HEAL Blog
Welcome! Here we will post news and highlight the faces, needs, and services of HEAL.Blessing discharged from hospital, recovering from surgery!
I met Blessing during my last visit to Umuagwu, when I saw her dancing with a severe limp and learned she had been suffering from “polio induced clubbed foot” for almost all of her short life. Deacon Leo and I consulted with physicians, who recommended she undergo a...
Nurse Agatha: “I see them all as my children!”
I recently wrote about the partial reopening of schools in Nigeria in the continuing battle against COVID-19 and our need for medical supplies to ensure best health practices are followed. Proper use of medical supplies and implementation of official health directives...
Students Eagerly Return to School After Missing Two Trimesters!
Since the COVID-19 virus hit Nigeria, efforts began to stop the spread. As it has around the globe, the education of children has been greatly disrupted. The Masters at BOCMA and MENPS have missed half of the 2nd and all of the 3rd trimester of the 2019-2020 school...
Every Job Counts in HEAL’s Mission!
Forming the Masters into Servant Leaders (Mt 20:26) requires various forms of work contributing to the same objective. Not all of this work can be done by the MOJ Sisters and teachers tasked with the intellectual and spiritual development of BOMCA and MENPS students. ...
MOJ Sisters Feed the Hungry During Pandemic!
Today everyone is worried about catching a virus. In Nigeria, however, everyone is worried about catching their next meal. Efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 have had drastic “side effects”, pardon the medical metaphor. Increased checkpoints, quarantines, and a...
Blessing “Takes a Step” Toward her Dream!
“Sister, how is Blessing recovering from surgery?”, I asked nervously. “Blessing is doing well! We’ve been visiting her and celebrating the great work done by the doctors and HEAL!”, replied Sr. Racheal Ulor, MOJ. In case you’re wondering, Blessing is a student who...
Blessing Imagines Walking Properly!
I have an update about Blessing, which I’m excited to share because many have been asking about her since I first wrote! But first, let’s review her story. In April, we revealed Blessing’s need for a procedure called Triple Arthrodesis to remedy her Polio induced...
Perpetua maintained strong faith until the end!
Isaiah writes that though a mother may forsake her child, God will never abandon us (Cf. Is 49:15). This scripture came to mind as I followed the tragic story of Perpetua, a native of Akpim village where BOMCA is located and a neighbor of HEAL’s mission. Perpetua...
Out of School, Fighting Hunger Virus!
Every time I have visited Umuagwu village I have marveled at the resourcefulness of the MOJ Sisters and the Masters, at how they do so much with so little! During the current COVID-19 lock down in Nigeria, MOJ resourcefulness has risen to the challenge. While the...
Mission Activities Suspended to Prevent Coronavirus Spread
Coronavirus has become such an imminent disruption to our daily lives in the United States, it is tempting to ignore its impact in the developing world. At this writing, COVID-19 has spread and infected 407 and killed 12 people in Nigeria. Compared to the USA, those...