A Restoration of Hope — Bringing Clean Water and Dignity to Leprosy Survivors in Abia State, Nigeria.

Hi, I’m Amanda, founder of Empower a Woman Ministries (EAWM) and Empower a Woman Africa (EWA Foundation) and I need your help to raise £3000 this November.

It was just after 7am one morning in early October. I was chatting with my mum when she broke the news that one of our widows had died. We’ve supported more than 40 widows in rural Delta State for over a decade, but I wasn’t prepared for what she said next.

“She had leprosy,” my mum said softly.

I froze. Leprosy? I could hardly process the word. I thought leprosy was something confined to Bible stories, something long gone from our world. But as I began to ask questions and make calls, the truth hit hard: leprosy still exists and those who suffer from it are still being shunned and forgotten.

Then a childhood memory came rushing back. Growing up, whenever we travelled to our village for Christmas, we’d drive along the old Bendel road. I remember seeing people hiding in the bushes, shadows of human figures who would run to the roadside with outstretched hands to catch whatever was thrown their way before retreating again. They were lepers. People society had pushed into the margins, branded unclean.

Those faces I had long forgotten came back vividly, and with them came a deep conviction: God had just opened my eyes to a forgotten people.

✨ A Call to Action

That conversation led to weeks of research, prayer, and heartbreak. I discovered a place called the Methodist Leprosy Settlement, Colony, LohumUzuakoli, Abia State. When our Empower a Woman team visited, we found a community of extraordinary resilience and faith, living in silence and neglect.

Among them were survivors whose hands, feet and nose bear scars of both disease and rejection, yet whose worship rises with gratitude. They are mothers, fathers, and grandparents who have learned to smile through pain and live with grace.

What we saw and felt that day birthed a vision called A Restoration of Hope — a three-phase project to meet their needs and restore their dignity.

Phase 1: The Borehole Project (Clean Water)

Our first goal is to dig a borehole and provide constant access to clean, safe water for all 27 leprosy survivors and their families about 60 to 70 people.

Right now, they rely on unsafe water sources, increasing their risk of infection and disease. Clean water will transform their health, hygiene, and daily life. It will also help with proper wound care, reduce waterborne diseases, and bring a renewed sense of dignity.

This Christmas, we want to give the gift of life, love, and hope through clean water.

Phase 2: The Documentary Project

Once the water begins to flow, we will begin filming a short documentary to tell their story so that awareness, empathy, and compassion can reach beyond the walls of the colony.

For decades, the residents of the Nkechi Colwell Leprosy Colony have lived unseen. This film will bring their humanity into focus and remind the world that leprosy is not a curse, but a treatable condition.

Our goals through this film are threefold:

• Awareness: To replace stigma with understanding and compassion.

• Advocacy: To invite individuals, churches, and organisations to take part in sustained support.

• Inspiration: To show that even in forgotten places, faith still thrives and hope still rises.

The Bigger Vision

While each phase has a specific goal, together they carry one message: to make life more livable, faith more tangible, and hope more visible.

We aim to:

1. Provide clean, safe water for all residents by December 2025.

2. Document their story to spark awareness and advocacy across Nigeria and beyond.

3. Rebuild and dedicate the Chapel of Hope by December 2026 — a sanctuary for worship and community.

4. Reduce water-borne diseases by at least 70% within six months of the borehole’s completion.

5. Empower women and youth in the colony through training and involvement.

6. Build long-term partnerships between Empower a Woman, the Methodist Church, and local civic partners.

7. Ensure sustainability through maintenance funds and ongoing evaluation.

❤️ Why Your Support Matters

Every donation will directly fund the borehole construction and documentary project. Your giving will:

• Provide safe, clean water to families who have gone years without it.

• Help us capture and share their story with the world, breaking centuries-old stigma.

• Bring dignity, visibility, and faith back to a community the world has forgotten.

This vision is bigger than me, but I believe it’s close to God’s heart. When I first heard of this widow’s passing, I felt grief but now, I feel purpose.

Together, we can write a different ending to their story.

Will you help bring restoration and hope this Christmas?

Your gift, big or small, will be water in dry ground — both physically and spiritually.

Give today.

Let’s dig a well that will never run dry.