Today, March 8, is the International Day of Women. Below, you will find a link to an interview with Dr. Eulalie Vindu who heads up the Children’s AIDS Program (CAP) at HEAL Africa. CAP provides treatment and support to children living with HIV. Currently, over 450 children are receiving antiretroviral treatment and many more are receiving other kinds of support. We sat down with Dr. Vindu to talk about her experience of being a professional woman in DR Congo. She recently became the mother of a baby girl. We asked her about her experiences of being female, a doctor, and a mother in DR Congo, as well as how she sees the future of DR Congo unfolding for her daughter, her young patients, and all the women of DR Congo.

At HEAL Africa, we hold at the core of all our programs the value of elevating the status of women in this part of the world, where all too often they are mistreated, abused, and over-looked. Here are just a few of the ways HEAL Africa has been able to provide service, care, and support to the women of DR Congo. We have:

• Performed over 445 ob-gyn related surgeries
• Conducted almost 35,000 pre-natal consultations in a part of the world with one of the highest maternal mortality rates
• Provided assistance and healthcare to over 19,000 survivors of gender-based violence
• Provided microloans to 150 grandmothers to start small businesses that help them as the sole-supporters of their grandchildren–over 215 children were registered for school as a result of this increase in income
• Established  31 Women Centers and Safe Houses through our “Wamama Siameni” (Women Stand Up Together) program that provide thousands of women with a safe place, literacy classes, job training, and a chance for microloans

On this day to celebrate and champion women, would you consider making a special gift to HEAL Africa’s women’s programs? Dr. Vindu put it best when she said, “If we stand together we can improve. Especially through the work of our organization, HEAL Africa, the whole country could start down this road. But we still have a whole lot of work to do.” Click here to stand with the women of Congo.

On behalf of the HEAL Africa staff and the women of Congo, we thank you for your continuing support.

Click here to read Dr. Vindu’s interview.