Will you help set a mum like Olubunmi free from the horror of fistula?
Becoming a mum should be a joyous time… but when Olubunmi gave birth to her first child – 27 years ago – it came with unbearable pain and agony. That’s because she experienced a childbirth injury of the most horrific kind: fistula. And Olubunmi has been suffering ever since.
But your kind heart can set her free from the indignity and injustice of fistula. Please will you send your healing gift to help Olubunmi get the corrective surgery she needs right away?
Obstetric Fistula is one of the most horrific childbirth injuries a woman can suffer
It rarely happens in countries like Australia, where we have access to skilled maternal care. But for mothers like Olubunmi who live in remote communities, it’s a horrifying reality. Her labour lasted so long, with her baby trapped, that when Olubunmi was finally able to deliver, the placenta did not come out. The doctor removed it with his hand and the immense pressure tore a hole in her birth canal – a fistula.
Thankfully, Olubunmi’s baby survived the traumatic birth. But tragically, many mothers have to deal with the heartbreak of losing their baby, as well as the horror of fistula itself.
Too many doctors lack the training to recognise and treat fistula
Olubunmi was not even aware of her fistula right away. And her doctor didn’t realise that a fistula had developed.
Then, to her horror, Olubunmi began to leak uncontrollably…
“Ten days after delivery, I slept, when I wanted to urinate, I saw that I was already wet. I woke my husband up and told him. It is a shameful thing.”
Tragically, women are left to suffer in silence for years… even decades! Just like Olubunmi.
“I went to the general hospital. After many tests I was let go and told that all was well with me. With no improvement in my condition, I later went to another hospital where I was examined as well but there was no meaningful improvement… and I stopped going.’’
Fistula has made Olubunmi a prisoner in her home for 27 horrific years
As well as her pain, Fistula has had a devastating effect on Olubunmi’s ability to earn a living. The leaking and the smell are so difficult to hide, that she is simply too afraid to leave her house or go out in public. Many try their best to mask it by placing a cloth between their legs. But it’s no use. The leaking is so bad that the cloth will soak through in minutes.
Olubunmi used to run a small catering business, cooking for weddings, parties and other celebrations. But since her horrific experiences with fistula, she is too ashamed and fearful to travel for work, even buying ingredients at local markets is impossible. She has experienced this for nearly half her life.
“Before the thing started, I was a free person, I was free to work and travel but now I can’t go away from home. I don’t go out.”
See how you can free mums like Olubunmi from the injustice of fistula!
- Your generous gift for education of $250 can help end the stigma and shame so many women experience with fistula by educating and promoting better maternal health in communities.
- Your generous gift for surgery of $187 could provide a mother like Olubunmi with corrective surgery and immediate relief from the horror of fistula.
- Your generous gift for training of $92 could help end medical ignorance around fistula and promote timely and effective diagnosis and treatment for mothers like Olubunmi.
Or, through an extraordinary gift of $5,037.97 today, this is the incredible impact you will achieve:
- Provide life-changing surgeries and equip hospitals with the tools and training needed to heal so many mothers like Olubunmi.
- Train women and girls in leadership and advocacy, empowering them to be voices for change.
- Educate entire communities on maternal health, disability rights, and inclusion through town halls, media campaigns, and social platforms.
- Offer seed grants to women who have experienced the horror of fistula, so they can rebuild their lives with dignity and independence.
No matter how much you donate, you will be helping to end the misery of fistula for a mum like Olubunmi today.
Many women in Olubunmi’s situation face rejection
Olubunmi’s husband stayed by her side and wants desperately to find her the help she needs. But so many women in Olubunmi’s situation face rejection by their own husbands and families — cast aside to endure their pain in isolation. Some are forced to leave their homes and are shunned by their entire community.
Olubunmi has spent almost three decades trapped in a life of agony, indignity and injustice because of fistula — a life-long sentence you would wish on no one.
Please don’t let her suffer a moment longer.