Sister Eilis Weber recalls a Sunday during
the long civil war in Angola ...

Medical Missionaries of Mary first went to Angola in 1953 and remained with the people through 27 years of civil war.

Today, thankfully, Angola enjoys peace. MMMs can be found in the country's second largest city, Huambo, while our newest mission is being developed at Viana, a satellite town outside the Capital, Luanda. We have three professed Angolan Sisters, and a number of candidates in the initial stages of formation.

Huambo suffered terrible devastation from bombing during the civil war that lasted most of twenty-seven years until a Peace Treaty was signed on April 4, 2002.

Our Area Leader in Angola is Sister Jacintha Akonaay, a native of Tanzania. She lives in our community at Huambo where our service includes community-based healthcare, with a small clinic, education to prevent the spread of HIV, responding to the needs of people still suffering from displacement from the country's long civil war, including those maimed by landmines.

A Good Start at Viana - Angola, 2008
They say that if you make a good start with any task it’s half the battle! No matter how you go about it, getting started with a new mission is never easy. Every project is fraught with obstacles. You dream, you plan, you sit down with the local people to discuss their needs, you do a baseline survey and eventually the day comes when workmen move in on the site.   >>> more.

How is the New Dawn in Angola?  By Sister Cecilia Asuzu
People often ask us ‘how is Angola since the end of the war’? The country has been at peace since April 4, 2002. I cannot answer for the whole of Angola, which is a vast country. From my experience here in the city of Lubango, I would say that some things have changed for the better. The guns are silent – for which we thank God.   >>> more.

After the Baseline Survey - By Sister Laurinda Bundo,  Angola, March 2006
Conducting a baseline survey of health can be a painstaking exercise over many weeks. Our recent survey on the outskirts of Huambo city in Angola generated great interest among the people. Huambo is Angola's second largest city. It was once very beautiful but suffered terrible damage from bombing during the war. The people were delighted to find that strangers were interested in their health problems.   >>> more.

Solidarity with the people during Angola's civil war  - June 2005
During the Golden Jubilee celebrations marking the first arrival of the Medical Missionaries of Mary in Angola, many people recalled the weekly visits the Sisters used to make to the rural hospital at Cuamato, 80 kms south of Chiulo – after they had been forced to pull out the resident team there. The strategic bridge over the river Cunene was repeatedly bombed.   >>> more.

Our Doll Home Industry  - Angola, 2004
Some dolls are good enough to be sold at Angola marketWhen our Sisters in Lubango, Angola, answered the door, they were surprised by the request!  
"We looked at the little girl who came to our door and asked for a doll. She was about eight years of age. She was so poorly dressed that all the clothes she was wearing would not be enough to make up even a rag doll.   >>> more.

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Last modified: Friday, March 19th, 2010