For pregnant women in Cuba, Project Hope offers alterative to abortion

Havana, Cuba, Nov 19, 2019 / 01:34 pm (CNA).- With much of Cuban society today losing a sense of the value of human life, a Polish nun on the island has created an initiative to offer practical help and support to women facing difficult pregnancies.

Sister Filipa Bak of the Congregation of the Mother of God of Mercy, told EWTN News that she founded “Project Hope” with a dual purpose: to support pregnant mothers in need and to “help women who have had an abortion to find the forgiveness of God who is rich in mercy.”

These women “often find themselves in difficult situations, they’re losing their family, their partner,” she said. “The project aims to bring hope to women who have no way out, who don’t see the way out of these difficult situations.”

Pregnant women who work with Project Hope are assigned an aid who accompanies them with support and resources during the pregnancy and for one year after the baby is born. Each mom also receives a basket with clothing and other newborn necessities, which are collected through donations.

In three years of operation, Bak said the initiative has saved more than 90 lives.

They also work with moms to ensure their babies are baptized, “to become a child of God, to become a true member of the Kingdom of God that we have here on earth,” which is one of the project’s goals.

Bak said the project also interacts “with today’s young people who have lost the value of life,” hoping to help them regain an appreciation for the sanctity of all human life.

This article was originally published by our sister agency, ACI Prensa. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.