The response has been overwhelming! We are so pleased that Mr. Kristof is helping spread the word about obstetric fistula, The Fistula Foundation and the WFF among his readership, and we are so happy to welcome more supporters to this important cause. If you haven’t yet read the article, be sure to click on the link above. And, again, happy Mother’s Day to you and all the mothers in the world.

Dr. Steve Arrowsmith and Doctor Steve, a Liberian baby named in his honor

“Mariama is a 17-year old girl. She comes from a small village two days travel from Danja. She has seven brothers and sisters and is married to a man about three years older than her. Although she knew this man before her wedding day, she did not have the option of choosing to whom she would be married to. Her parents arranged it. After being in school for two years, she stopped so that she could become a married woman. Her new husband would not allow her to continue with her schooling. Mariama can not read or write.

Shortly after getting married, Mariama became pregnant. She was at home with her family when the labor pains started. She was in labor for three days before the decision was made to get her to the local clinic for some help. This clinic was two kilometers away and she took a bush taxi (a small cart pulled by two large oxen) to get there. Because the clinic did not have the tools to perform a cesarean section, the baby was pulled out of her. The baby did not survive the trauma of three days in labor and a forceful delivery.

Four days after delivery, Mariama noticed she was leaking urine. There was nothing she could do to control it. Walking, sitting or sleeping, the urine would constantly leak out of her. Her family heard the radio announcement for the Danja Fistula Center and brought her in. Her mother and young brother came with her and stayed in the village while Mariama had her surgery. Her husband did not accompany her although he was supportive of her coming.

Mariama was a patient on the ward for two weeks before she could return to the village with her mother and brother. While in the ward she learned to knit and did well at that. Her obstetric fistula was closed and she returned home just this past week. She will return in three months for a follow-up exam. Something I noticed about Mariama during her time here was the way she opened up. Although she is young and has a very innocent looking face, her face tells stories. Tribal cuts running deep. A trusting smile. She was able to make friends with everyone on the ward.

I asked Mariama if she would ever go back to school. She told me no. Because her husband would not allow it, she would eventually take up a trade of cooking or selling small things. Although she did not want me to take her picture, she did allow me to take a picture of her hands while we were sitting in the village talking.”

Learn more about the Women of Niger on our site and donate today to help the WFF continue our fight to eradicate fistula one woman at a time.

The obstetric fistula problem in West Africa immediately grabbed my attention for two reasons: why are women being ostracized for a medical condition that they couldn’t have brought upon themselves? And why do so few of them have access to the medical care that they need? Hundreds of thousands of women in West Africa are living with a horrible but treatable condition simply because they cannot find or afford the proper health care. The worst part, in my mind, is that women with obstetric fistula are conditioned to believe that it is their fault, that they somehow caused this problem for themselves. Along with medical treatment, these women need to be told that they did not do this and that they are not responsible in order to have their dignity and self-worth restored.

I volunteered to help the Worldwide Fistula Fund to address this cause because I feel that it is vital to raise awareness for issues involving a group of people’s quality of life. This problem has a solution and only needs support to be rectified. Getting these women the health care they so desperately need puts them back in a position to live a healthy life and return to their families and communities. Organizations such as the WFF are working towards this goal for as many women as possible, but the number of woman that can be reached can only stretch as far as the awareness for the issue. Contributing to funding for medical care for these women is assisting them in returning to the normal and healthy life that everyone deserves. Take action today.

Editor’s Note: Lauren is an intern at the Worldwide Fistula Fund. She is a double major in journalism and metropolitan studies at New York University.

Let that sink in for a minute. On top of all of the horror that obstetric fistula can wrought, the women who have them think it’s their own fault. And their family, friends and neighbors think the same. Bear in mind also that these women are often girls who develop a fistula not because of their actions or inactions but because their bodies simply are too small to bear children. The amount of shame, blame and stigmatization that surrounds this condition is like nothing I’ve ever seen. There’s a reason these women are called the “lepers of the 21st century,” but unlike leprosy, there is no antibiotic that will cure obstetric fistulas. What will cure them is surgery and what will prevent them is education and access to maternal health care for all women. There is no blame or shame in this scenario; it’s a devastating condition but one that with hard work and perseverance can be eradicated forever.

Please support the work of the Worldwide Fistula Fund today. We need your help to end this.

With one of the highest birth rates in the world and incredibly limited access to maternal health care, Nigerienne women have a severely heightened risk of developing obstetric fistula or other birthing complications. They give birth young, they give birth alone and they give birth without medical assistance. It can be a frightening and confusing experience, especially for those who have seen their friends and neighbors become severely injured, lose their babies or even lose their own lives in childbirth.

In partnership with Health and Development International (HDI), the Worldwide Fistula Fund is implementing a far-reaching prevention and education outreach program in an expansive area around the Danja Fistula Center. The program, which will reach up to 100,000 women in year one, aims to achieve the following:

• Determine a woman and man in each village to serve as program representatives/advocates

• Educate all villagers about obstetric fistula risk factors and prevention techniques

• Create action steps with each village on what to do in the event of an obstructed labor (e.g., use a vehicle or donkey cart to transport the woman, use a cell phone to alert the medical center, etc.)

• Forge partnerships with local hospitals to provide health care and services for women in labor

• Track and collect data on at-risk women to ensure that they receive the care and support they need to have a safe birth

The prevention program is one aspect of our multi-tiered approach to treating fistula. By coupling the provision of surgical care and reintegration services to women who have already developed the condition with a comprehensive and proven method of preventing new cases from occurring, we are confident that we can make a significant impact on the number of women affected by this condition both today . . . and tomorrow.

If you would like to support our prevention programming, and help the girls and women of Niger gain access to much-needed education and medical care, please make a one-time or recurring gift to the Worldwide Fistula Fund.

Good morning and thank you for inviting me and the U.S. Embassy to share in this ceremony of friendship and goodwill. I have traveled widely in Niger, and have seen the good work being done by the Nigerien government and by donor partners, missionaries, and others to improve the life of Nigeriens across the country. But I have also seen the tremendous need that remains, above all for Nigerien women who struggle for access to basic health and education in rural areas. It is my sincere hope that this hospital will provide medical services to these communities in great need and to people on both sides of the Niger-Nigeria border.

Despite improvements in prenatal care and obstetrics, daunting challenges remain. The maternal mortality ratio in Niger remains high: a reported total of six maternal deaths per 1,000 live births, but estimates run as high as 18 per 1,000. The vast majority of women deliver at home: only 17-percent of births take place in a health facility, and only one third of all births are assisted by a trained health professional. Qualified health personnel are not well distributed; there is one midwife for 6,100 women of reproductive age in Niger, but the proportion ranges from 1 to 931 in Niamey to 1 to 19,382 for some regions.According to one needs assessment, over 4-percent of Nigerien women between 15 and 19 years of age are pregnant or are already mothers of at least one child.  Ninety-one percent of women are illiterate, and access to health care facilities is often difficult, especially for the 85 percent of the population living in rural areas. With such high birth rates and such low access to medical care and education, most women do even not know that fistula can be repaired. The condition brings strong social stigma, and afflicted women are often ostracized by relatives and divorced by their husbands.

The American people, through the U.S. Embassy, have responded generously to aid Nigerien communities. In 2007, USAID funded a fistula repair unit at Maradi Regional Hospital to complement the work of the Dosso Regional Hospital and Lamordé National Hospital, both projects begun with a grant from the Gates Foundation. Issaka Gazobi Hospital was funded as a prevention-focused site, and efforts were made to strengthen existing fistula repair services, train surgeons and nurses, and promote prevention through new technology and community outreach.

But great need remains, and American aid does not come only from our government. American missionaries provide medical treatment to thousands of people in or around Maradi, Niamey, Kollo and other areas. In November, a team of volunteer doctors from the United States held a free clinic in conjunction with FIMA. A “Friends of Niger” association based in Washington, composed of former Peace Corps Volunteers, diplomats, aid workers and visitors remain committed to  helping Nigeriens however possible.

Americans believe that anyone can make a difference and, by combining our efforts, we are a greater force for change. This hospital, a gesture of goodwill and solidarity by American citizens to our Nigerien friends, will make a tremendous difference in so many lives.  The work you do here is important not only for the surrounding community, but also for those from the region. Social pressures and traditional attitudes make it difficult for women to find a safe place for treatment, let alone the means to pay for care, thus this facility will fulfill a vital role assuring their health and happiness. I thank you for this important initiative and the good work you will do here, and I wish you great success in your efforts.

Thank you.

Because the need for obstetric fistula treatment and care is so great, the first clinic and admittance day is actually on February 6 — five full days before the opening celebration. The Minister of Health will tour the facility and cut a ceremonial ribbon to mark the event. Surgery will begin on Tuesday and the grand opening will follow on Saturday.

Our executive director, Mark Shaker, wrote that there are already 42 women at the facility awaiting treatment. One woman in particular has been living with a fistula for 15 years and told the staff that she just cannot take it anymore. Although she knew the Danja Fistula Center wasn’t opening until February, she left her home at the end of December. It took her 30 days to travel the roughly 600 mile-distance to the hospital grounds. She ran out of money on day five and begged for food and rides until she got there. Mark wrote, “She could not stop hugging and thanking us.”

It is women like this — and supporters like you — who inspire us every day. Please continue to watch this space for further updates and donate today to help fund the Danja Fistula Center and bring an end to this horrific condition.

Over our many years of operation, we have met and helped heal a number of incredibly inspiring women — women who, through no fault of their own, have lived with the torment and devastation of obstetric fistula for months, years or even decades. The above video shows some of our most recent patients. We thought that you would enjoy meeting them as much as we have.