Sister Annie

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.