Fund Life Saving Maternal Care for Women in DRC

Please be advised: this report contains content about physical and sexual violence, which may be triggering for some readers. 

Hello Friends and Followers of HFOS,

We hope each of you are approaching the coming holidays with joy in your hearts and some rest on your calendars. The team at Hope For Our Sisters Inc., in partnership with the team at The Wellness Clinic in Goma, DR Congo is pleased to bring you our latest impact report for our project to "Fund Life-Saving Maternal Care for Women in DRC". We continue to be so thankful for the support of each of you in bringing this program to women who are trying to access high quality and often life-saving maternal care in Goma. This program prevents maternal health complications like fistula and obstructed labor, poor infant outcomes, and maternal and child deaths, by giving pregnant women a place to seek prenatal care and assisted deliveries without fear of being unable to pay. You are truly saving and changing lives with your investments.

Unfortunately, for the past several months, the city of Goma has been subject to heavy civil unrest and constant threat to the lives of its citizens. The M23 rebel group, which has been operational on and off for over a decade, has been advancing in the region with an agenda that is oppositional to peace and stability in a country that has struggled for many years to achieve those things. M23 rebels have been named as actors in mass events of violence that have led to the deaths of hundreds of men, women, and children, though news reports suggest they are denying many of the accusations. There are also widespread reports of sexual violence and rape. Refugees and displaced families continue to flood into Goma seeking safety. War-time inflation has made it hard to find food and meet other basic needs for all. 

The Wellness Clinic continues to operate to the best of its ability, despite the enormous risk to the lives of staff members. Life-saving care is needed to treat injuries, women's health care is needed for victims of sexual violence and rape, and the goings-on of every day life, such as pregnancies and deliveries, continue to need to be addressed in a safe manner, despite rising costs and loss of livelihoods. Between August and November of 2022, The Wellness Clinic provided 11 tubal ligations, 358 assisted vaginal deliveries, 167 cesarean deliveries, and 1,393 prenatal care consults. On top of all of this, the staff works hard to meet other desperate needs of community members with programs for microfinance loans, malnutrition among women and children, and vocational training for boys and young men to prevent them from joining an armed group. The Clinic is a beacon of hope and a safe place for many people who live in fear these days. 

So long as our partners can get information to us, we hope to continue to share these reports every four months. We hope the next communications will be about peace. As always, we welcome your feedback or suggestions. For more regular updates on The Wellness Clinic and all of our other 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 this amazing community and clinic.

Links:

• HFOS Homepage