At 22 years old, Dolphine should have been confident and excited about her future. Instead, she lived in constant fear of leaking urine during class.

“I was imagining standing on stage and water leaking out of me … Eeh!”

A prolonged, obstructed labor had left her with obstetric fistula—a hole causing constant incontinence.

“The first time I started leaking, I thought my life was over.”

She carried perfume to class to mask the smell. She waited until every student left before standing up. One day, she forgot her perfume. Girls giggled as she passed. She wished to be invisible.

Dolphine’s story could have ended there. But it didn’t. At our partner Kisii Gynocare, healthcare workers had the best news: She could be healed. Two days later, Dolphine was in surgery. Today, she walks with her head held high.

“Now when I go back to school, I’ll walk slowly with the other students. I just thank God because I never thought that I would get healed.”

A $624 surgery restores health, confidence, and hope. Stand with women like Dolphine this International Women’s Day.