The story of one mom’s persistent strength and joy…
Most of us have heard the old proverb, “Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he’ll eat for a lifetime.” I recently heard a twist on the saying by an Australian poet named Cameron Semmens: “Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day. Give a woman...
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What the Numbers Actually Mean
Our new, hot off the press, 2019 Impact Report is finished! Numbers are important in impact reports. They show how many surgeries happened, what kind of medical care was given, how much funding was raised. However, it’s looking beyond the raw numbers that always gets me thinking. Let me explain. First, these aren’t just numbers – they’re lives. Each...
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When a little girl named Lonely became Miracle
It was a hot day in Malawi when I sat down with Lezita, a mother, and her daughter, Miracle. Lezita sat close to me and as she spoke, the people around us faded into the background. I’ve sat with many moms in other countries, and they seem to sense that I’m a mother too, even if I haven’t told...
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New Study Finds People with Disabilities Left Behind in Wake of Cyclone Idai
On March 15, 2019, Cyclone Idai’s torrential rains, winds, and mudslides killed more than 1,000 people and wiped out farmland and hundreds of thousands of homes in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi on rampage. In the days that followed, the UN estimated 1.85 million people urgently needed emergency humanitarian assistance – but these numbers only indicated those physically able to...
Read moreAncestral beads are no match for Easter
Last year, when I was in Swaziland, one particular woman caused me to do a double take. It was something that she very quietly, but deliberately did. At the time, I was witnessing the eye patches being removed from cataract patients after surgery at The Luke Commission (TLC). Throughout the years, I’ve been blessed to have the opportunity to...
Read moreWhat keeps you up at night?
Ed Epp, Executive Director Hope and Healing “What keeps you up at night?” That’s what I asked Erwin Telemans, CEO, when I visited his disability hospital (CCBRT) in Tanzania. He said it was the enormous challenge of funding ongoing services for the crowds of children, moms and dads who line up at his hospital each and every day. It’s...
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