Fistulas and Freedom

A fistula is an opening where there should not be an opening, Women in Madagascar's are small, often weighing less than 45kg. During a prolonged labor ( and no emergency medical care) the pressure from the baby’s head cuts off the blood supply to soft tissue. This causes tissue death creating an opening in bowel and/or bladder. The result is leakage of urine and feces, constantly.

These women become outcast, shamed and humiliated in their villages and often abandoned by husbands. And not to mention, they lose their baby.

Dr. Catherine Hamlin founded Freedom from Fistula - Ethiopia in the 1970s . Since then Freedom from Fistulas has partnered with Mercy Ships to provide free and safe surgical treatment for women in Madagascar, often 200-500 cases per year. Once treatment is completed, these women participate in a dress ceremony. They receive a new dress to remind them of their beauty and receive a sewing machine and lessons to start their own tailoring business.