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November 1, 2020 - No Comments!

Recreation: It’s Not Just Swimming

Over in ZOE Thailand, where the weather is usually hot, what's better than jumping into a cold swimming pool on a sweltering summer’s day?  Being able to swim!

By knowing how to swim, it means that the children at ZOE Thailand can enjoy the wonderful sensation of being in the pool – in a safe and pleasurable way. The sensory experience of being in water is both relaxing and enjoyable.

Research says that there are huge physical benefits to swimming. Learning to swim is both a full-body cardiovascular and respiratory workout! At ZOE we love to see the children’s stamina, flexibility and muscle strength develop.

There are many other advantages to knowing how to swim, such as building concentration, becoming physically stronger and developing coordination. It also encourages an active and healthy lifestyle.

At ZOE we never underestimate the social aspect of swimming either. Playing together in the water helps to form bonds based on trust and fun. For children recently rescued from negative situations, socialization skills can be enhanced through various water games and activities.

During swimming lessons, children take pride in each individual achievement and work towards achieving new goals.  As their abilities and confidence increase, children are able to overcome fear and celebrate their successes with their friends, family and their swimming teacher!

At ZOE, it’s not JUST swimming!

October 30, 2020 - 1 comment.

No Joke! This is Australia!

“Australians are very friendly and easygoing people. In fact, Australians are renowned for their laid-back nature and unique sense of humour. Another thing Australians are known for is their love of sport, recreation and the great outdoors.” (tafeqld.edu.au).

What do an Australian police officer, security guard, bicycle repair man, student, transport worker, reservist, videographer, restaurant worker, IT consultant, forklift driver, retail services worker, student, school secretary, health and safety worker, and a computer programmer all have in common? 

These were the occupations of just some of the 44 men aged between 19 to 57 found across every state and territory (except the Northern Territory) who allegedly all shared child sexual abuse material using a 'a cloud storage' company.

It's said that Operation Molto began late last year when the AFP were tipped off by a US intelligence agency about an international paedophile ring.  

So far 16 children have been removed from harm but The Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) has received 21,000 reports of child exploitation in the last financial year. 

You can read this and be appalled, or you can read this and be spurred into action. 

The choice is up to you. Click here to download a toolkit or email us to see what you can do. 

 

 

 

October 25, 2020 - No Comments!

Recreation: Dance

For some of the children in Thailand, dancing is one of their favourite ways to pass the time.  And dance has many proven benefits: It can help you to express your emotions, relieve stress, increase physical fitness, improve confidence and self-esteem, and encourage creativity and imagination.

One of the positive outcomes of the recent COVID lockdown was a newfound collaboration with Prisma Dance.

Nicole Lam, Prisma’s founder and director, volunteered to create a special dance just for our ZOE girls.  She made detailed videos to teach the girls and the girls practiced diligently on Saturday mornings to perfect their art.  The dance was choreographed to a song called, Note to God.  This song is an emotional prayer, a letter to God to mend the world of all the bitterness and hate.  It talks about finding love, granting faith and giving hope, even when it seems like all hope is gone.

Our 7-member dance team shared their powerful performance with the whole ZOE family recently.  It was not only a chance to express their emotions but the girls also received encouragement from their family as they worshiped God in a unique way.

Author – Cissy Boyer