SUPPORT SÃO VICENTE - CENTRO DE SAÚDE

Dear all,

Our hearts are heavy after the devastating loss São Vicente has suffered due to Tropical Storm Erin. Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this disaster. The scale of the damage, on every level, has been overwhelming.

For the past three years, we have been actively working in Cape Verde on a non-profit basis through our NGO, with the goal of strengthening healthcare services. Committed to that, we have trained more than 800 local residents as first responders on Santo Antão and provided the island with six AED devices.

As the Nova Onda Foundation, we cannot simply stand by and watch without taking action, especially when help is now more needed than ever. Over the past days, we have been in close contact with local organizations, including the fire department, who are working tirelessly with very limited resources, as well as with residents on the island to identify where help is most urgently needed.

On Monday, August 18th, we will travel to São Vicente ourselves to assess the situation further and gather more information firsthand.

In the meantime, there are already wonderful initiatives underway to collect essential items such as clothing and food, which are greatly needed in the short term.

However, we have also seen that in the longer term, significant support will be needed for larger institutions that currently lack the financial means to restore normal operations.

One urgent priority is to help reopen the Centro de Saúde de Bellavista in São Vicente. This center is vital for providing basic healthcare to the community and for relieving the pressure on the island’s main hospital. With the center closed, nurses, doctors, and other medical staff are unable to serve their patients, and the burden on the main hospital continues to grow. Emergency plans are in place but are not feasible on the long term.

We have therefore launched a fundraising campaign to help get the center back up and running as it was before the storm.

Every donation counts, whether one-time or monthly, 100% goes directly to the local community, with no overhead costs or personal profit involved. Contributions can be made through this GoFundMe page or through our website: www.novaonda.org/support-us

As an NGO and registered ANBI foundation, we are committed to full transparency. All funds we receive are accounted for and published in our annual reports.

Now is the time to stand strong together: Uniting for Health, Empowered by Unity.

With love,

Georg, Iris and Sophie

Stichting Nova Onda Foundation