Beyond Fistula

After Brenda's family was abandoned by their father, she and her four siblings were raised by their working mother. She became pregnant at the young age of 16, and eventually gave birth to a stillborn child. She had a very difficult delivery and required surgery. She was fortunate to find a clinic in Eldoret that provided the surgery she needed to heal. During her recovery, she dreamed of returning to school to study her favorite subject, English, and become a teacher. She is now a studious member of Class 7 at St. Joan's Academy, and is on track to graduate in 2020.

Nivea is fifteen years old from Uganda. Both her parents have low income. She comes from a family of nine children whereby she's the first born.She has both grandparents living. She got fistula when she was fourteen years old and stayed with it for one year before getting treatment. She's dry now. She is willing to learn, and she will like to become a nurse when she grows up. She likes playing football.

Briana is a teenager at Hillside School in Eldoret, Kenya. She lives with her mother, father, two sisters, and two grandmothers. Briana hopes that she will be able to continue her education into a good career, but she is not sure what yet.

Siantayo is a teenaged girl in Kenya. She has a mother, a father, and eight siblings - four girls and four boys. Siantayo was born with a fistula and has had many surgeries to try to correct it. Now she has a colostomy to manage. She likes studying and feels blessed to have support in her education.

Jackline was born with a fistula. She is the first born in her family and is from a humble background. Her parents are peasant farmers and sometimes the climate conditions are so harsh that they can hardly produce enough food for the family. The parents survive from casual labor. This sometimes can be seasonal. It took her 15 years before she got repaired. Her parents had tried to take her to other hospitals for treatment but were unable to raise the required amount of money for treatment, which caused Jackline to despair. She was lucky to be among the patients who were brought to The Gynocare Fistula Center for free surgery. She was identified by "A Little 4 A Lot" and sponsored to school. She is very grateful and considers herself lucky. She wants to work hard and succeed so that she can help her younger siblings.

Priscillah suffered a severe childbirth injury (obstetric fistula) due to a prolonged labor, resulting in her giving birth to a stillborn child when she was 14 yrs old. The injury was so severe she has needed to undergo multiple reconstructive surgeries and is still not fully repaired. What is special about Priscillah, is her positive outlook and determination to succeed, despite her history and being bullied at school due to her continued leakage of urine. She hopes one day be dry. Priscillah has gone from being ostracized to now being the pillar of hope for her family. She and her family are grateful that she has been given the opportunity to be in school. She hopes to do well and become a doctor, so she can help girls with fistula.