The Fistula Foundation held its second annual fundraiser in Metropolitan Washington D.C. to solicit donations for the construction of a Fistula Hospital in the eastern Ethiopian City of Harrar.
Ms. Tsedale Assefa, who chairs the Washington D.C. fundraising effort, said that of the $400, 000 needed to build the hospital, $220,000 has been raised thus far.
Ms. Assefa explained that obstetric fistula is caused by obstructed labor occurring when modern medical treatment is unavailable. A woman with a small or malformed pelvis or an improperly positioned child may be in labor five days or longer. If the mother survives, she may eventually deliver a stillborn baby, but the unrelenting pressure of the child's head interrupts blood-flow to pelvic organs, resulting in fistula, or an abnormal hole between them. As a result, said Ms. Assefa, "The woman is unable to control her bodily functions and the odor that emanates from her."
Mr. Kazzahun Kebede, Fistula Foundation chair, noted that the first fistula hospital was established in New York in 1850, and that subsequent advances in medical technology and transportation have eliminated fistula in the U.S. The last fistula case in the United States was recorded in 1895. As a result most Americans don't know about this condition and do not realize what a devastating problem it continues to be for women in Africa and other developing areas in the world. This is especially the case in Ethiopia, where this malaise has affected women in rural areas who have to travel for days before they can get to a hospital.
The Fistula Foundation's event was chaired by the world renowned supermodel Liya Kebede. Ms. Kebede, who is also the World Health organization's Good Will Ambassador for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, told the audience that she has visited the Fistula Hospital in Addis Ababa and that patients "receive wonderful care and are in a warm, welcoming environment."
American Hip Hop artist, MIKE-E, who performed at the fundraiser in support of the Foundation's goals, said that he visited the Fistula Hospital during a recent trip to Ethiopia, and was deeply moved by the dedication and caring of the hospital's medical staff.
The Fistula Foundation is dedicated to the treatment and prevention of obstetric fistula, the most devastating aftermath of obstructed labor, through support programs of the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital in Ethiopia.
Contributed by Robert Ellison - printed in December 2006 Zethiopia Issue
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