Give Women Recovering from Fistula a Bright Future

Dear Friends,

Today is the last day of the GlobalGiving Girls Fund Campaign, recognizing and celebrating amazing women and girls across the globe. Thank you so much to all who have given in support of our efforts to empower women and girls recovering from obstetric fistula in Tanzania. If you have not yet had a chance to donate, there’s still time to show your support for women like Sauda.

When Sauda went into labor with her third child at home, much time passed without any progress, so her husband rushed her to the nearest local hospital. At the hospital, she was examined by a nurse who told her to be patient as she would deliver ‘anytime’.

“I then waited for nine hours without being attended,” Sauda says. “I became so tired and weak. I could not feel any movement of my child. After those nine hours the nurse didn’t think she had capacity to help me anymore and gave me a referral to another hospital. When I arrived at the next hospital, the doctor told me to wait because there was another patient in the operating room.”

After more waiting, Sauda was taken into surgery where her baby was delivered via Caesarean section. Tragically, it was too late: her baby had already passed away. Sauda lay unconscious in Intensive Care for four days. “When I woke up I asked the nurse, where is my child? It was then that I found out it was stillborn.”

The heartbreak of losing her child was only compounded when Sauda realized she was leaking urine steadily. The doctors told her she had fistula. “When they mentioned to me that I had fistula, CCBRT came into my mind,” Sauda says. “I remembered hearing that they treated fistula, but I did not memorize the numbers to call.”

One day, Sauda’s brother-in-law – who had been to CCBRT Disability Hospital to get a prosthetic device for his child – told them he had the phone number of a doctor who worked at CCBRT. He made the call, and after three months - once she had recovered from her C-section  – Sauda visited CCBRT for treatment.

Today, Sauda has received her surgery and is recovering well.

Sauda wants to help other women and girls access the same care she did. “I would like to be an ambassador and explain to other fistula victims what I have gone through, so that they are aware of fistula and where to get free treatment. They should not feel discriminated against and should not isolate themselves from society.”

Thanks to your generosity, and the generosity of like minded partners, to date CCBRT has served over 6,600 women and girls with comprehensive, holistic treatment for obstetric fistula offered free of charge. Through the efforts of the team at The Mabinti Centre, 100 women recovering from treatment have been given the tools they need to become entrepreneurs, rebuilding their lives after the trauma of fistula. And most importantly, we are able to equip women like Sauda to be ambassadors for women and girls with fistula in their own communities.

Thank you for your support!

The Kupona Team

Dear Friends,

Happy International Women’s Day! Today, we come together to honor the strength, power and contributions of women all over the world.

I have been the Manager of The Mabinti Centre for the last 11 years. In that time, it has been my honor to witness the courage and resilience of the women we serve as they overcame the devastation of obstetric fistula. Our vocational training course empowers women with the skills and confidence to start their own business and become financially independent. As they learn to sew, print, design and manage finances, they also forge new friendships and bravely tackle the trauma fistula leaves behind. I am proud to walk with them on this journey, and to watch each class graduate with confidence and the tools and knowledge to start afresh.

For our trainees and graduates, this training means a future filled with hope, instead of worry.

When one of graduates, Janiah, went into labor, the doctors saw her baby was in distress and delivered her baby via Caesarean section. After leaving the hospital Janiah began leaking urine. Her doctors told her there had been a complication with the C-section that left her with an obstetric fistula. “I had never heard of [fistula]. I was in shock,” she said. “It was difficult to accept that this had happened.”

After being referred to CCBRT for free fistula treatment, Janiah heard about a place where former CCBRT fistula patients could go to learn crafting, business and other life skills: The Mabinti Centre. She was accepted into our program, and learned sewing, batik, beading, crochet, and entrepreneurship with sessions on budgeting, communications, and marketing. Janiah graduated with the necessary skills to launch her own business a year later.

She soon started to sell her products in her neighborhood and around Dar es Salaam, crediting her Mabinti training as inspiration for the new business venture. Janiah said with confidence “I don’t have a worry. If my husband is gone, I can support my family.”

After her graduation, Janiah went back to the fistula ward to speak with new patients. She told them, “I was like you, and one day you’ll be like me. Everyone who goes to CCBRT will be okay”.

Since 2007, we have trained over 100 women like Janiah, each with their own story and their own challenges. Almost 75% of graduates now run their own business or have a job in the industry. Together, we have transformed The Mabinti Centre into a thriving social business.

This International Women’s Day, join me in celebrating the success of the women who have graduated from our program over the years, and show your support for the women who will follow them. We are set to welcome our next class of trainees this April: a new group of women looking to rebuild their lives through entrepreneurship.

Thanks to our friends at GlobalGiving, every donation up to $250 made through our GlobalGiving project today will receive a 30% match while funds last.* Your donations will help us to train these women as we build up their confidence and skills in a supportive, safe environment.

We hope you will stand with us by making a donation today, and sharing the campaign with your friends and family.

Asanteni sana (thank you very much),

Katia Geurts
Manager, The Mabinti Centre