A Day to Celebrate

Our partner Kathmandu Model Hospital in Nepal celebrated International Day to End Obstetric Fistula by hosting awareness-raising events.

Celebrations for International Day to End Obstetric Fistula (IDEOF) took place yesterday, on May 23. Our partners across the globe spread the word about fistula through parades and processions, with support from local ministries of health.

Through IDEOF celebrations, our partners were able to reach more women with fistula and to empower more communities with critical information about this condition. In effect, these events—and similar events held throughout the year—make your support go farther.

Below are some of the moments captured during IDEOF festivities in Kenya and Zambia. Partners from Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nepal, and Pakistan also held events to commemorate this important day.

Kenya

 

In Kenya, outreach partners organized road shows, processions, and “market storming” efforts (in which advocates spread messages about fistula to people who are shopping in their community).

 

Zambia

In Zambia, organizers held processional marches, and fistula survivors shared their stories with community members.

 

Fistula remains a formidable maternal health challenge in many developing nations. That’s why raising awareness of the problem is so important. Unlike many issues without clear solutions, fistula has a known cure. Every step we take to fund each step on a woman’s journey—from outreach and referral to treatment and rehabilitation—moves us closer to a world without fistula.

Published on May 24, 2022