Jesus had a special sense of mission to poor and oppressed people. In St. Luke’s gospel, at the beginning of his public ministry, Jesus stood up in the synagogue at Nazareth and read from the prophet Isaiah:

"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour." Luke 4:18-19

As Religious Sisters we are called in a special way to move towards those at the margins of society and bring the message of God's love in their lives. Wherever OLA Sisters work, we pay special attention to the poorest in that society.

		The OLA Sisters offer quality health care to patients in all sectors of society in the many OLA Dispensaries, Clinics and Hospitals in the countries where we work. However, there is always a strong emphasis on ensuring that the poorest and most vulnerable in that society have access to health care.
There are always many poor people who cannot afford the transport to clinic, cannot afford to pay the nominal fees or who simply do not have enough to eat. These are given special help through the OLA outreach to the poor in their areas.
		The OLA Sisters have been involved in Education in Africa since 1873, even before the official foundation of the Congregation. In the early days, it was easy to see how our education benefitted the poor - all were poor in that respect. the Sisters established a reputation for offering high quality education from primary to tertiary level. This has meant that nowadays even the better off in society want this quality education for their children.
The Sisters are careful to ensure that the poorer members of society have access to education. This is done in many ways - by opening schools in more remote areas where other groups are not providing education; by offering scholarships to students who could not otherwise afford to attend school, or to subsidize poorer students by partial sponsorship.
		Today in many parts of Africa, HIV and AIDS is wreaking havoc in the lives of the poor and most vulnerable in society. Women and children are severely impacted by the affects of HIV and AIDS. In recent years, the OLA missions have been to the forefront in providing care and treatment for those with HIV and AIDS. Education campaigns are also organized, aimed at reducing the ongoing stigma associated with HIV.