Women in extreme poverty face many challenges. We learned about a particular challenge when we added Healing Hands of Joy in Ethiopia as one of our portals for micro-loans that help women living in extreme poverty with fistula. These women are literally the poorest of the poor, and before surgery to correct fistula are considered modern-day lepers to their communities. Many women recuperating after their fistula surgeries have shown promise and have received iZōsh micro-loans for small sustainable businesses to go along with their training as Motherhood Ambassadors.
About 2 weeks ago conflict erupted in the Tigray regional government and the Ethiopian national government engaged in a standoff regarding an attack on a military base and other disputes. At that time, the staff of HHOJ in Tigray were reported to be safe, as were staff in Addis Ababa and other regional offices. Since then, communication with HHOJ staff has been cut off.
Here is an update from HHOJ. Please join us in praying for peace in this region and specifically for the women.