 |   |
| |
 |  |  | |  |
|
| |
Global UpdatesGlobal Compentency-Based Fistula Surgery Training ManualThe Fistula Care project is supporting the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) to disseminate a global training manual on fistula surgery. FIGO collaborated with fistula surgeons and professional and health organizations from around the world to produce this important tool. Fistula Care Clinical Director Joseph Ruminjo participated in a meeting in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in August 2011 to review the manual and identify sites at which it could be rolled out.
Country Program UpdatesGuinea to Start Program for Women Permanently Disabled by Fistula
Fistula is not just a physical injury—it is a devastating condition that may create physical, psychological, economic, and social obstacles. Recently, EngenderHealth Guinea received funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to increase participation of people with disabilities, so as to address the challenges of women permanently disabled by fistula.Midwives from Sierra Leone Attend Conference in DurbanIn June, three midwives from Aberdeen Women’s Centre in Freetown traveled to the 29th Triennial Congress of the International Confederation of Midwives in Durban, South Africa. They had numerous opportunities to work with health professionals from around the world.
New Publications and ResourcesTechnical Briefs Now Available in FrenchThree technical briefs from Fistula Care are now available in French:
New on the Web SiteStory from the Field: ChristinaChristina, a woman from Uganda, lived with fistula for 10 years. In 2008, she learned about available treatment options from a community outreach team. She decided to seek clinical care and received a successful repair surgery, as well as family planning counseling. Three years later, in May 2011, Christina delivered her first child, by cesarean section.
Fistula Care in the NewsDr. Alyona Lewis Receives Women of Excellence AwardRecently, fistula surgeon Dr. Alyona Lewis received a Women of Excellence Award at a ceremony that celebrated Sierra Leone’s 50 years of independence. Dr. Lewis commented, “It is a privilege and an honor to be able to serve these women.” Dr. Lewis is the surgeon at the Aberdeen Women's Centre in Sierra Leone, which is managed and funded by the Gloag Foundation with additional financial and technical support from the Fistula Care project.Preventing Obstetric Fistula in RwandaThe online news source Global Post recently published a piece that discusses the stigmatization and isolation often associated with obstetric fistula. The article discusses the work of Fistula Care in Rwanda to treat and prevent the condition and highlights the life-changing aspects of repair surgery.
Upcoming Meetings and EventsMeeting the Needs of Women Living with Fistula that Is Deemed IncurableThis month, Fistula Care joined with the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative to host a consultative meeting. Participants aimed to facilitate development of standardized approaches and guidelines for diagnosis and management of clinical, ethical, psychosocial, and programmatic issues for women who are living with genital fistula that is deemed to be incurable.International Obstetric Fistula Working Group (IOFWG) Meeting
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is organizing a meeting of the IOFWG in Maputo, Mozambique, this October 10-12. Participants will share technical updates on fistula prevention, treatment, and social reintregration, assess progress made last year in these domains, and coordinate activities for the coming year. Gillian Slinger, Technical Specialist, Obstetric Fistula at UNFPA and Co-ordinator of the Campaign to End Fistula, notes that the meeting "will be an important event in the annual fistula calendar, bringing together key Campaign to End Fistula partners from all over the world, to ensure the global fistula agenda continues to move forward in the well established spirit of partnership and collaboration." Silent Suffering: Maternal Morbidities in Developing CountriesThe Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars recently held a forum in coordination with the Maternal Health Task Force, the UNFPA, and USAID's Bureau for Global Health about the challenges of addressing maternal morbidities. Fistula Care Project Director Karen Beattie made a presentation about programs for treatment and prevention of obstetric fistula. Revitalizing the Partograph—Does the Evidence Support a Global Call to Action?This November, Fistula Care and the Maternal Health Task Force at EngenderHealth will hold a two-day consultative meeting to review the current evidence base for partograph effectiveness, develop feasible strategies for overcoming barriers to partograph use, consider alternative intrapartum monitoring strategies, and determine implementation research needs.Meeting to Discuss Start of Randomized Controlled TrialInvestigators and research assistants for an upcoming clinical study on catheter use following fistula repair surgery will meet with staff from EngenderHealth and the World Health Organization this November in Nairobi, Kenya, for a training on the study protocol. The study is being funded by USAID.
| |
This newsletter was made possible by the generous support of the American people through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), under the terms of the cooperative agreement GHS-A-00-07-00021-00. The information provided on this web site is not official U.S. Government information and does not represent the views or positions of the USAID or the U.S. Government.