Honoring an Outstanding Clinician

Azra Admani scans a fistula patient for One By One's Ultrasound Study

On the 100th Anniversary of International Women’s Day, we want to highlight one woman doing extraordinary work with One By One: Ms. Azra Admani.

Azra is an outstanding ultrasonographer who lives in Mwanza, Tanzania and works at Bugando Medical Center. For the past year, in addition to her full-time duties, Azra has played a critical role on a very exciting research study that we are conducting. Every Monday, Azra spends several hours using her keen ultrasound skills to measure the internal pelvic dimensions of women with fistula and a group of comparison patients. This study will help determine if ultrasound can be used to identify women who are at high risk of experiencing obstructed labor that can lead to fistula formation. If proven to be effective for this purpose, ultrasound may be an important tool for fistula prevention, making it possible to target high-risk women in remote areas and ensure that plans are in place to access emergency care if needed.

Prevention is the key to ending obstetric fistula throughout the world. Azra Admani’s commitment to carrying out this research with great care is making an important contribution to One By One’s efforts to develop innovative and effective prevention strategies. We honor Azra on International Women’s Day for her tremendous work on behalf of girls and women.

A final note: Rep. Carolyn Maloney just introduced the “Fistula Prevention, Treatment, Hope and Dignity Restoration Act”. In her words, this bill would “authorize the President to provide assistance to prevent and treat fistula, including through increasing access to prenatal care, emergency obstetric care, postnatal care, and voluntary family planning; building local capacity and improving national health systems; addressing underlying social and economic inequities such as reducing the incidence of child marriage and increasing access to formal and informal education; and supporting reintegration and training programs to help women who have undergone treatment return to full and productive lives.”

Let’s all thank Rep. Maloney for her commitment to this issue, and support her efforts to persuade the U.S. government to invest in eradicating obstetric fistula worldwide. To echo her call… Spread the word.

Outreach in Rural Kenya

Top Row (from left): Winnie (our translator), Sarah Omega, Emmanuel (the school principal), Heidi, Carolyn; Bottom Row: The school head teacher, Nereah, Catherine

While in Kenya, Sarah took us along on her outreach trip to some rural areas around Eldoret. On our way to a community meeting, we picked up Catherine, a woman that Sarah had met while previously doing outreach in a nearby area. Catherine told us she had heard from a local school principal that one of his students was leaking urine, and had asked us to stop by to see her.

So, we took a detour to Kimilili Deb Primary School, where we met the principal and the head teacher, who introduced us to Nereah, a 17-year old girl with fistula. As a result of her fistula, Nereah has developed a phobia of being around other people. Sarah told Nereah that her fistula could be repaired, something Nereah never knew before. Repair will be life-altering for Nereah as she will be able to sit in class with other students without fear of being ostracized. Thanks to Sarah’s outreach work, we are working with Nereah’s family and school to get her to Eldoret for free treatment.

We then went to the community meeting, where Sarah educated a group of men and women about fistula, and even gave out a phone number where people can reach her, something she does at every outreach event. She told the group that they can call her at anytime if they hear about or find someone living with fistula. As a result, Sarah's message spreads beyond community meetings, allowing her to work through people like Catherine to reach more women who would otherwise never hear about free treatment.

We hope you can join us for our 6th Anniversary Dinner on March 24th to hear more about Sarah's work in rural Kenya. Don't forget to RSVP, if you haven't already.