By Brooke F. Sulahian | President & Co-Founder
We are so honored to partner with our Aftercare Team at CEML Hospital in Lubango, Angola, in providing empowerment opportunities for our sisters recovering from fistula surgery. These opportunities include craft skills, gardening lessons, literacy/numeracy education, and teaching in local languages.
As you may or may not know, COVID-19 has reached Angola. As of June 1, 2020, there are 84 cases and 4 deaths. This lower number could mean the case numbers are low or it could show a lack of tests. In any case, we are keeping our team and sisters in our hearts as they live and work through the pandemic.
The government of Angola, after declaring a state of emergency for the country, temporarily opened their internal boarders so the ten women who had healed from fistula could leave the hospital and return to their families. This cut their time at the hospital and in the program short, but they left with more marketable skills and confidence than when they arrived.
With twelve women still at the hospital, the staff, which now follows a very reduced COVID-19 schedule, has found ways to connect with the women and ensure their care and growth while maintaining social distancing and in light of the limited resources due to the pandemic. We are hopeful that once COVID-19 is under control within Angola, women with fistula will be able to travel to CEML Hospital for repair and to engage in the Aftercare Program.
Thank you for enabling us to come alongside our sisters as they obtain experience and learning that will improve their lives as well as those of their families and communities!
We will continue to send quarterly updates on the status of this project, and share photos and individual patient stories as able. Please spread the word if you know someone who might be interested in supporting this endeavor and follow along on our social media pages (Facebook: Hope For Our Sisters, Inc. // Instagram: brookehfos) to learn more about our sisters, our medical partners, and our mission.
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