Baby Showers for Watoto

THE GOOD REPORT

We have been receiving thousands of items from baby showers all around Australia in our office. We are now in the process of sorting out all of the items that we can send to Uganda and counting it all up ready for shipping! One hilarious fact is that we have over 1100 onsies or short sleeved body suits in all sizes which is incredible and will be fantastic for the hundreds of new babies coming into these homes!

Thank you so much to all of those people who put time and effort into running these baby showers and also to the hundreds of people that donated items and finance towards the shipping costs.

Please note that this project has now finished in Australia and we will not be receiving any more items for this project as the container will be leaving the country shortly. Please see the information on the Europe page for those running baby showers in Europe.

Baby Nellie’s story

LOCATION: Kampala, Uganda
DISCOVERED:  thrown down an outdoor toilet NAMED:  Nellie
AGE:  Under 2 years ??
STATUS: traumatized & needed oxygen initially FAMILY: A world of “Sisterhood aunties” from near and far
FUTURE:  Abandoned for reasons we don’t know, but now found.  Nellie will be raised in the love and embrace of a caring church family, who will be committed to her welfare for the remainder of her days. Her home for now is the Bullrushes Baby Home
LOST BUT NOW FOUND...

THE FACTS

Watoto opened their first babies home 2 years ago. Their babies are found in pit latrines, rubbish bins, left at hospitals, police stations or just on the door step. Many of the babies have some disability and many are only a few hours old when they are abandoned. These are babies just like our own but who have no-one to care for them.

THE NEED
The current babies home in Kampala, Uganda has had over 72 babies through it in 2009 and has graduated 49 toddlers to residential care at Watoto’s Children Villages. The exciting news is that due to ever increasing demand for good care for abandoned babies they are opening two further homes in 2010, one in Gulu, Northern Uganda and a further one just outside Kampala at the current children’s village site at Suubi.

OUR RESPONSE
In Australia most children are welcomed into life with a baby shower where we spoil them with gifts, both beautiful and practical, setting their parents up to win and celebrating the gift of this baby into the world. In Uganda some babies being born are not celebrated, and most of the time these babies have been abandoned with no one to care for or love them
As a part of our mandate as the SISTERHOOD we wanted to celebrate the life of these babies, to place value on them and bless them with all that they need for a great start in life!
The SISTERHOOD encouraged women to host a baby shower for the babies at the New Watoto Babies Homes. Not only did this provide the items required for the babies homes but also celebrated the life of a baby that had been abandoned and forgotten by everyone except God.

PRAY

Don’t forget to pray for the babies being rescued and yet to be rescued by Watoto.

  • Pray for the workers and volunteers at the Babies homes that they have wisdom and the energy and capacity to look after these precious babies
  • Pray for the babies yet to be rescued that they would find their way into these homes and be loved and cared for.
  • Pray for the babies graduating into the Watoto children’s village that they will adapt to their new home and family quickly.
  • Pray for healing for the critically ill babies that come into Watoto.
  • Pray for ongoing supernatural provision for these homes.

Follow www.twitter.com/coloursistahood for more strategic regular prayer updates.

LOCAL CHURCH AWARENESS
If you are a part of a local church, please be mindful of your local church vision and be sure to graciously submit and share your heart with those in leadership in your life.  I believe we should see this as an ‘above and beyond’ endeavour that has the capacity to reach out and build bridges into our unchurched communities and ultimately be a blessing.