Azmera's Story: Overcoming Obstetric Fistula in Ethiopia
“I often hear women who have had successful fistula surgery describe sleeping on a dry bed and becoming an active member of society as being reborn.”
- Dr. Ambaye
Today we meet Azmera who was married off at the age of 14 and who at the age of 17 years, was pregnant and lost her baby during birth.
As if the grief of losing her baby wasn’t enough to bear, Azmera was also left with obstetric fistula, a condition caused by the trauma of such a long labour which created a tear in her bladder causing constant urine leakage.....
The trauma of such a long labour had created a tear in her bladder. Now urine trickles out constantly.
“Azmera went home with empty arms and urine leaking through her vagina...”
Imagine the grief and despair of losing your newborn … plus the humiliation of being unable to control your bladder.
Why is fistula such a big problem in Ethiopia? One factor - child marriage and pregnancy in childhood.
Azmera was still a child herself. This means her body did not have the chance to fully develop before the physical stress of pregnancy and childbirth. She did not stand a good chance of a healthy birth from the very beginning - through no fault of her own. This is why women like Azmera need your care and kindness today.
Picture of Azmera
When complications arose for Azmera, she suffered through two long days of pain. She had no pain relief... and the baby didn’t come home with her. She couldn’t get to hospital, a 160km road journey and hours away because the ambulance driver had been shot and killed only a few days earlier during armed conflict…
… so Azmera’s husband and his friends set off walking to the nearest hospital. It was hours through rugged terrain, carrying Azmera on a make-shift bedframe on their shoulders. Yet tragically, by the time they arrived it was too late. Azmera’s beautiful child was stillborn.
However, her pain doesn’t end there. Her long labour on her own left her with a fistula … an injury so bad regular surgeons are unable to fix it.
Today Azmera, like so many other teenage moms in Ethiopia, is left unable to control her bladder. She is constantly wet and smells of urine. Often, women like Azmera also can’t control their bowel and feces drains out too.
Imagine the smell, the stained clothes, the wet bedding... the shame.
And in a final act of hurt, women like Azmera become outcasts. Their husbands divorce them. Their families reject them. Their communities see them as dirty and cursed. They’re left to suffer pain and humiliation alone.
This is why your compassion is desperately needed. You can stop the suffering for women and girls like Azmera. You can bring hope and healing with practical care.
Through Ethiopiaid, you partner with Hope of Light, a local Ethiopian-run organization caring for women with fistulas. Hope of Light’s founder Dr. Ambaye shares just how your gift today transforms lives.
Your kindness can help provide life-changing fistula surgery and vital aftercare such as physiotherapy and counselling. Dr Ambaye says your compassion transforms a girl’s existence from misery to a totally new life free from leaking urine and feces.
“I often hear women who have had successful fistula surgery describe sleeping on a dry bed and becoming an active member of society as being reborn.”
Imagine what this means. No more leaking. No more people wrinkling their noses in disgust at you. No more stained clothes...
If your clothes are always covered in urine and feces, they must be washed often. So, they become threadbare and stained. Your gift of new clothes post-surgery is much more than just a new garment. Dr Ambaye says:
“It also symbolizes renewal... and creates immense joy and hope in these women.”
Your generosity also helps train more staff to identify women with a fistula who need surgery.
If you’re cast out of your community because you’re seen as disgusting, you’re unlikely to seek help. So, it’s vital trained staff can go into remote areas and identify women who are suffering. You’ll give women like Azmera an immense gift – healing from the tragic effects of fistula.
Can you imagine the tears of joy when a woman learns about surgery? The relief she must feel? The hope that her life can finally change?
If you believe NO woman should have to go through the pain, shame and misery of fistula...
Please give your gift of compassion. The sooner you rush back your gift, the sooner we can bring relief and healing to women like Azmera.
In Canada, moms never end up with fistulas because we can get to hospital quickly if complications arise. We don’t have to live with never-ending urine leaking out from a totally treatable injury...
And Ethiopian girls and women don’t have to either... with your kindness.
Azmera is ready for surgery at Gondar Fistula Centre. Because her injury was so severe, she needs to wait for a senior surgeon to become available. Your kindness helps so many girls and women like her.
