The gift of dignity

A song and dance ceremony

A woman thanks the staff at the clinic

The drum music was electrifying, the women breathtaking in their Africana and the air thick with optimism. I was fortunate to be invited to a very special ceremony last Friday. It happens every week but no one really knows about it. At a medical clinic in Aberdeen, the west end of Freetown, five women were about to go home after a simple surgery that’s pretty much given them back their lives and dignity.

All suffered from a condition called Vesico-Vaginal Fistula.

What is a fistula?

• an abnormal opening between the bladder and the vaginal wall
• most often caused by obstructed labor which occurs when the baby’s head is unable to pass through the birth canal and is jammed in the maternal pelvis
• pressure from the obstruction causes a loss of blood to the surrounding tissues, leading to necrosis
• a hole develops in place of the dead tissue resulting in constant leakage of urine
  

The women lose control over their bladder and bowel movement resulting in social ostracism and stigma. Many are abandoned by their families and branded as witches. Some older women have lived segregated lives for 25 or 30 years just because they didn’t know where to get help. The Mercy Ships Fistula Clinic where I was, repairs these vaginal tears absolutely free of cost, giving the women control back over their bodies. There’s also another organisation called the West Africa Fistula Foundation that operates out of the smaller city of Bo.

Fistulas often result from early pregnancies and in a country where conditions of childbirth are appalling, it’s not surprising that the problem goes largely unattended. I was thoroughly inspired by the work the doctors and nurses at the clinic do. As a woman I firmly believe that no one should have to live a life of shame.

I face many challenges in this country every day. Sometimes I wonder if things will ever get better. Will there ever be stable power; will sanitation continue to be a pipe dream? Will the victims of the war ever be compensated?

And then something miraculous happens. You meet one small group of people who are genuinely making a difference and that gives you hope. Yes we can!