Empty Hands, A Memoir: One Woman’s Journey to Save Children Orphaned by AIDS in South Africa

Empty Hands is the inspiring memoir of a singular Zulu woman, Abegail Ntleko, who overcame extreme deprivation, gender bias, and racial prejudice to acquire an education, earn her nursing diploma, and attain her dream of living a life of selfless service. Her story tells us, says Desmond Tutu, what a single person can accomplish when heart and mind work toghether in the service of ot

Now 79 years old, Sister Abegail looks back over her life and recounts the remarkable events that led to her becoming the mother of dozens of children orphaned by the AIDS crisis in South Africa. Raised in extreme poverty by a single father and tasked with taking care of her younger siblings, prospects looked dim for the young Abegail Ntleko to acquire an education. Through hard work, dedication, and a series of fortunate encounters, she achieved her goal of attending nursing school and eventually became one of South Africa s most prominent primary healthcare activists, setting up a network of community clinics in remote areas and respectfully blending Western medicine with local practices. Eventually she established permanent homes for orphaned and vulnerable children and earned recognition for her life s work, being presented with the 2009 Unsung Hero of Compassion award by the Dalai Lama. Illustrated by 30 photographs, Empty Hands is a personal memoir that has the breadth of the most enduring social history. Story Locale- KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa