16 February 2011
Young Kiwi woman brings former child soldiers to Waiheke
Emily McDonald is a remarkable young New Zealander on a courageous personal path to improve the lives of former child
soldiers from Uganda.
At only 26, she’s already been to Uganda three times and started a movement called The Village Project. Each year she
takes a team of volunteers to build life-changing infrastructure. To date the project has built an orphan home, two
classrooms and raised more than $140,000. This year The Village Project is heading back to teach the Ugandan village of
Gulu, how to catch and retain their own rainwater.
But the real reason for the smile on her face at the moment is that she’s going to get to see the children she has
directly helped come all the way to New Zealand for the first time.
On the evening of Friday March 11, at Cable Bay Vineyards on Waiheke Island, a very inspiring group of Ugandan former child soldiers will begin their NZ tour performing an epic
event called the Watoto Restore Tour - Child Soldier No More.
A stirring fusion of music, dance and drama, created by the Watoto Chilcare Ministry, this production tells the true
story of the tragedy and triumph of healing and forgiveness and of the transformation of northern Uganda.
This event starts its’ tour on Waiheke Island, as a thank you to a place very special in their hearts.
Emily McDonald with Joyce from Gulu, Uganda
An unforgettable connection will also be made on March 11th as one of the Ugandan children on the Watoto Restore Tour
will get to meet his Waiheke sponsor family for the first time.
Emily’s achievements in helping a Ugandan village in need have been made possible by the enormous support of her own
village, the locals of Waiheke Island. Together they’ve created a hands on connection, using their own resources and
banding together to pass on what they can to empower the lives of their adopted Village in Uganda.
Emily’s humanity movement is growing as other New Zealand towns start adopting the model themselves; Titirangi has
stepped up as the next ‘Village to help a village’.