Stories from the Field

With support from USAID, Fistula Care has helped to provide over 16,000 fistula repair surgeries. Each woman has her own amazing story. Here are just a few of the women whose lives have been transformed by fistula surgery. Use our map to navigate by country, or see below for women's stories from Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Guinea, Mali, Nigeria, Niger, Sierra Leone, Sudan, and Uganda.

		Kareema was repaired at Kumudini Hospital in Bangladesh.
		Reshmi suffered from fistula for many years before finally recieving a successful repair.
		Yesmin hopes to have a child after two stillbirths and a fistula repair surgery.
		Tihun and her husband, Aweke, have learned valuable lessons from Tihun’s experience with obstetric fistula.
		Now fully recovered, Yeserash expresses the hardships of obstetric fistula and, along with her father, hopes that people will learn from their story.
		Abebu’s life has been transformed by her fistula repair and she is now able to lead the life that she used to.
		Mouima suffered from an untreated obstetric fistula for 28 years before being healed in Guinea.
		Marie Claire lived with fistula for 50 years before receiving surgery.
		Through the support of her husband and treatment at Kissidougou Hospital, Fatoumata now lives without the complications of a fistula.
		After receiving treatment for fistula, Agaicha plans to dedicate her life towards helping other women with the same condition.
		After suffering from fistula for 25 years, Paulina is now dry.
		Ugo came for fistula treatment with her husband and son, and is happy following her successful repair.
		Mariama has spent two months at the hospital, waiting for the surgical team to be available and for a bed to become available for her on the ward.
		Balay is thankful that her fistula is finally repaired.
		Barome suffered from fistula for 20 years before being repaired in Sierra Leone.
		After receiving surgery, Haja spread the news to her community that there is treatment for those living with fistula.
		Mattu celebrates her successful fistula repair surgery.
		Precious made her way from Liberia to Mercy Ships to receive a fistula repair surgery.
		After a successful fistula repair surgery, Ramatou offered her services as a translator for patients with Mercy Ships.
		After living with fistula for eight years, Binta received surgery and went home dry to her family, friends and community.
		Kadiatu, a former fistula patient, gave birth to a healthy baby boy.
		Hannah was excited to share the news that she had been healed.
		Until a health worker came to her village, Zainab thought she was the only one living with fistula.
		Halima made an extraordinary journey from fistula survivor to midwife in Darfur, Sudan.
		After living with fistula for 10 years, Christina received a successful repair surgery, as well as family planning counseling. Later, Christina delivered her first child by cesarean section.
		Fausta went to four hospitals over the course of nearly 20 years in search of a successful fistula repair surgery.
		Doreen dreams of having her fistula fully cured so that she can return to her village and finish school.
		It was only when the oldest of her five children was 17 that Airati had surgery to heal her leaking.
		Jane developed fistula after laboring for five hours in a public hospital without receiving any medical attention.
		Edisa lost her parents, grandmother, husband, and baby, enduring searing leg pain and leaking urine until her fistula was completely healed.
		In 2007, the ACQUIRE Project and the Center for Digital Storytelling brought together fistula survivors to record their stories in their own words. Hear Federesi tell her story though song, pictures, and narration, along with many others, in the Digital Stories.
		One of the women who shares her journey in the Digital Stories is Sifa, profiled here in the EngenderHealth 2007 annual report;(PDF, 637KB)

More stories from fistula survivors are available from Uganda (PDF, 138KB).

Also, read this USAID success story about Elizabeth's obstetric fistula repair in Nigeria (PDF, 45KB).