“It happened at the hospital. I realized I was leaking urine,” fistula survivor Kadiatou Bah told UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. 

Ms. Bah first fell pregnant more than four decades ago, when she was 17. With few health centres on hand in her mountainous village in Labé, Guinea, she’d had little chance to avail herself of services during her pregnancy; nor had she planned to give birth at a health facility. 

But her plans changed after two days of labour. “When we wanted to go to the health centre, I gave birth on the way,” she said. “The child was already dead.” 

Though she didn’t realize it at the time, Ms. Bah had suffered an obstetric fistula: A devastating childbirth injury that carries life-threatening risks for women and their pregnancies. About nine in ten women who develop obstetric fistula suffer stillbirths; meanwhile, research shows obstructed labour drives 6 per cent of maternal deaths. 

Fistula’s effects are also severe for survivors; many encounter incontinence, mental and physical ailments and societal ostracization. Ms. Bah’s disability drove a wedge between her and her husband, who offered her little support. 

“I could no longer show myself in public,” she said. “People avoided me; I suffered a lot.”

A road to recovery

Half a million women and girls across the Arab States, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and sub-Saharan Africa are estimated to be survivors of obstetric fistula. Many are girls and young women who, like Ms. Bah, were married as children and may have become pregnant before their bodies were developmentally ready. 

According to 2018 data, about 124,000 women in Guinea are affected by obstetric fistula – more than 4 per cent of women of childbearing age in the country. 

Despite its prevalence, survivors of obstetric fistula remain subject to extreme levels of stigma. “Among the complications linked to pregnancy, obstetric fistula is one of the most serious, as it also causes social exclusion,” said Dr. Sékou Diallo, a gynaecologist in Mamou.

According to experts, caring for fistula survivors requires addressing their medical, psychosocial and socioeconomic needs. Most fistulas can be repaired via surgery, although this can be difficult to access given the global lack in surgeons trained to provide this care. In Guinea, for example, only one hospital in the country’s northeast regularly offers fistula repair surgeries. 

Despite these challenges, more than 500 women were able to obtain free fistula care between 2018 and 2023. 

Fistula-free

Ms. Bah had lived with obstetric fistula for almost 20 years before her first repair surgery. “I underwent a first operation, then [a second], but I was still losing urine,” she said. 

Following a third surgery in 2019, however, she was able to make a full recovery. 

With UNFPA’s support, the Government of Guinea has developed a national strategy to combat obstetric fistula, creating fistula management units across seven regions of the country. Within these units, teams of surgeons, nurses and anaesthetists are trained to offer fistula repair surgeries to help women like Ms. Bah heal. 

“Obstetric fistula is a tragic result of our failure to protect the reproductive rights of the most vulnerable and excluded women and girls,” said UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem. 

“By addressing deep-rooted inequalities, reaching those furthest behind, and investing in universal access to timely, high-quality maternal health services, we can and must end fistula once and for all.”

This is part of a series of stories illustrating progress made since the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development, which committed to ensure gender equality and the right to sexual and reproductive health for all. Find out more.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

On May 20, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) celebrated the successful completion of the READ II Activity, which has addressed the evolving educational needs of children in Ethiopia since 2018 for over $73 million. Education stakeholders, implementing partners, and key figures in the educational sector gathered to share experiences, knowledge, and lessons learned. Initially focused on Early Grade Reading, the program adapted to reach more than four million primary school students across the country.

In response to the crisis arising from the conflict in Northern Ethiopia, the READ II Activity has played a pivotal role in supporting the reopening and operation of primary schools in conflict-affected areas of the Afar, Amhara, and Tigray regions. During its implementation of education recovery activities, READ II has successfully supported about 700,000 children to return to learning, built the capacity of caregivers to provide psychosocial support to traumatized students and established local support mechanisms to reduce school related gender-based violence.

During the event, key achievements from the past six years were shared. Teacher training reached more than 50,000 mother tongue and English primary teachers, based on evidence-based reading pedagogy to improve the classroom instruction for over 3.5 million children. Training was not limited to teachers, but also included more than 5,000 school administrators who have become strong instructional leaders. Reading culture has been enriched at school, community, and home levels in more than 3000 primary schools and the communities they serve across 81 woredas spanning seven regions.

Positive feedback was shared by teachers, students, and school directors at the event. Etege Taitu, a female grade six teacher reflected, “Before I took the training READ II provided, I used to punish students for incomplete assignments without understanding their underlying challenges. But now, I provide personalized support by addressing their individual needs. Currently, I implement student-centered teaching methods such as group discussions and interactive activities to engage students of diverse abilities and learning styles. I have witnessed a positive outcome in student engagement and academic performance.”

The half-day event featured presentations, panel discussions, and interactive sessions, giving attendees the chance to learn about innovative approaches to addressing educational challenges.

For 120 years, the United States and Ethiopia have partnered in health and education, agriculture and food security, science and the environment, and many other areas to improve the lives of all Ethiopians.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of U.S. Embassy in Ethiopia.

Western Cape Minister of Police Oversight and Community Safety, Reagen Allen embarked on visits to all districts to ensure safety efforts and initiatives are aligned across the Western Cape, so that safer communities are created.

The engagements commenced on 29 April 2024 with the Overberg District Municipality, where Overstrand, Swellendam, Theewaterskloof and Cape Agulhas Municipalities were all represented. On 8 May 2024, it was the turn of the Cape Winelands District Municipality, where the Drakenstein, Breede Valley, Stellenbosch and Witzenberg Municipalities were also present. 

This was followed by the Central Karoo District Municipality engagement on 17 May, where the Beaufort West and Laingsburg Municipalities joined, and finally on 21 May, the Garden Route District Municipality hosted the meeting, with the Mossel Bay, George, Knysna, Oudtshoorn and Bitou Municipalities, all in attendance.

Along with their various safety initiatives and programmes, municipalities were afforded the opportunity to advise how their activities tie in with the Western Cape Safety Plan (WCSP). In addition to this, they were asked about their efforts to ensure the integration of operations with all relevant stakeholders particularly the South African Police Service, neighbourhood watches and Community Police Forums.

Minister Reagen Allen said, “I am grateful for the robust engagements we could have with the various municipalities. I also wish to extend my sincere gratitude to all district mayors, mayors, and mayoral committee members, for the manner in which they are driving safety initiatives in their areas. Various programmes clearly show how safety is being prioritised across the Western Cape. Residents of can rest assured that we have their best interests at heart and are working together to create safer environments for all.”

“As we move forward, we will now embark on wider district engagements, where more stakeholders will be incorporated. It is critical that we are all flexible enough to adopt new and amend methods to be more effective in our crime fighting efforts. We will not shy away from including new partners, as we must remain one step ahead of criminals and their activities. We have a huge task on our hands.”

“As the Western Cape Government, we remain committed to supporting the efforts of our colleagues at a local government level to combat crime,” concluded Minister Reagen Allen.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Presidency of the Republic of South Africa.

President William Ruto has wound up his first leg of the State Visit to the United States of America where he urged private and public sectors to explore a range of mutually beneficial partnerships.

He arrives in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday morning where he is expected to meet the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Mike Johnson at the United States Capitol.

President Ruto will also engage the U.S. Senate Leadership led by Majority Leader Charles Schumer and address a Black Caucus at the Library of Congress.

Washington, D.C. has been a beehive of activities with its streets dotted with American and Kenyan flags.

On Thursday, the President will be at the White House for the State Visit.

In Atlanta, Georgia, the President appealed to the U.S. business community to invest in Kenya’s diverse investment opportunities.

Speaking during a meeting with Fortune Company Chief Executive Officers, he said investing in Kenya promises better returns, particularly in the renewable energy, housing, manufacturing, agriculture, and ICT sectors.

“Kenya means business. We urge international businesses to capitalise on the 60-year-old Kenya-U.S. relationship that is grounded on shared values of democracy, freedom and enterprise to invest in Kenya,” he said.

During his tour of the Coca-Cola Company Headquarters, it was announced that Coca-Cola will invest Sh23 billion ($175 million) over the next five years to expand its operations in Kenya.

“This is a milestone in the firm’s presence in Kenya and Africa, a testimony that we must sustain our strong collaboration for us grow,”

The President also visited the New Vivo Fashion Group Retail Store in Atlanta where he lauded the business’s move to include Made in Kenya brands in its stores.

“This is an African spirit where businesses find innovative ways to support each other’s advancement as we take the global stage,” he said.

The President spoke at the Spelman College where a partnership on education was signed to enhance student and faculty exchange, joint research and innovation to accelerate our country’s Silicon Savannah ambition.

At the Centre for Disease Control Headquarters, President Ruto witnessed the signing of MoUs between CDC and Kenya Medical Research Institute, the Ministry of Health and the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief in developing a Sustainability Roadmap for Kenya’s HIV Programme and the joint proclamation for the operationalisation of the Kenya National Public Health Institute.

He noted that the U.S. has been a key ally in Kenya’s healthcare sector and intends to further this partnership by expanding infrastructure, research, and local vaccine manufacturing.

The President also interacted with Kenyans living in the United States of America at the Cobb Galleria Centre, held talks with the Mayor of Atlanta Andre Dickens and toured the Tyler Perry Studios.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of President of the Republic of Kenya.