Fund Life Saving Maternal Care for Women in DRC

The team at Hope For Our Sisters Inc., in partnership with the team at the Wellness Clinic in Goma, DR Congo is pleased to bring you our latest impact report for our project to "Fund Life-Saving Maternal Care for Women in DRC". This Maternal Health Fund established at the Wellness Clinic with your investments provides life-saving prenatal and antenatal care to women who could not otherwise access a skilled, attended delivery. In instances where a cesarean birth is indicated for the safety of the mother and/or neonate, many of those in need would perish without the availability of free care that you make possible at the clinic - at other sites they are turned away because they cannot afford the procedure. The program's maintenance and efficacy would not be possible without each of you and your generosity.

The political strife in DR Congo is ongoing. The M23 rebel group maintains its hold on Goma, governing with violence and fear tactics. Peace talks remain stalled. Places like the Wellness Clinic, which offer both health care and other types of programs, like maternal/child nutrition initiatives, remain under stress to provide for the many citizens of Goma and all of the displaced people who have been relocated to the area.

From May through July 2026, there were 701 deliveries, with 222 of those being cesarean deliveries. Additionally, 9 women elected to have tubal ligations, which is an important procedure in empowering families to have control over their fertility. Many of these women received their care in part or in full as beneficiaries of the Maternal Health Fund. So many lives have been touched by your choice to support the health, safety and wellbeing of these precious families. We are so incredibly grateful to all of you. 

We received two stories of young women presenting to the Wellness Clinic in advanced labor, with need of immediate obstetric care.  Joy, a 20 year-old single woman, arrived in labor with other health conditions present, making a vaginal delivery very high risk for her baby. The team elected to perform a cesarean delivery, and Joy gave birth to a healthy baby boy. She named him "Bahati", a word meaning “luck.” In her own words, it was “by luck” that she was able to have her baby despite her ongoing medical issues. 

The second mother, 15 year-old Anoush, arrived to the clinic alone as well. The baby's father had left her, and her family had abandoned her, leaving her in a very vulnerable social position. She had only been able to have a single antenatal visit during her pregnancy. She presented in preterm labor and so the team made quick work of her delivery. Weighing only 2lbs 10 oz, her son is receiving specialized care in the clinic's neonatal unit. Though doing better, the baby remains fragile and requires continued appropriate neonatal care, including specialized nutrition, medical supplies, and social support for Anoush. Please keep this mother and child in your thoughts. It is our priviledge to be a conduit for funds to support mothers like Joy and Anoush, and to bring you these updates. 

We are committed to bringing you updates on your impact in this project every four months. As always, we welcome your feedback or suggestions to Cara, one of our Board members, at cbrooks@hopeforoursisters.org. For more regular updates on all of our programs, please visit our website and sign up for our Constant Contact updates 1-2 times per month, or follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn (Hope For Our Sisters, Inc.) and Instagram (@brookehfos).

We cannot thank you enough for your continued support of this Maternal Health Fund, for your incredible generosity towards this cause, for the Wellness Clinic, and for the strong and resilient families of Goma. 

With Hope,

Cara Brooks

Links:

• HFOS Homepage