March News from Goma! - 2011

This morning I was walking through the HEAL Africa hospital and saw so many women in various stages of healing. In fact, one woman came back to ask for a job today. She'd come for an operation and was a patient for long enough to learn to read and write. I also talked with one of the counselors who came to the office to withdraw funds to send women back to their homes after they've healed. I saw the list of their names, their villages, and their thumbprints. These women hadn't been here long enough to learn to read.

I pointed at one name and asked the counselor, "What's her story?". That woman had arrived with prolapses and very high blood pressure, and she had to receive treatment to get her blood pressure down before she could withstand surgery. She spent 8 months here and in the process learned to make soap and doughnuts. She's now going home with a Fresh Start Kit to start up her own business at home.

Yesterday, I visited some women making clay inserts for more fuel-efficient stoves. They are grandmothers in the Muslim community who are supporting their grandchildren who were orphaned by HIV. They are learning new skills that will produce income to help feed these children and keep them in school. HEAL Africa has been working with all faith groups to prevent HIV, prevent sexual violence, and give people tools to improve their lives.

Thank you so much for your support. As I'm here in eastern DR Congo, I can see the difference it's making and hope you'll continue to join in supporting the amazing work being done here.

• HEAL Africa continues to take a lead role in moving out a 5 year USAID grant given to a consortium of organizations working on a multi-sector approach to overcoming sexual and gender-based violence in eastern DR Congo. The project is called "Ushindi" which means "overcoming" or "victory" in Swahili.
• Lyn Lusi, co-founder of HEAL Africa, and Judy Anderson, Executive Director of HEAL Africa USA, met with US Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo James F. Entwistle in late February.
• HEAL Africa's largest building project to date continues to move forward smoothly. This building will centralize the bulk of hospital services and create a greater capacity for research and training, as well as improving the delivery of health services offered by the hospital.
• HEAL Africa's Children's AIDS Program now has 1040 HIV-infected children under its care.

Donations makes it possible to continue to help the women of the Congo. Will you consider a your pledge of support to help HEAL Africa for the coming year? Would you consider a monthly recurring donations? Or will you help us find others to support this work, one month at the time? This type of partnership keeps the door open for Anna. For healing, and for a new life.

Provide HIV tests for five victims of violence. Rape is a weapon of the war in Congo, with many of the armed groups using the threat of HIV in addition to the destruction of rape. Testing and counseling for victims of rape is an important step to emotional healing.