SOVCO's Choice

Awhile back a family member of mine said he would like to support SOVCO with a gift of $1,000. Wow! Tonny and I are always writing back and forth about the things that SOVCO needs for its operations. Things like a motorbike to make visiting families easier, or maybe just another bike. Cupboards for the office. A rain suit for when volunteers have to visit families and it's raining. A little more pay for the mentors who have helped Tonny on a volunteer basis for so long. Materials or equipment for the Women of Hope. Starting a tutoring program for the children of the community. Upgrading the sponsored children to better schools. I could have spent that money many times over!

To see how that money was spent, click here

What's in a Name....

Opiyo Tonny handing school supplies to Kumakech Aron, our littlest guy.

I love studying languages, so I have been trying to study some Acholi before my trip to Uganda in late July. Acholi is the name of the ethnic group most of our sponsored children are part of. The language is officially called Luo, and it is spoken in parts of Kenya as well.

Many of you have asked about the names of your children. Our concept of a family name that is passed on from generation to generation is not the custom among the Acholi. Instead, each child is given an Acholi name and another, often more westernized name. The first one is the Acholi name, and it usually means something, and reflects the circumstances of the birth, often from the perspective of the mother. My son Joey's Acholi friend recently named his baby after Joey: Oceng Joseph Rich. Oceng means born in the afternoon.

I thought you might enjoy doing a little research to see what your child's name means, which you can do at
this website

Dear My Sponsor...

New uniforms!

Many of you will soon be getting letters from your children. These letters may have been written before you became your child's sponsor, in which case of course you will not get one. The letters show various levels of English ability and academic achievement. The ones from the younger children and those who have learning difficulties are full of crossed-off portions, and you can see how they were attempting to copy from an older child (mostly Franka and Richard, whose letters are quite legible). Some have decorated their letters with charming pictures. Tonny pointed out to me that the letters do demonstrate that the level of education in the rural schools is rather low. He would like to try to get more of the children into the town schools, and hopes to initiate a Saturday tutoring session for the weaker students. He himself has had experience in tutoring English, math, and social studies, and mentioned the possibility of recruiting some local teachers to help out as well.

To read the rest (with a great movie suggestion), click here

The Needlle, a fun video about going to the hospital in Uganda

 In the last post I mentioned that Richard and Gerald had been to the hospital. Tonny takes them to St. Mary's Hospital in Lacor, which he says is the best hospital in the area. I found this video, called The Needle,  which is a fun one to watch. The kids would really enjoy it, and it gives a picture of life in Uganda, and what it's like to go to the hospital there, from a child's perspective.

Last Call For Letters; Medical Treatments

 Today is the day I said your letters would be due, remember?  But I know how it goes, so if you still have not written to your child, you still have a chance. I need to collect a few from friends who don't have email, anyway. So just take a look at the picture below, which is of our kids writing to us, then pop over to your own email, and dash off a quick, simple letter about you and your family, what you like to do, and a note of encouragement to your child...presto, done!

Read more....

Letters, Medical Treatments

Letters, Moms and Bead-making

Happy Mothers Day to all of you women who are sponsoring SOVCO kids!  I just recently bought my ticket for Uganda; I will plan to carry all of your love to these precious children at the end of July (July 26-Aug. 11).  But for now, let's get together some letters for our kids. Please email or send me (100 Pleasant Way, North Manchester, IN 46962) a letter for your child before May 23, and I will put them all in the mail together. It doesn't have to be a big deal, just a nice note, maybe a photo or a picture your children have drawn. Something to let them know you are a real person who cares about them. Because that's a big part of the benefit of sponsorship for the kids, knowing someone cares....to read more, please click below:
Letters, Moms, and Bead-making

The Amazing Women of Hope!

Since Mothers Day is coming up, I was happy to receive today some pictures and profiles of a few of the children's guardians, who are working in the bead project....Please click the link below to read more about these amazing women:

The Amazing Women of Hope!