News From Vana

“An African Night”

Donna — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 04:02:54 +0000

What an amazing night we had on Saturday the 5 November! 85 people gathered at the African Restaurant ‘Mulu Char’ at Maroochydore to raise funds to help continue the work VANA is doing in Zimbabwe!

We have had such great feedback from people about the night….the food, the service and the atmosphere was great!

Photos will be posted soon!

Photos of the container arriving in Zim!!

Donna — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 23:55:05 +0000

Thought I would share some photos of the container arriving!! Woohoo!! Many smiling faces in Zim….

THE CONTAINER HAS ARRIVED IN ZIMBABWE!

Donna — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 02:00:00 +0000

We are very excited to share with you all, that the container that we packed in Australia, full of educational items, clothes, shoes, blankets…you name it, it was in there!! Has arrived on the ground in Zimbabwe! We are so very thankful to our God that has had HIS hand on this container from the beginning! Also a huge thank you to all that helped pack and collect and send off! A big job now for everyone involved over in Zimbabwe but WOW what an exciting time for them!

“Christmas Excitement”

Donna — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 21:51:48 +0000

The excitement of Christmas is already happening at VANA!

Over the past few months we have been raising funds for Christmas Hampers to be handed out to each of the 68 children in the Outreach Program and their families, as well as Maria and her brand new family in the residential program to receive a hamper for Christmas.

We are excited to say that this has been acheived! On the 18th December we saw 68 Hampers go out to each of the children and their families in the Outreach Program and we saw Maria and her 7 children from the residential program receive a Hamper. What an exciting time for each and everyone of these children and families over at VANA.

We are also very excited to tell you that the generosity that flowed in over the past few months for this particular project has been amazing and we were able to bless ALL of the 6 grandmas that work SO very hard everyday cooking and helping with the children. As well as the 4 Security guards!

Thankyou to each and everyone of you that have given so generously!

God Bless and have a wonderful Christmas!

….And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will break out in thanksgiving to God…. 2 Corinthians 9:10-11

VISITORS TO VANA. Dec 2010

Donna — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 23:08:11 +0000

Claire Vivien and her friend Lauren have just visited VANA and I received this letter from her which I thought would be lovely to share with ALL of you….

Hey Donna…
Now that I finally have decent internet, I thought I’d write to tell you a bit about the trip. =)
It was awesome… The first day we arrived around 10 & went straight to the orphanage. I hadnt been able to get hold of Pastor Makoni, but Tendai was there & said that they were expecting us…Pastor Makoni had gone in to Harare with a friend though so we didnt see him that day. Anyway, we had a look around (the vegetable garden is looking great!), spoke to Maria & 2 of her children, & then went to pick up Jane from their place. The ladies had lunch cooked and ready when we got back so we just helped serve… Lauren got to meet Rachel who she sponsors which was so exciting for her…
Rebeka, the girl who has just recently moved in to Maria’s house, stole my heart. She still looks quite ill, but Tendia said she looks a lot better than when she first arrived. She was very quite & shy, but so beautiful.
The next day we went again at around 10, picked Jane up, & met Pastor Makoni at the church. Tendai had asked the ladies on cooking duty to come earlier so that we could help prepare with them… they had re-arranged their cooking routine so that we could eat the special Friday meal on the Wednesday… It blows me away how generous they are Donna!! So we chopped vegies, sat & chatted with the ladies & played with the kids when they arrived. It was so lovely to be there, & I’m sure we always come away more blessed than them by visiting. I love their hearts.

So…that was it… I do have a lot of photos but havent been able to get those up yet… Laa & I will put them on to a USB for you though. We also have some Christmas & sponsor letters with us from them so hopefully they don’t get too squashed on the way home!!

Looking forward to seeing you guys soon. Hope you’re all well.
Lots of Love, Laa & Claire. Xo

GIVE A GIFT & CHANGE A LIFE THIS CHRISTMAS!

Donna — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 04:44:31 +0000

The VANA GIFT CATALOGUE contains unique gifts for Christmas giving. Gifts that will help to change the lives of the children and communities of Chivhu, Zimbabwe. Now that is something worth celebrating!!

We would love you to be part of this journey in helping to build a future for the children of Zimbabwe.

Something SO small can give them hope to carry on…..

CHRISTMAS HAMPERS..An exciting time!

Donna — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 04:47:57 +0000

Well it is that time of year again! Already we start to see the Christmas decorations going up in the shopping centers, the children start to get excited about finishing school, you see the signs up for when Santa is arriving at the nearest shops, mothers are preparing for Christmas…knowing they don’t have long till the school holidays….it is all happening!! What an exciting time of year it is when we start preparing for the Christmas feast we will share with family and friends on Christmas Day celebrating the birth of our Saviour “JESUS”

It is also a very busy and exciting time for VANA preparing for the Christmas Hampers to go out to the 70 children in the “outreach program’ and their families. Last year we saw so many hampers go out into the community through the “outreach Program” and what a joy it was to see so many smiling faces.

You will also be excited to know that Maria and her six new children who moved into the first VANA home will be celebrating together for the first time this year! As you can imagine this will be a very special time for each one of them. A time together to celebrate Jesus,family and many answered prayers.

We are continuing to raise funds for the Christmas Hampers… so we ask if you feel that you would like to support the children at VANA and their families this Christmas please email us on info@vana.org.au

Visit by Pastor Makoni postponed…

Donna — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 04:11:30 +0000

Pastor Makoni has had to postpone his visit to Australia as he has not been able to gain a Visa for his trip. We are hoping that Pastor Makoni will be able to visit sometime in 2011.

VANA High tea/Sisi visits VANA

Donna — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 02:25:52 +0000

What a great time we had at the VANA High tea on the 23^rd Oct at ‘Joseph Alexanders Restaurant’ in Milton.

It was a wonderful afternoon of coming together to help change the lives of children in Zimbabwe.

VANA has a vision…. ‘Building a future for the children of Zimbabwe’ and it is through functions like this that VANAs vision continues to grow and many more children can be rescued.

Thank you to a wonderful group of girls who organised the High tea and we are so grateful for the time and effort that went into this event.

We heard from a beautiful Zimbabwean woman, Sisi Mahlangu, who has been in Australia for the last 7yrs but has recently been back home to Zimbabwe to visit her family.

Sisi and her father arrived in Chivhu(the little town where VANA is situated) and spent a few hours meeting with Pastor Makoni, hearing the vision of VANA and meeting with all the children.

Sisi said that when she arrived at VANA there were kids EVERYWHERE! Playing soccer, laughing and having heaps of fun. The children were excited to meet her and her father and were keen to put on a play for them. Sisi said that it was SO wonderful to see.

Sisi comes from a Zimbabwean family and she explained that God REALLY opened her eyes while she was at VANA….at the wonderful work HE is doing there.

Sisi was very impressed and has come back to Australia passionate and willing to come on board to help build a future for the children of Zimbabwe.

Thanks for visiting VANA Sisi…..

(photo-from Left…Donna,Christine,Bek,Christine,Fadzai,Sisi)

Christine is heading to VANA

Donna — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 02:36:26 +0000

I am Christine Wambui Njaaga, Kenyan by nationality ,29 years old and residing in Uganda currently. It’s an
honor to share my life’s story with you. I come from a family of five (two of my brothers have gone to be with
the Lord) and am the second born in my family. I came to Uganda 10-years ago as a student and I completed my
masters degree last year. The last 10 years of my being in Uganda is a long story that I will try and be precise about.
Talking about my family, I came from a Christian background where my mum like many mums protect their
children and shield them from the world. I remember coming to Uganda so naïve; innocent and grounded in God’s word. I joined Makerere University in 2002 and in 2003 I began dating my ex-fiancée until end of last year in November when we broke up. You may wonder why I am telling you this but that’s my story and it could be someone else story too. Some of you may have seen me in Australia and at Goodlife church and the impression many of you got was about this “happy girl” but little did you know that while in Australia I was nursing deep wounds in my heart! I had been heartbroken; used, I felt so cheap, unworthy…and the list can go on and on and Noleen and Robi had invited me to come and be with their family and have some time off to heal! I love that
family with the whole of me because it is then that God began doing a deep work in me; healing my past, allowing me talk to Noleen and open up my ‘ugly’ past and PRAISE God it is ‘my past’ now; all behind me. I lived with my ex in the same house; and like many girls this had repercussions because when my relationship came to an end, I was left to nurse the shame all alone, live with the pain and try to hold my head high…which was the hardest thing
in my life second from losing my two brothers. The Lord gave me grace to forgive my exfiancée; and not only forgiving him but I was willing to continue in the relationship despite what had happened between us! He chose to cheat on me and brought in another girl in the same house where I lived with him; still that did not stop me from wanting to make things work out with him. Thank God for my UNANSWERED prayers where my relationship with my ex was concerned. God had better plans for me; bigger plans and just like the Bible promises us in Jer. 29:11— this scripture has never been so real in my life like it has this far I have come. It was in Australia where God took me through a time of my WILDERNESS! God broke me—to mend me again; I realized I was a broken vessel that needed a potter’s hand to be put together. I had lived in denial, trying to solve things my way, I relied on my friends for comfort and God wanted me to learn to LEAN on Him. That is exactly what happened to me
when I came to Australia. I did not have my family with me, my girlfriends; ALL I had was Robi and Noleen’s family by my side. WOW! Our God is a God full of humor and surprises. That saw me bounding
with Noleen in ways I cannot say in plain words. I began telling her past and opening up some dark things
about my life. What shocked me MOST is Noleen NEVER criticized me in any way, but instead she encouraged
me, spoke hope upon my life. Precisely, I can tell you that Noleen was what I needed in my wilderness; NOT my
family and friends. God set me apart to literally do a deep surgery of the inner me! It was in Australia after I gave
up fighting with God that He began giving me scriptures in my prayer time. The first scripture God ever gave me
was PSALMS 46—and I still remember the experience– it was shocking to me. I had to make sure I wasn’t dreaming or going nuts. This all came as a result of a hunger and thirst I had for God that only me and God knows. I had a vacuum in me that nothing could fill it up and that’s when I realized that it was only when I spent time with
God that I would feel great about myself and God went ahead to take my friendship with Him higher by giving me
scriptures that would speak directly to my current situations then. God is still doing the same today. Psalms 46 was
an answer to my prayer concerning a job, financial providence, emotional healing. I was tired of being in the same
place for so long, same life, I wanted God to take me to another level. You may find it hard to believe if I told you
that I have slept hungry for a month—that’s the far I had come and I wanted God to turn my life around for His
Glory.
This is just the tip of the iceberg and am so privileged to share my life’s story with you because as I write this it is
my TESTIMONY OF VICTORY this day! Getting a job with VANA is a great honour, it’s been so humbling for
me. When I think of the future sometimes I feel unworthy to take up the role; BUT when I think of the BIGNESS
of my God who heard a humble cry concerning giving me a new job, then I know for sure that God is with me
and will be with me to the end. I am excited about going to Zimbabwe in January sometime and all I can ask from
everyone is your PRAYERS! Please keep praying for me, pray for safety, protection, pray that I will be the best
Vana will have! I am spending time with Watoto in Uganda so I can replicate there model in Zimbabwe. One thing
that the Lord has helped me discover is that Watoto is more than an NGO, it is a Ministry touching people’s lives
especially orphans and that is the same with Vana. Everything Donna and Errol want from me is more than just
taking care of the children in Chivlu-Zimbabwe; it is ministry! I will be taking care of HIV-AIDS infected children,
taking care of their day to day activities; their lives will be on my hands as a Social worker. I have seen what Social
workers in Watoto do and I must assure you that I envied them and their passion. They knew ALL the children by
their names, where they came from, their special needs etc and that’s exactly what I will be doing in Vana. What an
honor to serve underprivileged children—I bless God for this! I have dealt with HIV patients in the past and it is
an emotionally draining experience especially when time comes and ARV drugs fail and they have to die. I once
watched a prisoner die of HIV-AIDS helplessly and that was the first time for me last year to have such an experience!
Pray for strength as I work in Vana; that God will give me favour with the local people, the authorities concerned
and that Vana will be more than just a home– it will be a place of refuge for many; a place of spiritual restoration,
a place of emotional healing, a home where children will find true love and a second chance to a healthy
life. I will be also forming a Children’s Choir and I have ideas in place already so keep all these things in prayers. I
will keep you posted as time goes by!
May the Lord be with you all, take care of you and meet all your needs according to His riches in Glory!
In Christ,
Christine Wambui Njaaga