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This Organization Is Assisting Women in Recovering from a Life-Altering Postpartum Condition
Trigger Warning: Child Loss/Stillbirth
At just 14 years old, Aisha Diallo from Mali was compelled by her family into an early marriage due to their dire financial situation. Shortly after, at the age of 15, she became pregnant without receiving any prenatal care. When labor began, her husband chose to rely on local birth attendants instead of taking her to a medical facility. After enduring three to four hours of agonizing labor, Aisha tragically delivered a stillborn baby girl.
The aftermath of this experience left Aisha feeling “completely paralyzed,” and she began to experience urinary incontinence. Her community, attributing her condition to witchcraft, ostracized her, forcing her into a life of isolation. Sadly, Aisha is one of the estimated two million women and girls in Africa today afflicted by a childbirth injury known as obstetric fistula.
Obstetric fistula arises when labor becomes obstructed and emergency medical assistance is unavailable. This complication can result in tissue death from a lack of blood flow, creating openings between the birth canal and the bladder or rectum, leading to significant urinary and fecal incontinence. The most distressing aspect? Obstetric fistula is entirely preventable, yet the ongoing lack of medical care and skilled midwives in developing regions contributes to its persistence.
“Women and girls may spend days in labor, and if they manage to reach a hospital, there may not be a doctor available for a C-section or they may lack the funds to afford it,” notes Sarah Mitchell, Operations and Communications Director for Freedom From Fistula, a nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating obstetric fistula. When timely medical care is not provided, stillbirth is often unavoidable, leaving the mother to suffer lifelong consequences unless corrective surgery is performed.
Unfortunately, many of these women lack access to essential hygiene products, resorting to using rags for managing their incontinence. “Their lives are truly miserable,” Mitchell emphasizes. “The odor is unbearable, leading to social isolation where no one wants to engage with them.”
Women like Aisha often feel withdrawn upon arrival at clinics, burdened by the shame they believe they have brought upon their families. Freedom From Fistula provides clean clothing, incontinence supplies, and emotional support to address the trauma they have endured. A core part of their mission is to reassure these women that they are not to blame for their condition, they are not cursed, and they are not alone.
“Their emotional healing is just as crucial as their physical recovery,” Mitchell adds. For many, the first time they meet another woman with a similar experience is at a Freedom From Fistula clinic, marking the beginning of their transformation.
The encouraging news is that obstetric fistula can be successfully treated in 85% of cases. Through outreach efforts such as screening teams, radio campaigns, patient ambassadors, and collaboration with advocacy organizations, Freedom From Fistula provides surgical repairs and medical care to approximately 1,000 patients annually.
These women and girls are not mere statistics; they are individuals with real stories. While obstetric fistula has nearly been eradicated in developed nations, it shows that with proper medical intervention, such childbirth injuries can be significantly reduced.
Patients range from 90-year-olds who have endured incontinence for decades to 12-year-old girls, all entering the Freedom From Fistula clinics burdened by low self-esteem, yet leaving feeling “healed, empowered, and renewed.” Aisha has experienced this transformation firsthand, receiving a free fistula repair surgery that restored her ability to walk without assistance and is aiding her ongoing emotional recovery.
“What truly amazes me is the level of care and attention provided at all times,” Aisha expresses. “Being here feels just like home.”
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Summary:
Freedom From Fistula is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping women and girls suffering from obstetric fistula, a preventable childbirth injury that affects millions in developing countries. They provide medical care and emotional support to those impacted, helping them reclaim their dignity and health.