Tostan [to 10 January 2015]
January 9, 2015

Fistula Camps in Southern Senegal Provide Medical and Social Support for Women and Their Communities
Following the successful launch of the Zero Fistula Project and the first repair surgery camp held back in September—where 14 women were successfully treated and 20 received consultations–two more camps were organized at the end of December in the regions of Kolda-Sedhiou and Tambacounda-Kedougou in Southern Senegal. A total of 30 women underwent surgery for obstetric fistula:in Kolda-Sedhiou, 36 women received consultations and 25 received repair surgery, while in Tambacounda-Kedougou, seven women received consultations and five received repair surgery.

Before the start of the camps, partners put emphasis on raising awareness about fistula using radio. Field staff appealed to health specialists and religious leaders to help mobilize communities and to discuss the partnership with Amref and the Hospital in Kolda and Dakar. In the five days leading up to the surgery, the women having traveled from different areas were received by the regional Tostan office in Kolda, who used their resources to facilitate a place for them to stay.

Also prior to the camps, several awareness-raising activities, such as intervillage meetings (IVM) and workshops were organized for community members and local authorities. In the Kolda-Sedhiou region, two IVM’s took place on October 31st and December 23rd with 10 villages present and 240 participants, and two additional workshops in November with a midwife. In Tambacounda-Kedougou, two workshops with 86 participants were held in November with the attendance of the health commission of the Community Management Committee (CMC) of Dougue, as well as a health prefect. These workshops taught participants how to identify fistula…