facts
Civil war has had a destructive impact on the people and the land of Angola. The number of Angolans in need of food aid and emergency assistance exceeds 3 million.
The population of Angola is about 11 million, and the average life expectancy
is 46 years old. The religions are indigenous beliefs, 47%; Roman Catholic,
38%; and Protestant, 15%.
Less than a quarter of the population of Angola has access to adequate medical
care.
alm connections
Support for leprosy doctors and hospitals in Angola goes back 50 years when ALM helped set up medical and educational institutions to help neglected people in the central Angola highlands.
ALM helps Angola's national leprosy control program by providing medicine, training, and transport. These programs were interrupted by renewed war in the early 1990s and reestablished in 1996.
ALM works with African Evangelical Fellowship,
with IECA churches, the Roman Catholic church and other Christian groups
to help leprosy sufferers in Angola.
leprosy situation
According to the World Health Organization, approximately 3,000 cases of leprosy are registered in Angola. Inaccessible regions and land mines make case-finding difficult in many areas of Angola.
Angola has one doctor for every 16,152 people. (The U.S. has one doctor
for every 400 people.)
patients & projects
In all the IESA church clinics, nurses are trained to diagnose and treat leprosy. Dry, wounded feet need regular soaking and oiling. For some, this expense is out of the question.
Your gifts help provide basins and oil. The Mucubal people in Huila province produce oil from wild nuts called mupeke. This oil is used for the care of leprosy-cracked feet. The smell of this bitter oil also drives the rats away.
In recent years, ALM has held training workshops for leprosy workers in
all of the eighteen provinces, a notable achievement in view of travel difficulties
and security issues.
prayer & praise
Maya (not her real name) says: " I took up my courage and went to the health center about my terrible face nodules. I was told I had leprosy, but I did not fear, because all was explained to me and treatment started. You see, God is good to have led me to this nurse. Now I am lot better to look at."
Please pray for this family (pictured at left). Many members have leprosy;
some do not want treatment. They are very poor.
Praise God that the national government of Angola permits ALM and church
partners to provide much of the country's leprosy care.
budget
Dr. Brechet (pictured at right) and Dr. Palma are both dedicated to helping people with leprosy. Dr. Brechet coordinates ALM-supported projects in Angola. Dr. Palma works for the national health program.
We are grateful for Dr. Brechet and also his wife, Marie Claude Brechet, for their dedicated ministry. ALM's 2007 Angola budget is $257,600 .
The average cost to cure a child of leprosy is $300. Early treatment is
the best prevention against crippling, deformities, and blindness. Gifts
to cure may be made online.
video
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