Restore Dignity to Women in Mali

This project is committed to expanding treatment to address the comprehensive, holistic needs of women in Mali who have suffered from obstetric fistula. To achieve this goal, IntraHealth will work in four key areas: the expansion of fistula treatment and care to 800 women; improved data collection about the mental, psychosocial, and financial effects of fistula on women in Mali; development of a telephone support network and call-in center to enable pre- and post-repair peer support; and capacity-building of the health workforce to provide mental health and psychosocial assistance.

To date, IntraHealth has trained 25 surgeons who have done 1000 fistula repair surgeries. Women like Natagoma and Fatoumata were able to get the medical help they needed and are now productive members of their community. A new welcome center opened in March 2016 which supplies women with dignity kits and fistula repair kits as well as additional resources.

A major challenge this project faces is the length of hospitalization for fistula repair candidates before and after surgery which varies from three weeks to three months. This variable factor increases the cost of care and places greater demand on the need for human resources and infrastructure systems that are robust and agile. IntraHealth is preparing an evaluation of the impact that providing pre-repair health and nutrition care to women with fistula has on the reduction of the length of hospitalization and surgery outcomes. The results of the evaluation will influence the standards of care for women with fistula.

Fistula repair can change a women’s life. “If this program wasn’t available I would not have recovered and wouldn’t be here today” said Natagoma after her repair surgery. “I had never imagined I was going to be healthy again. Since the treatment I am so thankful. I am relieved. My heart is at peace.”