Heather (SA) in Mwandi - Christmas at the OVC

Christmas Day with the children on the Feeding Programme was a really great Day and the kids really enjoyed it. The members of the Social Support and Nutrition Committees gave their time to serve the children so that they could have this special day.

We started off with the story of the birth of Jesus - the reason for Christmas. Paul - one of the church volunteers from the UCZ gave the Message. We had a really nice lunch of chicken, tomatoes and rice with Christmas Chocolate Cake for dessert. The older children had put together a Sketch on the birth of Jesus, which they presented on the day - they had Everything in it - the journey to Bethlehem, no room at the inn, shepherds and sheep, King Herod, the three wise men and of course baby Jesus lying in a manger. One of the highlights of the afternoon was the dancing competition. The children danced to Zambian music and it was great to see the smiles on their faces and the fun that they were having. The adults even got into the spirit and had a dance competition themselves.

Presents were given out in the afternoon - each child received an OVC T-shirt, toy and bag of sweets. The joy on the children's faces as they opened their presents just warms your heart. It’s hard to describe the feeling but watching the children during the day, helping each other out, singing their hearts out about Jesus, sharing their food, encouraging each other in the dancing competition and just enjoying the day was incredible.