Director, speaker, and MC Rachel Kolisi recently returned from a 10-day trip to Angola, where she spent time helping children and families in some of the country’s most remote areas. Sharing her experience on social media, Rachel said, “It’s impossible to put this experience fully into words.”
Rachel explained that her journey began after seeing a video last August of a young boy with polio learning to walk with sticks. “Even through a screen, it offered a harsh and sobering glimpse into the realities so many people live with every day. But spending ten days in Angola gave me a depth of perspective I wasn’t prepared for.”
During her visit, Rachel witnessed the challenges faced by communities in rural Angola. She shared, “Entire villages are wiped out by malaria year after year. Some mothers don’t name their children until they turn two, knowing there’s a real chance they may not survive that long. Zero education offered. Elderly people live with constant, debilitating pain after lifetimes spent working the land and walking hundreds of thousands of kilometres simply to survive. For many families in rural Angola, basic medical care is a two-day walk away. Some parents push sick children on bicycles because there is no other option.”
Over the past two years, RES Healthcare has partnered with local health facilities and authorities to bring essential healthcare directly to remote villages. By training local health workers as “health champions,” the programme focuses on early-stage preventative care and health education, creating solutions that last.
In just three days during Rachel’s visit:
- 5 remote villages were reached
- 100+ patients were assessed and treated alongside local health teams
- 8 children received malaria treatment
- Crutches were provided to 2 children with post-polio paralytic syndrome and 1 elderly man
- 2 critically ill children were transported to hospital
- HIV, malaria, and TB education reached over 200 people
“Healthcare shouldn’t depend on how far you can walk. This is what access looks like when communities are empowered,” Rachel said. She added, “@res_healthcare continues to do incredible work not just in Angola, South Africa too. I’ve been fortunate enough to work with them on a number of their healthcare days in their @impiloproject and looking forward to continuing to support their vision this year!”
Rachel’s kindness and dedication received praise online. mfundos_dan commented, “Continue to serve God’s purpose,” Laurajanearkell said, “This is incredible work! You are inspiring Rachel!” and dwildlifephotography added, “Thanks for shining a bit of light on Angola. A commonly ignored African country.”
