Gender Equality Bangladesh Project #8874

Help 50 Women Suffering from Fistula in Bangladesh

by HOPE Foundation for Women & Children of Bangladesh

Project Report | Aug 26, 2014
Fistula Free - meeting women post surgery

By Neeharika Tummala | In-The-Field Rep - Bangladesh

A great smile after being asked as to how she is

The following is a postcard from Neeharika Tummala, GlobalGiving's In-the-Field Representative in India and Bangladesh, about her recent visit to Hope Foundation for Women & Children of Bangladesh.

Cox Bazaar – the world’s longest sea beach - is what I have been hearing since I landed at the Dhaka airport. A major tourist destination and surrounded by hotels, I wasn’t sure as to what kind of NGO I would find here. However, just like in several other tourist destinations, there is no shortage of work to be done. The Hope Foundation is a hospital and specializes is care for women and children. Because of their great reputation, they hold specialized camps periodically as they get funding and expertise from other doctors. When I visited, a fistula camp was close to completion as doctors where some of the women had been suffering for years from an untreated fistula. It felt great to meet a few recovering patients and witness such great work. I think the smile in one of the patient's faces says it all is to what it is like to be free after years of discomfort, neglect and being shunned.

I also met a classroom of women training to be midwives. Hope foundation does great work in community outreach and is interested in things like surveying and collecting data in the community to understand need for pre-natal care. The women are from the community themselves and will become valuable arms for Hope Foundation to understand their community.

The medical team

Midwifery Students

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Jan 22, 2014
HOPE's Fistula Program fully Funded

By Ashley Pugh | Program Officer

Dec 4, 2013
Firoza's Story: A Brave Young Woman

By Ashley Pugh | Program Officer

Firoza, HOPE Fistula Patient

Dear HOPE Supporter,

I would like to take this time to tell one of HOPE's fistula patient's stories so that you can understand just how your donation is making a huge impact. Thank you again for your support. It means so much to these women.

Firoza’s story begins at an incredibly young age. Firoza was just nine years old when her parents married her off. At age 15 she became pregnant for the first time and was unaware that she should see a doctor to receive antenatal care. Firoza was in labor for eight days. The traditional birth attendant nor her parents realized that she was in great jeopardy of losing her baby’s and her own life. The moment the baby was born still, the traditional birth attendant left Firoza, a scared young girl with complications and the sadness of her stillborn child. Her husband had not come for the delivery, and upon hearing that his child did not make it, he filed a case against Firoza’s parents, claiming they were to blame for the death of the child.

Firoza was suffering from both stool and urine incontinence. A stay in the Chittagong Medical College afforded Firoza the opportunity to have reparative surgery for her fistula. Unfortunately, it was solely the stool incontinence that ceased, and she continued to suffer with the urine incontinence. It was a blessing that Firoza could receive her second surgery for fistula at HOPE Hospital free of charge, as the poor woman, now 25, could never afford the payment for two surgeries. The doctors who worked with Firoza are optimistic that one day Firoza will be completely healed. She is now living with her brothers and earning her own living. As she is so young, she truly has her entire life ahead of her. Unfortunately, Firoza requires additional surgery and care as the second surgery was not successful. This is common with women who have complicated cases, especially in girls who are incredibly young delivering their first child. HOPE and Firoza are dedicated to a full recovery and a bright future for this young woman.

Links:

HOPE's Website

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