Amazing Things Continue To Happen ONE BY ONE

Work on site in Cibitoke continues albeit at a slow pace due to funds coming in slowly. As with all NGO’s we to are affected by the Global slowdown. But the work still continues due to amazing people going out of their way to change this world we live in.

Villages of Life is here to help you change the world we live in or rather the world THEY live in. Read on and see how it works, One by One.

I want to say a special big THANK YOU to the Fairfield RSL in Sydney for coming on board to work with us on this awesome project. We here, in the developed world are so blessed but don’t really know how blessed we are until we are confronted with stories and testimonies from refugees and immigrants from far away countries who come to live with us here. They have some workers who moved here from Burundi where we are working and shared their stories. Fairfield RSL went out of their way to find out how they could help, and found us.  It took them some time to get the connection, but they persisted and persisted until they found what they where looking for.

I ask and challenge each of us to stop, make some time and truly listen to their stories and then follow your heart and lend a helping hand. Not all of us can go, but we can all give.

Fairfield RSL has had this happen to them. And they are following where their heart is leading and having a huge impact towards the work in Cibitoke. In a few short months they have managed to raise thousands of dollars, a few dollars at a time.

This same principle is used to impact Burundi. One child at a time, one person at a time and before you know it thousands will be impacted. Villages of Life has only been operating for just over one year and already hundreds have been impacted by being employed on the building site and by the clothes, computers, shoes, teddy bears etc etc that were sent over in the container. This is currently only hundreds, but thousands is the vision, and we are well on the way. It won’t be long till the sounds of happy children fill the rooms of these houses as they begin to live a life all children deserve, safe and sound in the surrounds of a loving family in a community filled with a hope and a future which I know Youth For Christ Burundi does so well. See their website http://www.burundiyfc.org to see their other orphanage in Gitega.

So Thank You Fairfield RSL and all your Employees and Patrons for your much needed support, YOU are now changing the world!!!!!

On other news, Euphrate and his team of merry men are installing windows and doors and painting walls.              (I will post some photos as soon as I get the photo thing working)

In the first week of October Damien and myself will be travelling to Burundi to install the kitchen into the first guest house. Damien works for me here in Launceston Tasmania (Aust) at Unique Doors and Windows. We will also be training the local carpenters on how to put together the wardrobe cupboards that were sent over in the container earlier this year. (approx 40 cupboards) These will be used in the orphan houses.

Watch this space for an update later on in October. We will have a video produced while we are there.

Ted Bosveld

(Villages of Life founder)

Houses ready for furniture and fences

In the next few week we will be starting with the final part of the construction stage part 1 getting the first 5 houses ready to be occupied.

Euphrate our site manager in Burundi has priced up this final part of stage 1.

The cost of fencing is approx US$100 per metre which is about AUD$120 per metre. This is for a 2 metre high double brick fence. This is needed for the safety of the children who will be living in the houses.

Furniture for each house is AUD$1200 for 6 beds and a dining setting and some kitchen utensils.

Please go to our donate page and contribute to this exciting part of the project.

All donations are tax deductible in Australia.

Many thanks

Ted Bosveld

PS: Check out the Video of our Febuary progress report on the video page

TO BURUNDI WITH LOVE (a container of gifts)

Through the last few months of 2008 a container was filled with many many gifts and donations.

These included clothing, shoes, blankets, bedding, mattresses, computers, sewing machines, cloth for sewing, medical supplies, boxes of cuddly teddy bears etc etc

The clothing made up the majority of the contents which is the most needed.

It was a truly amazing experience collecting, sorting and packing this container of gifts.

They came from as far as Melbourne in Vitoria and from all parts of Tasmania. North to South and East to West.

To all those who gave the people of Burundi says THANK YOU

These gifts will go to North and South and East and West in Burundi.

To one of the poorest countries in the world from one of the richest countries in the world.

The container has made it to Burundi. It has taken 3 months to get from Tasmania Australia to Burundi Africa Via Singapore and Des Es Salem in Tanzania.

Our heart felt thanks also goes to the Burundian Government who have graciously freed us of all import duties. Your people will be truly Blessed and we are encouraged to do it all again.

We are currently in negotiations with a school (Tasmania) who have 50 computers to donate and with another school (Queensland) who are looking to do funding for freight costs.

“GIVING IS FUN” so join in the “FUN OF GIVING”

If you would like to give to the cost of freight for the next container or to building of a house please go to the “DONATE PAGE”. You can print of this page, fill in your preferred payment method and where you would like the funds to go.

All donations over $2 are fully tax deductible and a receipt will be forwarded to you promptly.

Many many thanks for your time, prayers and support.

Ted Bosveld

Villages of Life Founder

Christmas Fellowship Meal December 2008

All the workers on site had a wonderful meal of rice, deep fried banana and roasted goat on the last day before they finished work and went home to their families for Christmas.

We sent US$200 for them and they where truly blessed. Freddy who is the National Director of Youth For Christ in Burundi was there to share this meal with them, which Euphrate tells me is the highest honour for them to have the top boss sit and have a meal with them.

The team has finished the Guest house and have walls up and roofs on 4 orphan houses. Euphrate has taken the workers from the Gitega project to help and up skill the Cibitoke workers who don’t quiet have the standard as the workers from Gitega. This has built up good work standards and friendships.

Blessed to be a Blessing

Ted and Lorraine Bosveld

November 2009 update

As you can see by the photos the houses are very smart looking and are as
strong as can be. The columns’ and ring beams are reinforced concrete and
all the infills are locally handmade kiln fired bricks made by local
families by the sides of the roads. The ripple effect of this project is
far and wide and reaches high into the hill where the roof timbers are cut
on Jack and Jill saws to young men on push bikes who deliver the water to
make the cement and concrete to the local river beds where the sand and
small stones are harvested from. Some of their ways are very primitive
compared to what we are used to but yet all the same very effective.

To date the 1st Guest/Staff house and the 1st Orphan house is completed
with the 2nd Orphan house nearing completion and the footings are going in
on the 3rd Orphan house.

Mid July Euphrate started on site. First he had to find a builder and some
labourers. Then they started working the following week on foundations.
This was a very exciting time but also a very frustrating time for me.
Exciting because the houses where finally starting after 18 months of
planning and organizing. But very frustrating because I am here and not
there to turn the first shovel of soil and to see the workers enjoying
earning their wages to feed their families. But here is where God has me
and wants me and Euphrate and his team don’t need me there. From all the
photos Euphrate has sent me I can see they are very very capable without
me there.
Ted Bosveld

STAFF HOUSE GETS A ROOF

Euphrate and his awesome team have the first roof on.

The next 4 months can’t come quick enough till my next visit when I will be also taking my eldest son Troy.

Ted Bosveld

Progress update 25th August

The awesome team in Burundi are making great progress.

The first Orphan house has brickwork half up and the footings are going in for Orphan house number 2.

Here is an email I received from Euphrate during the week explaining why the roof can’t go on the guest house yet.

Hello Ted.

The Lord Jesus has been very good to me this week and I hope it has been the same to
you over there.
As I wrote last time, the first Guest house is ready for being covered but we are facing
the problem of getting planks.
Today I went to see a man from whom I ordered them And I found it a matter of distance.
In fact the trees to cut are located very far on hills and they take much time taking
the planks on their heads to bring them near the road.  For waiting these planks,
we preferred to build the 1rst orphanage house and the last picture shows how far we
are with it.
I have many picture in my camera but it is very expensive to send them from Cibitoke :
one picture take 22 minutes to be sent.

So enjoy the 2 pictures and I will see if I can send more.

I will go back to Bujumbura this Friday evening and I will come back to Cibitoke
Monday morning

May God bless you.

Euphrate.

We take for granted how easy it is here to get material. We ring up for a pack of timber and it turns up the next day. Note how the timber (planks) get from the saw mill to the site. And if it is the same type of saw mill that I seen in Rwanda it is one man on the top of the log and the other man is in a pit below and they operate a Jack and Jill type saw. But at the end of the day you get timber planks and men have jobs.

Together in His service

Ted Bosveld

3 Week Progress

Euphrate and his team are making real good progress as you can see by the photos.

They have the first guest house up to ceiling hight  and should be working on putting the roof on next week

Ted Bosveld

The Big Start Day!!!!

Here is a Villages of Life time line

It is a rather long list and I have tried to keep it as brief as possible
and there has been a lot of research, emails, phone calls and nights thinking
but it will give you a good idea how much work it has taken and the joy it
brings to my heart to get to this day.

June 2006
Spent 4 weeks in Rwanda working with Hope Rwanda on an Orphan Village.
Receive a phone call from Freddy of Youth For Christ Burundi asking for
help building homes for Orphans.

July 2006 till January 2007
Ponder and grapple with this call and wonder what little me can do.

February 2007
Meet with Youth For Christ Australia and World Relief Australia in Melbourne
to see if and how we can assist Youth For Christ Burundi.
Find out they have the process but not the project So Here We Go.

May 2007
Travel to Burundi with a Film Maker to do a scoping trip to see the work
Youth For Christ are doing in Gitega building an Orphanage.
Return to Australia to find we can’t help them on this project and request
Freddy in Burundi if he would be prepared to start a new project in a new province.
After prayerful consideration Freddy excepts our offer and Villages Of Life Begins.

June 2007 till December 2007
Work on project guidelines and plans for houses with World Relief Australia.
Freddy and Euphrate at Youth For Christ Burundi work with Burundian officials
to secure land.

December 2007
Youth For Christ secure land in Burundi in the province of Cibitoke.
This land has been donated by the Govoner of Cibitoke and the Burundian Government.

January 2008
Purchase 4WD from Japan and ship to Burundi for Euphrate to run the project.

February 2008
Travel to Burundi to meet with the Govoner of Cibitoke.
Survey the land and make promo DVD on site.
The 4WD arrives while I am there.

March & April 2008
Do final adjustments with World Relief on project paperwork and receive
final approved document thus receiving tax deductibility in Australia.

June 2008
Travel to Burundi with my wife Lorraine so she can see what has kept me
so occupied over the last 18 months and to see the needs first hand.

July 2008
It seems to have been a long long time but the start day has finally arrived.

Here is an email I received from Freddy early last week dated July 15th 2008
……………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………

Dearest Ted,

Greetings from Bujumbura.

How are you all?

We are fine this end, and busy. Just to ask prayers and let you know that
Euphrate and Yves left today for Cibitoke. They may stay there for the rest
of this week.

We hired a truck taking material such us cement, water containers, hoes,
etc, etc all the small things as well. Till today we have been doing lots
communications with the people there at Cibitoke most of work was done
through the phone this far.

We hope they are starting to dig the foundation for the Guest house 2moro.
Please pray for good workers b/c we realized labor is more expensive there
than at Gitega.

Thanks for all you doing for us and for Jesus. We keep you in our prayers.

“For the world you may just be one person; but for one person you just be
the world”

Blessings
Freddy Tuyizere

Burundi Youth for Christ
…………………………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………………………….

Our heartfelt thanks and prayers go to Freddy, Euphrate and the
Youth For Christ team in Burundi.
How I would love to be there and working along side them but I will
have to wait till January next year when I need to be there again to do
the first progress report.

Please consider if you can support this project to bless the least of these in Burundi.
If you would like to know more (I am always eager to share the vision)
or would like to receive a promo DVD please go to the contact page
or email me direct at ted@villagesoflife.org


By: Ted Bosveld

Blessed to be a Blessing

3 Orphanages

After being in Rwanda and going to the orphanage there, I expected them all to be the same, so I got a nice surprise when going to Burundi and visiting the Rainbow Center. We walked in the door to a light beautiful room with a baby in a walker and another one laying on the floor on a large mattress. There was 5 babies here, with 2 carers. A lot different to the ‘dog-pound like’ orphanage I expected. The children were happy and playing. One little boy caught our eyes as soon as we arrived. Ted looked at him and said “aren’t you a handsome little boy”. We asked the carer what this little boys name was and she said “Danny”. This was little Danny-boy from a DVD we have. For the next 3 hours Ted played with Danny and ended up falling asleep with him and 2 others , while I fell asleep with a very young baby in my arms.

We could of brought all of these babies home!! They were so well looked after here, well dressed and well fed, with a lot of love given to them by these 2 carers…..but it was still an orphanage, like a community center, with people coming and going, different activities going on in different rooms and no mum for these children.

2 days later we went to a new village being built at Gitega by Youth for Christ

At the moment there is 4 houses, a school and a medical center started with a lot more houses to be built yet (this is what Villages of Life will be like). The children here are living in a house with a mum and 6-8 children. The mum is a widow and the children are all orphans. The houses are very spacious and lovely and really feel like a home. The children have great meals and go to school each day. The difference between this orphanage and the other 2 was very obvious. The fact that these children belong somewhere. This is their home and they have a mum. They don’t have toys or things to do, but they don’t need any, they have love and they have a family.