DAMIEN HOUSE

Hospital of THE NIGHTS AND DAMES OF SAINT LAZARUS

Damien House is a residential hospital for over 30 Hansen’s patients, and in addition treats a roster of around 700 outpatients, in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Quality medical care is provided seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day. With the help of donations to the US-based Damien House organization, the staff is also able to provide patients with dental care, physical and occupational therapy, sanitary services, medication, and three well-balanced hot meals every day. Additionally, Damien House has a community outreach program that helps those who have been treated and cured to secure a home, find work, and participate in community activities so that they may return to living full lives.

The work of Damien House extends far beyond the hospital’s walls. The staff makes regular visits within Guayaquil and in remote villages, providing public education about the cause and curability of Hansen’s Disease and spreading optimism for its eventual elimination.

Damien House used to be associated with the Hospital for Infectious Diseases. Originally, Damien House was the Hansen's disease wing of the hospital. Recently Sister Annie has been able to separate Damien House from the hospital. Making ourselves independent allows us to have the final say in treatment and care. This means that no-one will ever be asked to leave Damien House. Unfortunately, it has also caused an increase in expenses due to the increase in utility bills. The increased cost is something we are happy to pay for to make sure everyone here receives the best possible love and care.

The heart of Damien House is Sister Annie Credidio, of the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, B.V.M., who has dedicated her life to bringing care and dignity to Hansen’s patients. In the late 1980s, Annie began volunteering in the Hansen’s wing of one of Guayaquil’s hospitals, teaching arts and crafts to the patients. As she formed relationships with the staff and residents, she realized she and the hospital could do much more to dispel the misery in these patients’ lives. In the early 1990s, Sister Annie and other hospital volunteers reorganized the Hansen's (leprosy) wing to form Damien House, hoping to transform the lives of patients with Hansen’s Disease. Through her vision and leadership, Damien House has restored the health, hope and confidence of several thousand patients and involved family members. In 1994, Annie founded the U.S.-based Damien House charitable organization, which invites donors to join the effort to bring hope and dignity to the lives of Hansen’s patients. In addition to running the hospital, Sister Annie spends several months of the year traveling in the U.S. to seek the funding that keeps Damien House open.

Through this organization, Sister Annie Credido has brought hope and dignity to the lives of many. Please help her continue to help others by making a donation .

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