Obstetric fistula, according to the
Campaign to End Fistula's website, is "a hole in the birth canal caused by prolonged labour without prompt medical intervention, usually a Caesarean section. The woman is left with chronic incontinence and, in most cases, a stillborn baby." Considering the relatively inexpensive price of the surgery to repair the injury (about US $300), too many women are still suffering.
I first heard about this condition during an anthropology lecture almost four years ago, and it still worries me. While the We Are Women Project hasn't had a chance to do much for this organization yet, the plan is to donate the proceeds of the We Are Women book (coming this fall) to them. I encourage you, if you have the means to do so, to
donate to this organization now. Perhaps cook dinner at home instead of going out one night, and donate the money you would have spent to provide meals for the recovering fistula patients.
I hope so much that the We Are Women book will not only inspire women through its content, but financially assist the women who need this surgery as well.
Please
submit photos,
spread the word, and/or
donate to the Campaign to End Fistula. The welfare of one woman should concern all women. We are a community of women, and I am so grateful for that.
With thanks,
Allison
