In a country where the challenges of women's health remain a little-seen and often neglected reality, a new force stands firmly and sensitively: the Associação Mulher Esperança (AME). Newly formalised, this non-profit organisation was born from the union of Mozambican women from a range of professional backgrounds — mothers, engineers, doctors, lawyers, accountants, economists — all driven by a common cause: to transform the way women understand, face and overcome their health problems.
AME's founder, Paula Alves, is a living example of the reality that so many women face in silence. After suffering deeply from uterine fibroids, undergoing three fertility treatments and nearly losing her womb to severe haemorrhaging, she found a solution through uterine artery embolisation (UFE), carried out in South Africa. This transformative experience saved not only her womb but also her hope of a full life, leading her to found the Associação Mulher Esperança with the aim of sharing this possibility with other Mozambican women. With determination and empathy, Paula Alves decided to channel her personal story into creating a network of support and information, paving the way so that other women would not have to face the same challenges alone.
Under the inspiring motto "Choose to live and to give life", AME sets out to open paths of awareness and hope, bringing to light issues that are often silenced in the female universe, such as uterine fibroids. This condition, which affects countless women in Mozambique, is frequently met with fear or misinformation, which aggravates the physical and emotional suffering of those who live with it. The Association's mission is to break this silence, offering clear and accessible information and fostering dialogue and empathy among women.
To achieve this purpose, AME has invested heavily in awareness campaigns, using a variety of means — from talks to social media — to reach communities and share knowledge. By touching the innermost lives of women, it seeks to show each one that she is not alone, promoting recognition of the different problems that affect women's health, their correct classification and the presentation of effective treatment options, non-invasive wherever possible.
With the effectiveness of treatments and the quality of care in mind, the Association has established partnerships with organisations that share the same humanised vision of health. Collaboration with Apex Clinic in South Africa allows Mozambican women to access innovative procedures such as Uterine Artery Embolisation — a technique that treats fibroids without the need for surgery and preserves the womb, offering a less aggressive alternative with faster recovery.
Knowing that access to specialised healthcare is, for many women, an insurmountable barrier, AME has also built bridges with financial institutions. In partnership with Access bank and its Crédito Neneca portfolio, financing for health treatments is made easier, making them more accessible. For patients who need to travel to South Africa, the Association provides full support including transport, accommodation and emotional support throughout the whole process.
However, AME goes beyond medicine. It recognises that health problems, especially when they involve intimate matters such as fertility or the removal of the womb, leave deep marks on women's emotional wellbeing. It therefore also invests in strong psychological support and individual counselling, helping women deal with the trauma, fear and loneliness that so often accompany these situations.
The Association's mission also extends to promoting women's autonomy in family planning after the treatment of fibroids, as well as to the future development of fertility support programmes aimed at women who have difficulty conceiving. Believing that women's health should be understood holistically and continuously, AME wants to build bridges with other organisations in the health and finance fields, fostering exchanges that bring sustainable and inclusive solutions.
By spreading knowledge about therapeutic alternatives and advocating access to quality care, the Associação Mulher Esperança wants every Mozambican woman to be able to make informed, free and conscious decisions. Non-invasive treatment of fibroids, preservation of the womb, emotional support, health education and solidarity among women are the cornerstones of this vision.
In a context in which, for far too long, women's health problems were consigned to silence or seen as inevitable, AME stands as a beacon of change. With courage, empathy and determination, it is paving the way for thousands of Mozambican women to finally choose to live with dignity, confidence and hope.
Because hope is not just a name. It is a choice. And the Associação Mulher Esperança is here to make sure that every woman knows she has that choice in her hands.
