her husband died and

Mercy’s health deteriorated. She

had to spend some time in the

hospital.

Her siblings, who looked after her

children while she was away, said

they would evict her wchildren

if she died. Mercy cried as she

realized that she was the only

person her children had left. If

anything happened to her, there

would be no one to care for

them. This ignited something

within her. She drew from inside

her the strength to carry on. Life

was hard but with her basic skills

in tailoring, she managed to keep

herself and her children alive.

The children had to drop out of

school and the family sometimes

could only afford one meal a day,

but she never gave up.

Mercy came to Living Hope in

2008. Here she improved her

tailoring skills and learned how

HOPE REGAINEDto save some of her earnings.

Today Mercy works as a trainer

in our Kampala workshop and

she is a great teacher. She is able

to send all her children to school

too. Her desire to build a home

for her children, to ensure that

they have a place that belongs to

them, a place from which no one

can chase them away, continues

to be her driving force. This year,

she opened her second bank

account. She is well on her way

to saving the money she needs

to buy a plot of land and build

her own home.

Thank you for partnering with us

and helping us empower women

like Mercy. Encourage your

friends to do the same.

www.watoto.com/livinghope

Watoto’s new gift pool policy

was introduced in October

2012. It replaced a policy where

beneficiaries directly received

gifts from their sponsors.

Unfortunately, not every child

would recieve a gift. This caused

some children to feel unloved or

not thought of by their sponsor.

As a result, It was decided that

A SOURCE OF JOYparcels or gift items received

from donors and sponsors would

be inventoried and distributed

to each Watoto village. These

gifts are now given on special

occasions such as birthdays.

The day of the gift distribution

is a special day that all children

and mothers look forward to.

The whole village is filled with

excitement as people look

forward to receiving a gift.

“The gift pool policy is a great

idea because it makes all the

children and mothers feel

loved and valued,”mom Sarah

Nalweyiso says.

In the month of April, several

Children received their birthday

gifts. “I love cooking, so this is a

perfect gift. The book will help

me learn new recipes and also

help me improve on my cooking

skills,” said 15-year-old Amelia.

Five-year-old David Musiime was

excited about his drawing board.

“I will use it to draw cartoons,”

he said.

Thank you to all our sponsors

who have adhered to the new

policy.

www.watoto.com/sponsorship

BABY WATOTO CANADA TEAMThe Baby Watoto Canada

team headed to Uganda in

February this year. The team

was a mixture of various

ages ranging from 7 – 65

years old from different cities

Watoto celebrated it’s 20th

Anniversary this June and we

are taking this opportunity to

share our gratitude even more

with our friends and partners.

Over the past twenty years

Watoto has provided a safe

loving family for over 3,000

children.

Over 1,000 babies have

been rescued from dire

circumstances. Now they are

healthy, chubby and thriving

either at Baby Watoto or in a

Watoto village. We have already

seen 154 orphans grow from

children to adults, complete all

educational levels, including

advanced training, and now live

productive lives as contributing

members of society. Additionally,

Living Hope is restoring dignity

to the lives of thousands of

vulnerable women, who have

been abused and left with no

resources.

This is our goal. This is our

passion. This is how we change

a nation. Twenty years is not

the end, but a milestone in our

journey. The dedication and

partnership of our Canadian

friends gives us the motivation to

continue this journey.

Thank you

During the Watoto Children’s

choir tour that began in January,

the Borrie family in Ontario

experienced what many sponsors

dream of, a meeting with Maria,

their sponsored child for 18 years.

The past months of the Canadian

tour have been filled with

memorable moments. Six Watoto

children in the choir got to meet

their sponsors. After experiencing

the shock of winter, it’s moments

like these that bring warmth into

the lives of the children. Brian,

Jane, Noeline, Rachael, Victor

and Jimmy were among the few

in the Watoto choir who got to

share in this rare experience. It’s

very moving for both the children

and their sponsors each time

they meet.

The climax of the tour was when

the choir was in Sarnia, ON. Maria,

team leader of the Watoto Choir

got to meet her sponsored family

for the first time in 18 years. More

than most people, Maria knows

how special the bond between

sponsor and child can be. As

a child growing up in Watoto,

it was the letters she received

from her Canadian sponsored

family that drove her to succeed

in school and life. During the

concert that evening, the story

got the best of everyone’s

emotions as Maria hugged her

sponsored family and thanked

them for the difference they had

made in her life.

“Sponsorship doesn’t just

improve living conditions,” Maria

explained, “it gives children

hope and that’s the greatest

gift of all.” Maria’s story is a

powerful example of how child

sponsorship can change lives, for

both children and their sponsors.

If you’d like to challenge yourself

and see Watoto’s work firsthand

or you would like to learn more

about sponsorship, please visit

our website www.watoto.com. If

you have a special sponsorship

story to share, we’d love to hear

it. Just send your message

to sponsorship@watoto.ca sponsorship@watoto.ca

A SPONSORSHIP STORY TURNS FULL CIRCLE

across Canada and a few from

Washington State. The goal

of this team was to come and

serve at Baby Watoto wherever

needed. Some of the projects

that the team members

participated in were painting,

cleaning, sewing crib blankets,

organizing medical supplies,

taking care of over 250 loads of

laundry and general baby care.

The team also visited the Living

Hope ladies, Watoto Church and

the farms.

Many of the team members were

already sponsors with Watoto

and were able to have lunch

and spend some time with their

sponsor children. Jackson, (7)

was able to meet his sponsored

brother David (7). Jackson’s

family had sponsored David since

they were both 2 years. David

and Jackson were quick to make

friends and sang, talked and

giggled away in no time.

The trip was concluded with a

short two-day safari on the way

home from Gulu. The next team

is traveling in the fall – will you be

on it? For more information on

visiting Watoto in Africa, please

email visitafrica@watoto.ca.

REFLECTIONS 20 YEARS OF CELEBRATION

Newsletter_June_CA.indd 2-3 6/30/14 10:22 AM

Pregnant with her fifth child,

Mercy joined the queue of

expectant mothers waiting to

sign up for prenatal treatment at

the busy maternity unit.

After three hours of waiting for

her HIV test results, she was led

into a small room where she was

told by a nurse that she was HIV

positive. A wave of emotions

broke over Mercy. She was

shocked, afraid and angry.

She was told by the nurse that

with treatment she would be

fine and transmission of HIV to

her child would be prevented.

Unfortunately, a year after their

son’s birth, her husband died and

Mercy’s health deteriorated. She

had to spend some time in the

hospital.

Her siblings, who looked after her

children while she was away, said

they would evict her wchildren

if she died. Mercy cried as she

realized that she was the only

person her children had left. If

anything happened to her, there

would be no one to care for

them. This ignited something

within her. She drew from inside

her the strength to carry on. Life

was hard but with her basic skills

in tailoring, she managed to keep

herself and her children alive.

The children had to drop out of

school and the family sometimes

could only afford one meal a day,

but she never gave up.

Mercy came to Living Hope in

2008. Here she improved her

tailoring skills and learned how

HOPE REGAINEDto save some of her earnings.

Today Mercy works as a trainer

in our Kampala workshop and

she is a great teacher. She is able

to send all her children to school

too. Her desire to build a home

for her children, to ensure that

they have a place that belongs to

them, a place from which no one

can chase them away, continues

to be her driving force. This year,

she opened her second bank

account. She is well on her way

to saving the money she needs

to buy a plot of land and build

her own home.

Thank you for partnering with us

and helping us empower women

like Mercy. Encourage your

friends to do the same.

www.watoto.com/livinghope

Watoto’s new gift pool policy

was introduced in October

2012. It replaced a policy where

beneficiaries directly received

gifts from their sponsors.

Unfortunately, not every child

would recieve a gift. This caused

some children to feel unloved or

not thought of by their sponsor.

As a result, It was decided that

A SOURCE OF JOYparcels or gift items received

from donors and sponsors would

be inventoried and distributed

to each Watoto village. These

gifts are now given on special

occasions such as birthdays.

The day of the gift distribution

is a special day that all children

and mothers look forward to.

The whole village is filled with

excitement as people look

forward to receiving a gift.

“The gift pool policy is a great

idea because it makes all the

children and mothers feel

loved and valued,”mom Sarah

Nalweyiso says.

In the month of April, several

Children received their birthday

gifts. “I love cooking, so this is a

perfect gift. The book will help

me learn new recipes and also

help me improve on my cooking

skills,” said 15-year-old Amelia.

Five-year-old David Musiime was

excited about his drawing board.

“I will use it to draw cartoons,”

he said.

Thank you to all our sponsors

who have adhered to the new

policy.

www.watoto.com/sponsorship

BABY WATOTO CANADA TEAMThe Baby Watoto Canada

team headed to Uganda in

February this year. The team

was a mixture of various

ages ranging from 7 – 65

years old from different cities

Watoto celebrated it’s 20th

Anniversary this June and we

are taking this opportunity to

share our gratitude even more

with our friends and partners.

Over the past twenty years

Watoto has provided a safe

loving family for over 3,000

children.

Over 1,000 babies have

been rescued from dire

circumstances. Now they are

healthy, chubby and thriving

either at Baby Watoto or in a

Watoto village. We have already

seen 154 orphans grow from

children to adults, complete all

educational levels, including

advanced training, and now live

productive lives as contributing

members of society. Additionally,

Living Hope is restoring dignity

to the lives of thousands of

vulnerable women, who have

been abused and left with no

resources.

This is our goal. This is our

passion. This is how we change

a nation. Twenty years is not

the end, but a milestone in our

journey. The dedication and

partnership of our Canadian

friends gives us the motivation to

continue this journey.

Thank you

During the Watoto Children’s

choir tour that began in January,

the Borrie family in Ontario

experienced what many sponsors

dream of, a meeting with Maria,

their sponsored child for 18 years.

The past months of the Canadian

tour have been filled with

memorable moments. Six Watoto

children in the choir got to meet

their sponsors. After experiencing

the shock of winter, it’s moments

like these that bring warmth into

the lives of the children. Brian,

Jane, Noeline, Rachael, Victor

and Jimmy were among the few

in the Watoto choir who got to

share in this rare experience. It’s

very moving for both the children

and their sponsors each time

they meet.

The climax of the tour was when

the choir was in Sarnia, ON. Maria,

team leader of the Watoto Choir

got to meet her sponsored family

for the first time in 18 years. More

than most people, Maria knows

how special the bond between

sponsor and child can be. As

a child growing up in Watoto,

it was the letters she received

from her Canadian sponsored

family that drove her to succeed

in school and life. During the

concert that evening, the story

got the best of everyone’s

emotions as Maria hugged her

sponsored family and thanked

them for the difference they had

made in her life.

“Sponsorship doesn’t just

improve living conditions,” Maria

explained, “it gives children

hope and that’s the greatest

gift of all.” Maria’s story is a

powerful example of how child

sponsorship can change lives, for

both children and their sponsors.

If you’d like to challenge yourself

and see Watoto’s work firsthand

or you would like to learn more

about sponsorship, please visit

our website www.watoto.com. If

you have a special sponsorship

story to share, we’d love to hear

it. Just send your message

to sponsorship@watoto.ca sponsorship@watoto.ca

A SPONSORSHIP STORY TURNS FULL CIRCLE

across Canada and a few from

Washington State. The goal

of this team was to come and

serve at Baby Watoto wherever

needed. Some of the projects

that the team members

participated in were painting,

cleaning, sewing crib blankets,

organizing medical supplies,

taking care of over 250 loads of

laundry and general baby care.

The team also visited the Living

Hope ladies, Watoto Church and

the farms.

Many of the team members were

already sponsors with Watoto

and were able to have lunch

and spend some time with their

sponsor children. Jackson, (7)

was able to meet his sponsored

brother David (7). Jackson’s

family had sponsored David since

they were both 2 years. David

and Jackson were quick to make

friends and sang, talked and

giggled away in no time.

The trip was concluded with a

short two-day safari on the way

home from Gulu. The next team

is traveling in the fall – will you be

on it? For more information on

visiting Watoto in Africa, please

email visitafrica@watoto.ca.

REFLECTIONS 20 YEARS OF CELEBRATION

Newsletter_June_CA.indd 2-3 6/30/14 10:22 AM

WATOTO CANADAPO BOX 98VICTORIA, BC V8W 2M1 1-888-9WATOTO CANADA@WATOTO.COM

SPONSOR BABY WATOTO TODAY

Baby Watoto exists to provide quality

care, love and stimulation to the

most vulnerable babies and toddlers

in Africa. This foundation is a vital

part of the overall mission of Watoto,

to rescue the most vulnerable, raise

them, and help them to become

Africa’s future leaders. Partner with

us by sponsoring Baby Watoto at www.watoto.com/sponsorship

Newsletter_June_CA.indd 4 6/30/14 10:22 AM