Lend Another Hand 2 Seeing Hands!
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Lend another hand to Seeing Hands!
Imagine being blind in South Sudan, the world’s newest country, with limited options to support yourself and your family. Imagine then having the opportunity to participate in an intensive 4-month training to become a massage therapist. And finally, imagine, the very day after completing your training and hanging your shingle out to the public, your country breaking out into civil war…
This is the story of Seeing Hands, a team of blind massage therapists in South Sudan's capital city of Juba. I first met them (James Pitia, Catherine Vincencio, Terensio Wani, Silvas Darago, and Augustino Lunya) on my second mission to South Sudan in 2014; since then I have seen countless other humanitarian workers streaming through the clinic doors on the weekends who, like me, were in search of relief from aching muscles, stress, and exhaustion.
Until, that is, they lost their space at a local parish and had to close to the public.
The civil war has had a devastating effect on the country. Millions have since been forced to flee their homes, atrocities occur on a regular basis, and most recently famine has been declared. Both individuals and businesses (particularly small businesses like Seeing Hands) suffer from soaring prices and a dramatic fall in the value of the South Sudanese pound.
Together we can raise the funds needed to help them get restarted doing their important work in the community. Your donation will support them in reopening their public clinic, ideally through the construction of a new tukul (structure with a thatched roof) on rented land. ALL amounts are welcome and appreciated, and you can be assured that 100% (less Gofundme fee) will be going to Seeing Hands. Your help spreading this link would also be greatly appreciated!
I honestly don't know how I would have made it through several of my missions without them. And I am not alone.
With sincere gratitude from all of us who have benefited from the healing hands and shining example of strength, courage, perseverance, and grace of James, Catherine, Wani, Silvas, and Augustino...
Courtney
Please see my recently published article about Seeing Hands here:
And a few important words from Father John Barth of the Maryknoll Society, the founder of Seeing Hands in Cambodia and South Sudan:
“Any funds raised for Seeing Hands will make it possible for them to afford rent on a new location where they can once again hang out their shingle to the general public...a more ambitious dream is for them to invite their teacher back from Phnom Penh to offer refresher training and start a new 4-month training of a new Seeing Hands team."
Imagine being blind in South Sudan, the world’s newest country, with limited options to support yourself and your family. Imagine then having the opportunity to participate in an intensive 4-month training to become a massage therapist. And finally, imagine, the very day after completing your training and hanging your shingle out to the public, your country breaking out into civil war…
This is the story of Seeing Hands, a team of blind massage therapists in South Sudan's capital city of Juba. I first met them (James Pitia, Catherine Vincencio, Terensio Wani, Silvas Darago, and Augustino Lunya) on my second mission to South Sudan in 2014; since then I have seen countless other humanitarian workers streaming through the clinic doors on the weekends who, like me, were in search of relief from aching muscles, stress, and exhaustion.
Until, that is, they lost their space at a local parish and had to close to the public.
The civil war has had a devastating effect on the country. Millions have since been forced to flee their homes, atrocities occur on a regular basis, and most recently famine has been declared. Both individuals and businesses (particularly small businesses like Seeing Hands) suffer from soaring prices and a dramatic fall in the value of the South Sudanese pound.
Together we can raise the funds needed to help them get restarted doing their important work in the community. Your donation will support them in reopening their public clinic, ideally through the construction of a new tukul (structure with a thatched roof) on rented land. ALL amounts are welcome and appreciated, and you can be assured that 100% (less Gofundme fee) will be going to Seeing Hands. Your help spreading this link would also be greatly appreciated!
I honestly don't know how I would have made it through several of my missions without them. And I am not alone.
With sincere gratitude from all of us who have benefited from the healing hands and shining example of strength, courage, perseverance, and grace of James, Catherine, Wani, Silvas, and Augustino...
Courtney
Please see my recently published article about Seeing Hands here:
And a few important words from Father John Barth of the Maryknoll Society, the founder of Seeing Hands in Cambodia and South Sudan:
“Any funds raised for Seeing Hands will make it possible for them to afford rent on a new location where they can once again hang out their shingle to the general public...a more ambitious dream is for them to invite their teacher back from Phnom Penh to offer refresher training and start a new 4-month training of a new Seeing Hands team."
Organizer
Courtney Mather
Organizer
Pennington, NJ
