Damien House Takes Flight with New Services and Staff

August 20, 2025
communications

*Beautiful birds made by the residents of Damien House.*

Annie Credidio, BVM recently visited Mount Carmel Bluffs from Ecuador to give an update on Damien House in Guayaquil, the country’s largest city. She brought colorful birds made by the residents of Damien House—a fitting gift for an organization that is taking flight with positive news.

Damien House is named for Father Damien, a Belgian priest who ministered to those with what was then called leprosy for 16 years on the Hawaiian island of Molokai until he succumbed to the disease himself in 1889.

Medical Brigades Bring Supplies

*Associate Germania Moran Calle (c.), her husband Nathan Shaw, and a volunteer are part of the medical brigades that bring much needed supplies to rural areas surrounding the city of Guayaquil.*

Founded by Annie in the early 1990s, Damien House started out as a wing in the local hospital.. Now in a building of its own, it is home to 30 permanent residents. The staff also treats more than 700 outpatients. Serving those living with Hansen’s disease and their families, Damien House provides basic needs and medical care. The organization has expanded its reach to include “medical brigades”—teams of doctors and other health care professionals who come to the facility and perform needed surgeries.

“We have had teams in nephrology, ophthalmology, and cardiology,” Annie says. “We had 11 Hansen’s patients who had eye surgery. I can’t tell you the joy that goes through me when I see how happy they are.”

The medical brigades have also extended to the rural areas outside the city, including the provinces of Loja, Guayas, and Los Rios, where medical teams and volunteers often travel by water to reach patients.

“People are afraid to come to Guayaquil, so we go out to them,” Annie says. “For those who need surgery and have to be with us for an extended period of time, we provide transportation, food, and medicine. We have a whole team that takes care of them.”

Planning for the Future

Damien House’s main physician, Dr. Martinez, is considering retirement in a few years, but Annie and her staff are already making plans for the future.

*Annie Credidio, BVM (c.) with Damien House medical staff and employees.*

“We already have a doctor who wants to come on board,” she says. “A young woman who has graduated from medical school.”

Damien House has continued to expand its services. Since Hansen’s Disease is transmitted by contact, the staff keeps a close eye on family members.

“We’re all about helping the families,” Annie says. “Getting to these families is crucial, because we bring medical supplies and cleaning supplies. We bring food, so that they don’t feel abandoned.”

Annie also reported that five members of Damien House’s staff of 25 are people who were previously treated for Hansen’s Disease. Several received Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Scholarships for Women to attend school.

“They explain to people, ‘I know what you’re going through because it happened to me,’” she says. “We’ve got people on board working for us who are committed.”

Acquiring Staff and Equipment for Faster Results

Other new developments at Damien House include a visit from Rockhurst University students who spent a week with the residents; a visit from the U.S. Consulate; the hiring of a psychologist and a physical therapist; and plans to buy a microscope and establish a small lab on site for testing skin samples. This will provide quicker results to Damien House’s medical professionals and eliminate the need to outsource lab testing.

Annie also reported that a clinic in the mountains of Loja province, where many elderly patients live, was in danger of closing because of staff shortages. This would have left many elderly patients abandoned without care. The clinic did receive help from the church when two sisters were assigned to the clinic in June, avoiding closure.

*Annie speaking to the BVM Community about Damien House.*

“The political situation today is such that we need each other,” Annie says. “We need to do it together to make it work. It’s a lot of work, but it’s so worth it. I know you are all behind us with your love and prayers and support.”

Damien House provides dignified and compassionate medical care to patients who, not so long ago, were treated as outcasts and discarded by society. “Sister Annie,” as she is known to the residents of Damien House, and her staff have created a welcoming place where residents can play music, create art, and experience the joy of living in a safe environment where they will never be denied food, medical care or any assistance for their needs.

Learn more about how you can help Damien House at sites.google.com/view/the-damien-house.

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