Rosa is Living A New Life… of Self-Sufficiency

What can $100 do?

• Beat back a deadly disease …?
• Offer security after a loved one dies …?
• Set up a family business, to give a struggling widow a whole new way to live, to become self-sufficient …?

At Advance, we can do all this, and more, for just $100. Rosa received all of this support during one of the worst times in her life…and today she is completely transformed. Rosa lives in the African nation of Mozambique. Her husband António, a notoriously difficult and aggressive man, alienated people. The leaders of their community finally forced the entire family to leave town. A brother-in-law in another town let them work a small plot of borrowed land in order to survive. There they moved into a shabby house made of reeds with a grass roof. Rosa became a woman of few words, mostly secluding herself, as she cared for their young son. When António was diagnosed HIV positive, it became a desperate family secret. The stigma of HIV is intense in this culture — and António insisted his suffering was the result of witchcraft. Even as António grew grievously ill, he refused to go to the hospital. Rosa had no way to get help — or even get tested herself for HIV. And when António got too sick to work the land, Rosa took over, struggling to even grow enough food to provide for their family of three. But your generous support for Advance enabled our health workers to step into this sad picture with compassion. They sensed the awful secret, but they couldn’t visit the house — António would be enraged. So they discreetly reached out to Rosa while she was out in the public area, drawing water from the local well. Your support enabled Rosa to build a hen house and raise poultry, putting her on the path to self-reliance.    Rosa finally trusted them enough to tell them the truth. They helped her get to a hospital where she also tested positive for HIV. Our health workers then helped her start treatment, driving her to the hospital every month for check-ups and to receive her medication. Rosa had to make the journey secretly to avoid her husband’s wrath. The day came when António died. Rosa was left alone, a single mother with few if any resources. But your compassion was still at work. Our team, having supported other women in the community, mobilized a rotation of visitors to support Rosa, to make sure she had what she needed to get by, to get stabilized, to help her grow more and better food — and to fight for her health. Rosa began attending our weekly sessions at a community center, where she received seeds, organic fertilizers, and insights into better agricultural practices. And in the weeks and months that followed, we witnessed a transformation. Rosa grew stronger, healthier, and more hopeful. She worked hard on her small plot of land — and then began hiring herself out to others who needed extra workers on their own land. Eventually, Rosa began dreaming of a better future, where food would be plentiful. Her dream? Poultry. There YOU were again … making the dream come true. Your support for Advance enabled Rosa to build a hen house. We got her started with 5 hens and 3 ducks. Within a year, she had 17 chickens, and 5 new ducklings! She began selling her feathery livestock and using the money to purchase her son’s school supplies and still helping her improve her production. She’s thriving! What did it all cost? Not $10,000, or even $1,000. Everything Advance provided for Rosa in this program cost a total of just $100. She’s just one example among many. In her own community, this program is helping 12 women. Total cost: $1,200. A small gift can make a BIG impact. And Rosa is proof that it’s never too late to start building, or rebuilding, a healthy life, that you CAN make it on your own and that you can be your own biggest support system. This kind of empowerment is the indescribable benefit found in all of Advance’s programs. But there are other Rosa’s out there, and they need your help. Consider donating  today to get us on our way. Thank you!