Watoto’s mission is to ‘raise the next generation of Ugandan leaders by meeting the spiritual, physical, educational and emotional needs of orphaned and vulnerable children.
We believe that as the children are trained academically and spiritually they will enter society equipped with the necessary life skills and moral values that enable them to make a significant and lasting impact on the future of Uganda.
Children’s villages have been established where orphaned and vulnerable children from age 2 to 12 are placed in a home with seven other siblings and a new mother. In this environment, they are provided with love and support, food, shelter, education, health care and family values. They remain in this family for life.
Baby Watoto is a home for abandoned and vulnerable babies and gives even the tiniest life a chance at hope and a future. When the babies are old enough they will enter a Watoto Children’s village.
Watoto also reaches out to into war torn Northern Uganda. The project includes the trauma rehabilitation of former child soldiers.
Beth and I have been specifically assigned to a babies home called "The Bullrushes" which serves two functions for Watoto. It is firstly the receiving home for the abandoned babies, thus there are many malnourished, sick and newborn babies. (we have about 50 "new ones" at the moment) Once they are 4 or 5 months old and healthy, they are sent out to one of the Children's Villages to be integrated into a family. Secondly, this is a home for many of the sick and special needs children who need to be near a hospital (as The Bullrushes is the closest to the city). We work 8 hours a day 6 days a week. As you can imagine, I spend most of my days feeding, changing, rocking, bathing 5 or 6 babies at once(I haven't quite mastered it yet). It's quite an adventure. (just imagine trying to keep 67 babies on a schedule! these nurses are amazing).
I figured out today that they will be utilizing me to work "intensively" with the few special needs kids here. There are about 5. Most of them have Cerebral Palsy (which affects both physically and cognitively), others have "global" cognitive delays. Because most of them have laid in cribs for most of their lives (you must understand that as special education is very new to this culture, this is all these nurses know to do), there is much to be done in terms of physical and cognitive stimulation. There is a volunteer occupational therapist who comes in once every few weeks. I got the chance to meet with her today and helped set up some goals to for each of the children. I am working one on one with some of their nurses and modeling a lot of occupational/physical therapies. The Lord really has equipped me. With such little experience, I never would have thought I could do this! Needless to say, I am being stretched in oh so many ways!
I wish I could include more pictures of the babies, but there are very specific rules about publishing pictures etc. These are the babies who soon will be sent out to villages, they are getting stronger and healthier and ready to join the babies homes there. This gives you an idea of what a normal "feeding time" is like. Its a lot like an assembly line, once a baby is fed, you pass him or her down to be changed or bathed before they go down for naps. Often times you may be feeding multiple babies at once (which can get really messy with rice cereal!).
There is so much more to post, but we only get internet every few days. Thank you again for all of your prayers, we are so happy and feel very blessed!
