Minnesota: Fundraising Walk for HEAL Africa, June 24th

If you're in the greater Minneapolis area, you'll be interested to know that Hope Walks (a program of Global Strategies for HIV Prevention) is organizing a fundraising walk to benefit HEAL Africa on Sunday, June 24th 2007 at Mt Normandale Lake in Bloomington. The walk starts at 3:30pm and is 1.9 miles long, leisurely in pace and accessible to wheelchairs and strollers. After the walk itself there will be refreshments and a barbeque, followed by a service.

Find out more and register at the Hope Walks website.

HEAL Africa Benefit CD Released

A long standing member of the singer-songwriter scene in Philadelphia, Lizanne Knott has been captivating audiences throughout the Northeast and garnering attention from radio listeners across the globe. Well known locally for her floating vocals and lyrical juxtapositions, her apparent depth and transcending warmth make for an inviting mix of music which moves easily through dark poetic ballads - to soulful jazz - to folk driven rock. You just have to scan the reviews for her last album, Under the Burning Sky, to see the high regard in which her music is held.

Now Lizanne has brought her talents to bear in a special benefit album for HEAL Africa. Titled simply "HEAL Africa", the album features songs written about Goma as well as the popular title track from her last album. 100% of the proceeds from this CD go directly to HEAL Africa. It's a great gift for friends and family as well as an informal way to let them know more about HEAL Africa's work.

You can buy the album by clicking on this link (from CD Baby). It's $15 USD, with a 10% discount for orders of two copies or more. We're most grateful to Lizanne for sharing her talents and gifts for the benefit of HEAL Africa: her star is in the ascendancy, and we're delighted that she's broadening attention to HEAL Africa's work.

Healing Arts Update

This new program was begun in September 2006 to support women recovering from fistula repair in improving their income-generation skills. They are making and selling skirts, tops, bracelets, placemats, baskets and baby layettes.

Before Healing Arts, most of the 120 women waiting for or recovering from fistula surgery were hopeless and wandering. If a woman returned home with nothing to show from her time away, she would continue to be looked upon as a worthless.

After surgery, the women are required to stay at the hospital while they heal. The doctors found that fistulas would often reoccur because some women were sexually active after surgery in order to make money for when they returned home.

There were ten women recently released who had complete recovery with no complaints. Healing Arts has contributed to facilitate the medical repair, because many women are no longer prostituting themselves.

One woman said, "at home I was despised by my brother-in-law who is a tailor. He would always tell me I could not help him, that I did not have any skills". Now she says, "I will go home and tell him, I have also become a tailor."

Another woman said, "we have been overwhelmed with exceeding joy from God and people will be amazed at what you do when you do things with joy."

Healing Arts also funds a school for children at the hospital for long periods of time.

Grounds of Hope is Inaugurated

The new sheltered housing community for twenty women who have not healed was inaugurated in early April, and the women have moved in.  They have small business loans and vegetable gardens onsite.  Another piece of land is being purchased to help them grow staple crops. 

In the picture to the right, you can see the women sewing in their new setting.

Lyn Lusi writes: "I visited last week unannounced and took these pictures. I was impressed by the peace of the place, and the women working hard, and the vegetable garden. They told me they are going to the local church, and they have a good relationship with their neighbors."

Thank you for your gift of this place of hope and healing!