Enable 50 Women in Angola to Generate Income

Greetings to all! The team at Hope For Our Sisters Inc., in partnership with the Aftercare team at CEML Hospital in Lubango, Angola, is pleased to bring you our latest impact report for our project to "Enable 50 Women in Angola to Generate Income.". We have an exciting report for you based on our trip to Angola this past March!

First of all, it was so very good to see our sisters in person again...those I had met prior and those who were new to me. When I think back to our first visit in 2013 and meeting the fistula patients in the Patient Villa, they were quiet, subdued, chatted with each other quietly, with one or two who would comfortably interact with us. They were also, sadly, waiting there for the next procedure or medical test with nothing to do. They were LOVED by the staff/team, but that had not sunk in to their hearts yet.

That was in 2013. Fast forward to 2023 and the fistula patients met us at the gate of the Villa and "sang us" into their newish meeting area (they originally used a metal shed) and sang to us in full thanks that we were there and the hope we represent. They had sincere smiles on their faces and joy in their hearts. It was a celebration I did not know I had been hoping for all along. It was a gift to everyone there, including our sisters themselves.

YOU helped make this transition happen. YOU said yes to our sisters, like our medical/outreach teams have. The truth of your commitment and sacrifice on their behalf and the love they experience at the hospital, enabled our precious, strong, resilient sisters to see their own priceless value and potential for impact in their world. This was a treasured gift we got to witness. THANK YOU for the part you played! Enjoy the pistures from our trip.

While in Angola, there were 24 sisters in the Aftercare program. We witnessed them sewing/learning to sew and making baskets. We also got to see everything they are making, including these very handy and pretty catheter bags that enable them to be active with catheters inserted into their bodies post fistula repair surgery. We bought some of their beautiful items (31 baskets and 7 aprons) to bring back to the US to sell. The women were paid for the items they had made and any sales proceeds will go back to the Aftercare program. 

We received a special update from one of our medical team members involved in the Aftercare Program. I thought you would enjoy it as I did..."I just witnessed, today, a beautiful moment in which I saw again (how it happens with) a patient when they live for awhile in our villa with other (fistula) patients, A very sweet moment of farewell from a girl (who is healed from her fistula, but unfortunately with incontinence*). I saw the joy on her face that speaks of some healing, when she embraced and kissed friends goodbye, while they were all giggling. She was accompanied by four of her teenage friends/patients (as she left)."

We hope you are continuing to enjoy these reports every four months and, as always, we welcome your feedback or suggestions to Brooke, HFOS President & Co-Founder, at brooke@hopeforoursisters.org. For more regular updates on all our programs, please visit our website and sign up for our Constant Contact updates 1-2 times per month, or follow us on Facebook! Thank you again for your incredible generosity and support of this cause and these amazing women.

* Stress incontinence is a common challenge for our sisters healed from fistula. This is another reason we focus on the prevention of fistula as well, so we can partner with our sisters before they get injured and strive to remove fistula from our planet.

Links:

• HFOS Website
• Welcome Song at the Villa (open in a new window)
• Dance of Thanks (open in a new window)