Enable 50 Women in Angola to Generate Income

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". As always, we are so thankful for the support of each of you in bringing this program to our sisters who have suffered from fistula and are living at the patient villas in CEML, either awaiting or recovering from surgery. This program equips them with literacy, numeracy, and language classes and teaches them marketable skills such as gardening, sewing, and crafting that they can take forward into their lives outside of the hospital to support themselves and others in their families and communities. These women are able, and amazing, and so deserving of these opportunities. We cannot thank you enough for helping them to realize dreams to learn new things and become more self-sufficient. The growth of this program has also enabled it to become entirely self-sustaining - the sales of products made cover the costs of new materials for the subsequent projects!

We first would like to share a moving update about two women, Loriana and Veronique, who participated in the Aftercare program during their stay in the patient villa this past spring and into early summer. Their story reminds us that even among the tragedies and hardship surrounding obstetric fistula, beautiful things can happen - like the development of deeply meaningful lifelong friendships.

Both women came to CEML for fistula repairs from the Huambo province. Loriana arrived in December of 2025 and had her surgery in January. But first, she met Veronique, who came just a few weeks after Loriana's arrival. Veronique's case was far more complex, including both vaginal and rectal fistulas, which require multi-stage surgerical repairs. The two became fast, close friends.

When the time came for Loriana to return home in March, Veronique was overwhelmed, anxious and distressed. She pleaded with Loriana to stay by her side during her surgery and recovery, feeling Loriana's support and companionship would be instrumental in getting her through the challenge of healing. Despite missing her own family and longing to go home, Loriana could not leave her friend behind - selflessly, she decided to remain at the village for another two months to care for and support Veronique.

The team spoke of the power of witnessing the daily strengthening of a bond that transcended friendship and grew into a true sisterhood. Audrey, one of the team leaders, said, "Their presence constantly reminded us that healing comes not only through surgery and medical care but also through emotional support, friendship, and love for one another... This is also the essence of our work: to welcome, care for, and accompany women, and then see them leave transformed—assured that their lives have been restored. The story of Luciana and Vitória shows that recovery from obstetric fistula goes far beyond physical healing. Here, they found not only treatment but also friendship, dignity, hope, and a new opportunity to start over. Stories like this fill our hearts with joy and gratitude, and renew our commitment to the mission of restoring lives every day."

In addition to this beautiful story, the team shared that other Aftercare activities, like literacy and numeracy, were held as usual. Other community events and opportunities inspired both patients and community members. On the International Day to End Obstetric Fistula, the fistula staff shared their hopes with patients and the broader CEML team that one day all women globally would have access to quality maternal health care -- a basic human right. While encouraging the audience to share with others the importance of safe, timely care, the occasion served as an opportunity to reinforce a necessary commitment to preventing obstetric fistula and promoting maternal health, not just among hospital staff, but among everyone with women and girls in their lives. The team also took this message out for two prevention and awareness-raising missions in remote communities within the Cuando province: Rivungo and Kuito Cuanavale. They highlighted the importance of maternal healthcare, prenatal check-ups, and assisted deliveries at health facilities.

Additionally, a week in June was spent with more intensive training for thirty women into how a woman’s body works, how the fetus develops and the process of labor and delivery. Several women were very interested in what could be done to prepare for delivery and get access to medical care sooner. Cultural practices and beliefs were discussed, including in nutrition and hygiene. Nutritional deficits in childhood and adolescence are a major contributor to fistula risk in adulthood, as this causes growth stunting and short stature, impacting pelvic outlet development. Other topics, such as self esteem and relationships between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law in this culture, created much discussion. The women were appreciative of the course content and said they learned a lot!

We hope you are continuing to find inspiration in these reports every few months. Feedback and questions are always welcome via email, sent to Cara at cbrooks@hopeforoursisters.org. To learn more about Aftercare between reports, or our other programs, visit the link below to our website or follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook (Hope For Our Sisters, Inc.) or Instagram (@brookehfos). Thank you again for your generous support of this project and these precious women.

Links:

• HFOS Homepage