Existence of Dismissal

Fistula creates an unyielding inconvenience not only for the woman living with this condition, but also for her family and her entire community. Because of the smell of constantly leaking urine, these women are often shunned from the village and have no means for survival. Many of them go to monasteries to live. Others choose the anonymity of homelessness in a big city, until someone tells them that a cure awaits them in places such as Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital or some of its outreach centers in Bahr Dar, Yirgalem and Mekelle. As a result of poor nutrition and strenuous work, their metabolic output is greater than their caloric intake, thereby causing a stunting of their growth. The girls enter young adulthood with a tiny, bony pelvis. Consequently, 15% of Ethiopian women experience complications during childbirth. Most Ethiopian girls marry soon after their 9th birthday in arranged marriages. Fistula is an abnormal condition between an inside body organ and the outside world. An Obstetric Fistula is a hole between the vagina and adjoining organs. Unrelieved, prolonged, or obstructed labor, lasting from one to seven days, causes this injury. The constant pressure of the baby’s bony head against the mother’s bony pelvis damages the internal tissue. Reconstructive surgery, provided at the Hamlin Fistula Hospital, replaces the lost tissue.The success rate at the Hamlin Fistula Hospital is 83%. Approximately 10% of the women need additional procedures. The hospital covers all expenses. The International Fistula Foundation provides funding for restoring the health and dignity of women in Ethiopia suffering from this life-altering condition. Some of the women are so severely damaged that they cannot be cured. These women require lifelong medical care and support. They are sent away to live in a farm village called Desta Mender (Joy Village). Women who are completely cured need to return to the hospital if they become pregnant again. Their only option is to give birth by Caesarian section, since a vaginal delivery will cause another fistula. After delivery and recovery, the women are sent back to their home villages.

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