December 2019 update
It has been a busy year for Osivela wa Yesu! The staff has been busy feeding and educating the 100 orphan and at-risk children at the preschool. The health educators and youth workers continue to promote health and disease prevention in the community as well as teach reading skills to older children.
With the donations to Love Emergent, social workers were able to assess the community and identify 7 families and one elderly woman in need of emergency food (3-4 months worth) and housing assistance (bricks, poles, bamboo, grass, and labor). These families are dealing with sickness and homes and crops which have been damaged by the recent heavy rains and cyclone. Additionally, wheelchairs were purchased for two children with progressive neuromuscular disease.
Ongoing needs: (1) additional housing needed for local families, (2) food for families in crisis, (3) much needed building renovations for the health clinic, (4) ongoing support of the orphan out-care center including food, education supplies, and basic medical supplies.
Thank you for your continuing support for those in need in Mozambique!
April 2019 update
A major storm system moved through the town of Mocuba early March. It later went off the coast and developed into cyclone Idai as it turned and veered back to Mozambique. It is estimated that about 450 people were killed in Zambezia province (where Mocuba is located) and thousands of homes were destroyed.
Current needs now include: building a home for two elderly individuals and their orphaned grandchildren whose precarious home was destroyed, medications to treat malaria and gastrointestinal illnesses, mosquito nets, and emergency food rations.
November 2018 update
The preschool successfully ended their school year with a wonderful celebration. Donations through Love Emergent were used for the following purchases/labor:
- Kitchen utensils, school supplies, and other preschool necessities
- Medications for the clinic
- Food for emergency/orphan care packages
- Construction of a latrine for a family with significant health concerns
- Two houses were built (one for two orphaned teenage boys, and another for an elderly grandmother caring for her five orphaned grandchildren)
Tragically, Osivela wa Yesu also lost one of its best in 2018. Josepha was a seamstress, mother, wife, and friend. She was a vibrant member of the community and full of life. She passed away from complications of Malaria. Please pray for her family, in particular, for her husband and children as they grieve after her sudden death.
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Ongoing Needs
As hunger continues to be a major concern for families in Mocuba, Osivela wa Yesu uses many donations to provide emergency food packages for needy families. These families are dealing with a recent death in the family, severe illness, or lack of housing. Some have to pull even the young children out of elementary school so that they can work for food. Providing these food packages gives the family time to get on their feet and keeps kids in school.