I am Dr. Oranu Ibekie. I work with MJS College School of Nursing as a Medical Doctor. I am originally from Nawgu in Anambra State, Nigeria.

My earliest memories of childhood was in the middle of the Civil War, the Nigerian Biafran Civil War. The majority of people are very very poor, I mean really dirt poor.

It was bad. Estimates insist that about 3-million people died in that war and about 1-million children starved to death.

Towards the end of the war the Daughters were distributing food to refugees. They saw that my mother and I were in bad shape and they gave us dehydrated milk and beans. It’s almost funny to think about now that if that didn’t happen I might not be here.

As a doctor looking back, I think I can diagnose myself now. I think I had severe calorie deficiency that probably was marasmic, and bordered on protein energy malnutrition, what they call “kwashiorkor.” I remember clearly there were children around us then who had very protuberant abdomen, a large head and what constitutes legs which look like sticks.

The type you see on TV with flies around their eyes and in their nostrils. I remember those images as a child. And we were a little better, but we were clearly getting to that point.

That malnourishment that bordered on kwashiorkor was the tipping point beyond which it was very difficult to reverse in those circumstances. So the availability of milk and whatever else they gave us allowed us to hold on until the war ended in January of 1970.

Without question I would be dead. If whoever was supervising the women had looked beyond my mom and chosen somebody else that would have meant death for me. It gives me cold shivers, thinking of it. For every one of us who the sisters served, there were 10 that died. That’s why so many of us decided to commit ourselves and our resources as we have them supporting them to doing the same thing for other people who have nobody.

From my personal experience, I just chose DDL. I think they represent the ultimate quintessential selflessness and beauty of a good person and a human being, and an organization. I think that they make a lot of difference in people’s’ lives. They are committed to it by giving up even their own lives.So every donation and every support we give them goes 100% to charity. I chose them because of who they are, what they represent, and what impact they have in my own personal life. I hope that you will join us in supporting their mission.