Fistula is entirely preventable with improved maternal healthcare.
Sadly for women living in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, fistulas are all
too common. Right now, two million women and girls – most of them living
in these two regions – are suffering with untreated obstetric fistulas.
And for these women, the impact of their condition is utterly devastating.
Their babies usually die; they’re constantly and uncontrollably leaking
either bowel or bladder fluid through the genital tract, creating a terrible
smell; and most are unable to work to feed themselves.
Many of these women are abandoned by their husbands, losing access
to their other children. They find themselves excluded, shunned and
often unable to stay in the village due to the smell and stigma of fistula.
They suffer in silent shame, many of them unaware that treatment
might be available, and are utterly marginalised and turned away from their communities with no access to information or help.