Learning about Fistula

Before last year, I knew of fistula only as a Latin word meaning “pipe”. Now, I have learned exactly what obstetric fistula is, and with this knowledge has come a powerful drive to help women in the developing world who are victims of this condition. Last year, through a partnership with One By One and my school, Lakeside, I had some opportunities to do just that.

My first introduction to obstetric fistula was during a class meeting with Heidi Breeze-Harris, One By One’s executive director, where we were shown a video about women suffering from fistula, and told that helping One by One would be our class project for the year. This opportunity to help women in Africa struck a chord with me, because I had traveled to Tanzania over the previous summer. I had the opportunity to help out at a school, meeting many girls around the age of 15. It was amazing for me to see how these girls, who were my age at the time, were a good foot shorter than me, due to a diet without much protein. From the video, I learned that one major cause of fistula is obstructed labor, resulting from child marriage and pregnancy while a girl is still too young. It was nearly impossible for me to imagine that any of the girls who I had laughed and played soccer with could soon become pregnant, especially given their small stature.
I learned more about fistula in history class, when we began to do readings from Nicholas Kristof’s Half the Sky. The excerpts included stories both of girls who were suffering from fistula, and of those who had been cured. These were the first readings for school where I would find myself, thirty minutes after finishing the reading, still staring at it, lost in thought. One of these stories made me want to throw a few pieces of clothing in a bag, hop on a plane to Africa, and go help in a hospital there.
The first opportunity that I had for actual service was selling cookies at a UW tailgate. To sell the cookies, I had to be willing to approach complete strangers, and talk openly with them about obstetric fistula. At first, I felt awkward, which made it tricky to get the point across. As time went on, though, my confidence grew as I thought of the people that I would be helping, and how the money that we raised could change a life.
The second project that I worked on was a benefit concert at Lakeside. My English class organized, promoted, and produced the entire concert, learning more about fistula in the process. I learned how to write a persuasive letter, and how to appeal to a wider audience. At the concert, I decided to emcee, something that was very much outside of my comfort zone. Nevertheless, I came out of the concert much more confident in my speaking abilities, and I was glad that I had stepped up.
By learning about fistula both in the classroom and by venturing out to raise funds myself, I feel like I have gained a greater knowledge about the condition, and the approaches that must be used to cure it. I also had the opportunity to meet Sarah Omega, a fistula survivor and One By One’s Outreach Manager in Western Kenya, and listen to her speak. I found it extremely inspiring that Sarah, who has gone through so much, is still willing to dedicate her life to helping similar victims.

Finding out about this condition has introduced me to a whole future of possibilities that I had never considered before, such as a career in global health. It has also been extremely interesting for me to connect the topic of fistula to the greater subject of women’s rights, and the importance of equal opportunity for education.

Right now, I feel like my education concerning fistula is far from complete; in fact, it’s really just beginning. I hope to make connections with victims and to develop a greater understanding of how to solve the issue. Fistula has been completely eradicated in the United States, and there is no reason that someday, it can’t be eradicated in Africa.

After learning about this condition both in and outside the classroom, I understand that it’s going to take the work and ideas of many to eradicate fistula. The first step is education – people need to understand what fistula is. The task of spreading knowledge now lies in the hands of those who already have it, and we must be willing to speak up, loudly, about the issue. We must also ensure that fistula survivors have a voice. Every one of them has a story that needs to be shared, and these stories will help people around the world to understand the condition, and, more importantly, they will let other victims know that they are not alone.

- By guest blogger, Grace Stonecipher