Continuing the actions of the Fraternity – International Humanitarian Missions (FIHM) in 2022, the Angola Humanitarian Mission resumed its activities in April this year. With the aim of expanding its reach and impact, in 2023 the mission included a new intervention sector, focused on Livelihoods and Lasting Solutions.
“This commitment aims to deepen the implementation of existing initiatives and deepen their reach, aiming for greater participation and sustainability of projects,” explains Anderson Santiago, a humanitarian server and member of the Angola Humanitarian Mission team.
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The Angola Humanitarian Mission in Progress
Thanks to the support and donations from employees committed to the common good, the teams of humanitarian servers who are working in Angola are carrying out activities that cover several essential areas:
Planning and management
The team of employees shared their knowledge of governance and management with employees of the Santa Isabel Children’s Charity Work, strengthening the structuring of internal processes, logistics, human resources, communication and the systematization of management practices. These activities contribute to the sustainability of OCSI and its continued development.
Humanitarian Capabilities
Training sessions were held with educators from the Santa Isabel Charity, focusing on Education Oriented to Overcoming Trauma.
The training covered vital topics, such as trauma and the reframing of life, types of trauma, symptoms and associated factors. Participants interacted in moments of reflection and experienced pedagogical resources that help deal with situations of stress and trauma. These capabilities not only enrich the local community with valuable knowledge, but also strengthen resilience and the ability to deal with challenges.
Education for Overcoming Trauma
Understanding that education is not just a tool for imparting knowledge, but also a means through which children and young people can regain a sense of normality and hope for a better future, as well as build supportive relationships and produce internal keys to resilience, the Fraternity – International Humanitarian Missions (FIHM) develops safe, sensitive and effective learning spaces at the Angola Humanitarian Mission, with art education, sports and the development of contemplative activities as essential catalysts for overcoming trauma.
These activities promote the cognitive development of young people and encourage concentration, reasoning and strategy, skills that have valuable applications in their lives.
Art-Education: Activities such as reading stories, working with clay, painting and collage, seek to support the reframing of emotions and thoughts of children and adolescents, helping them explore self-expression, develop skills and promote self-esteem and harmony in group interactions.
Menina Mana: Through the use of the educational doll, the workshops focus on promoting well-being and health, self-knowledge, prevention and guidance on the menstrual process and also the consequences that early pregnancy can bring to the lives of girls and adolescents, such as dropping out of school, risks to the health of mothers and babies and an increase in the degree of social vulnerability of families.
Sewing Workshops: Weekly workshops involving children, teenagers and young people, providing an inclusive environment for everyone, especially people with disabilities. These activities encourage creativity and important skills such as fine motor coordination, spatial vision and concentration. These are moments that nurture creativity and strengthen autonomy, in which they make useful everyday items, such as bags and handbags.
Communication Workshops: The Angola Humanitarian Mission is involving young people from Santa Isabel Children’s House in communication training activities, where they learn to produce content, structure information and share inspiring stories on social media. Communication plays a crucial role in raising awareness and continued support of both the mission and OCSI.
Mandala Workshops: They offer an opportunity for teenagers and young people to explore artistic expression, symmetry, order and harmony of forms. In addition to being a relaxing activity, these workshops promote the psychic, emotional and physical organization of participants.
Library Organization: Organizing the OCSI library is an important step in ensuring that the collection is available and accessible to everyone. Sorting, cataloging and organizing material facilitates the search for information and improves the use of the library as an educational resource.
Chess Workshops: The project with chess workshops is extended to children and young people who, in addition to practicing chess, also learn to make their own boards and pieces, benefiting from the concentration and planning skills provided by the game.
Social Education: Activities based on the Scout Method, which seek the self-development of young people, covering civics, scouting techniques, first aid and social and intellectual activities.
Sports Activities: During school holidays, children and young people from the Santa Isabel Charity Work enjoy daily sports activities, including football, volleyball, basketball and handball. In addition to physical development, these activities provide moments of fun and relaxation.
Gymkhana: To end the school vacation period, humanitarian workers held a gymkhana at the Santa Isabel Children’s Charity Work, offering recreational and sporting activities that involved cooperation, concentration, balance and motor coordination. Around 60 children, teenagers and young people were able to enjoy moments of interaction and relaxation, ending the holidays with joy and fun.
Maintenance of Collective Spaces
One of the focus areas of the Angola Humanitarian Mission is the maintenance of the spaces where the activities take place. Maintaining quality of life is an important objective, and part of the team of humanitarian workers dedicates time and effort to monitor and share knowledge of construction, metalwork, maintenance and painting with young people from Santa Isabel Children’s House.
Within this perspective, shelves were built to accommodate the food stock as well as the renovation of two children’s bathrooms. These actions not only improve the physical conditions of these spaces, but also provide learning and growth opportunities for the young people involved.
This is a demonstration of how the Angola Humanitarian Mission goes beyond providing immediate aid; it also works to increase the sustainability and continuous improvement of the communities it serves.
Livelihoods and Lasting Solutions
The Fraternity – Humanitarian Missions (FIHM) is placing an emphasis on building lasting solutions and livelihoods in this stage of the Angola Humanitarian Mission.
“Through capacity building, the humanitarian response transcends short-term assistance and establishes solid foundations for the future. Promoting livelihoods and lasting solutions means enabling young people at Santa Isabel Children’s House to acquire skills and create sustainable sources of income, which enable them to improve the quality of their lives,” points out Anderson.
Soap Workshop: At each workshop, young people are encouraged to share and reflect on the needs they identify in the OCSI community. The natural elements that are available are combined in solid soap recipes, produced using the cold process method, to meet these demands.
After the soap’s curing period, they are ready for distribution and use. Every week, around 100 units are packaged and sent to the OCSI logistics sector to be delivered to children and young people.
Bakery: The Bakery Workshops, carried out with young people from Santa Isabel Children’s House by the humanitarian workers, involve improving recipes, good hygiene and safety practices in the kitchen, as well as the knowledge of weights and measures, which are learned at school.
Around 230 loaves of bread are produced weekly. In addition to the classic wheat bread, milk breads are also being produced, using the availability of food that is donated to the house.
These activities represent the commitment of the Fraternity – Humanitarian Missions (FIHM), through the Angola Humanitarian Mission, to promote well-being, education and resilience to the groups assisted in this country.
“The Angola Humanitarian Mission is an inspiring example of how commitment, compassion and continuous support can make a difference in the lives of the groups assisted by the Fraternity – Humanitarian Missions (FIHM). Together, we can embrace this mission and make the Santa Isabel Children’s House and the surrounding community better and more welcoming places,” emphasizes Mother Teresa, humanitarian server.
The Angola Humanitarian Mission is a journey of solidarity and empathy.
Get involved, support this mission of selfless love!
Donation details: https://www.missoeshumanitarias.org/colabore/
