It may interest you to know that an estimated 2 million women in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, the Arab region, and Latin America and the Caribbean are living with obstetric fistula. This injury which is a hole between the vagina and rectum or bladder caused by prolonged obstructed labor, occur among women living in poverty in cultures where a woman’s status and self-esteem may depend almost entirely on her marriage and ability to bear children.
Some 50,000 to 100,000 new cases of obstetric fistula develop worldwide each year, and this is responsible for why some women have insufficient voluntary control over of urine or feces or both. A woman with fistula is too often rejected by her husband and pushed out of her village due to her foul smell.
Causes and symptoms of Obstetric Fistula
For women with obstructed labor, labor that goes unattended, the labor can last up to six or seven days. The labor produces contractions that push the baby’s head against the mother’s pelvic bone. The soft tissues between the baby’s head and the pelvic bone are compressed and do not receive adequate blood flow.
The lack of blood flow causes this delicate tissue to die, and where it dies holes are created between the laboring mother’s bladder and vagina and/or between the rectum and vagina. This is what produces incontinence in a fistula patient.
Obstetric fistula symptoms generally manifest in the early post-par tum period. However, other, equally severe symptoms such as psychological trauma, deteriorating health, increasing poverty, and social stigmatization by family and friends can and often do occur.
I know only few people have heard of the disease called obstetric fistula; it’s not as popular talked about like STDs, kidney problems and many other sicknesses we have in the world today. But trust me, many women are suffering from this disease.
The Sad Story of Alero
I have a story to tell; my name is Alero. I am from the Southern region of Nigeria, in West Africa. I am a poor orphan, and my sister and I lived with my aunt in a small village. I lost my first child at the age of 11. I wish I never had to tell you my story, but this is how it happened.
It was a cold night; I wish I didn’t refuse Tina’s offer to walk me down to the stream. I remember that conversation clearly. “Alero, it’s too late for you to go alone to the stream”, Tina warned. “It’s the same stream I visit frequently at night. So, what’s the fuss?” I retorted, and dashed away confidently. Actually, I wished I didn’t even go to the stream like my sister advised; but “Aunty would need water to bath this night and tomorrow morning before she goes to the market.” I had protested.
Alas! I was raped! What a tragedy!? I was miserable and hated every other Thursdays beginning from that fateful day. Few weeks later I was pregnant! Let me save you the story of the shame and reproach experienced from my family, and community, and of course my school. Everybody neglected, not even my aunt was there for me. Fortunately, the idiot who raped me owned up to his dastardly act and accepted responsibilities and performed the marriage rights in the most unsung way.
Pascal was 28 years old when he visited his uncle in the village after his National Youth Service program. He had only spent 3 weeks in the community when he raped me. Whilst living together in a rented apartment in the city, he never related with me like a wife (I guess he wasn’t ready for that). Occasionally, he would remind me that I’m indebted to him because he saved my family and I from public disgrace by accepting to marry me.
Few months later; I was due, but Pascal had traveled outside the state on official assignment. I was alone in the house for days, no body to help, and my closest neighbor were not home at the time. The closest person I could reach on the phone was 10 km away, and by the time Prisca arrived I had gone into labor, and this got worst at the community health center. I labored for 3 days. It was a painful experience especially for me as a young girl. Unfortunately, I lost my child. Life was unbearable afterwards, and I wished I died.
One day I woke up and realized I had pee on my bed; how did this happen? I questioned. I quickly used clothes to damp the bed but the deed had been done; it had spread to Pascal’s side of the bed. This was the beginning of my incontinence and other related issues. And due to the frequency of my discharge, Pascal began to sleep in the living room; friends stopped visiting, and Pascal would abscond for days, and then days became months.
I was later to find out that Pascal moved into a new apartment with another lady who at the time of my visit was already pregnant. I confronted the lady and we had a very tough confrontation that almost generated into a fight. On that day, I was pressed and needed to use the rest room, but I couldn’t ask her permission to do so, and so I left angered. To my amazement, I messed up myself right on the road. I was embarrassed and ashamed of myself, and I was determined to commit suicide.
Just while I wished the ground had swallowed me up, a young man in his early thirties came close to me and offered to help. “Hi, my name is Fred and I live down the road. Do you mind following me home to clean up yourself? He pleaded. At that point, I had no choice than to oblige him. “What could be more than death since I had even decided to commit suicide,” I thought.
For a very long time, I had not felt the kind of love and care that Fred gave me in his house. We got talking and hung out few weeks later. Meeting Fred was the turning point of my life. Fred was a medical practitioner, he was the one that made me realize that I was suffering from Obstetric Fistula, and not that I was cursed,
My own obstetric fistula started because I was in labor for days unattended to. I had thought it was an attack from my enemies so I didn’t bother to seek medical help, except for occasional visits to traditional healers. With the help of Fred, I was treated and now I am completely healed of my disease.
Today I’m married to Dr. Fred and we have a set of twins. As for Pascal, he lost his wife and he’s a single father of two. I do not hold anything against him, he was a good man to me, he only proved that he did’t love me in the first place.
I survived my ailment because I found help; many women all over the world die of this ailment either as a result of ignorance, lack of adequate help, poverty or neglect. Save a pregnant mother today by giving them all medical attention they need during labor. We can end Obstetric Fistula today in our society. We can end child marriage. It begins with you!
Growing up, I had on several occasions wished I belonged to a certain family, and not mine. At certain times I had wished I belong to the family of my friend whose parents were rich, and they all live together a happy family. I had wished I had a caring father like my classmate whose school fees were paid on time, and who never had to engage in street hawking before being able to pay their school fees.
Trust me, as a child; I was for a very long time ashamed of my family because I felt I deserved a better one. It was much later that I began to see that the only reason my mother went through all the hardship and indebtedness was for our well-being. Her sacrifices and hard work was the foundation of our well being. I realized I couldn’t have a lovelier, caring and prayerful mother. My family is certainly irreplaceable!
What is family to you? Family is everything to some people, and to another majority, its nothing; just a medium through which we came into this world. Whichever school of thought you belong to, family is always important.
Family is the smallest unit of every society. God’s intention for creating man and woman was to raise a family that would occupy the earth. God commissioned man to multiply, replenish, cover the earth and dominate. And for animals, he made them male and female for the same purpose of reproduction.
Every man born into this world was a product of a relationship between a man and a woman (that is, a parent). A person may also become a member of a family by adoption, howbeit; he or she must first be born by the union of a man and a woman. Thus, the union between same sex cannot reproduce a biological offspring, as this is a perversion of God’s purpose for man.
Family performs different functions ranging from individual to society. Some of these functions include; meeting the basic needs of dependents; creating a sense of belonging for the family members through affections and care; training the children in acceptable way and inculcating morals and virtues necessary for a healthy society. A family also offer support for one another in many different ways.
The family becomes a community, and the communities make a great nation. The kind of society we have is a reflection of the kind of families that makes up such societies. Children get to learn values in the family; they learn to work together as a team; thereby building teamwork capacity from a young age. Family also functions as a bulwark against crime.
Literally, if we all had a choice of choosing our families; some marriages would be fruitless (barren forever) and some countries would be deserted forever too. In fact, imagine you reading this article had a choice of a country; would you have picked a your domicile of origin? OK, lets hold the country thought for a moment, would you have picked your father and mother to be your parents?
A family on the Bike
Sometimes, we regret belonging to our families and you wished you were never born into the country of your origin. Trust me, God wouldn’t have placed you in a better country. God strategically and divinely placed you here for a purpose, and so your family is irreplaceable!
Your background is not a reason for you to remain on the ground. Chogyam Trungpa puts it this way, “We do not have to be ashamed of what we are. As sentient beings we have wonderful backgrounds. These backgrounds may not be particularly enlightened or peaceful or intelligent. Nevertheless, we have soil good enough to cultivate; we can plant anything in it.”
As we commemorate the International Day of Families, remember; if life gives you lemon, make a lemonade out of it! Enjoy this family you’ve got, those ones you’re envying are probably wishing they had a family like yours. What you have is precious; celebrate your family! Happy World Family Day.
For more on the International Day of Families is observed every May 15. According to the UN website, the annual observance of the International Day of Families reflects the importance the international community attaches to families and their role in development. Recent commemorations of the Day focused on the role of families for the achievement of SDGs 1 – 5 and SDG 16. The Theme for this year’s celebration is: “Families and Climate Action: Focus on SDG13.” For more on this event, click: https://www.un.org/development/desa/family/international-day-of-families/2019-2.html
The World Malaria Day is Commemorated every 25 April, as declared by the World Health Organization (WHO). The World Malaria Day highlights the need for sustained investment and political commitment for malaria prevention, control and elimination. This year’s campaign, “Zero malaria starts with me,” is a grassroots campaign that emphasizes country ownership and community empowerment of malaria prevention and care.
“As we watched the Paris’s beloved Notre-Dame cathedral razed in fire, we felt very sad and were afraid that the ancient walls would collapse in the disaster. But thank God the fire was stopped within crucial half hour. At the end of the day, it was not as terrible as we had thought, thankfully.” -Jean-marie
It was indeed a sad day for the french as a critical part of France’s destiny, The Notre-Dam Cathedral was gutted in fire on April 15 2019.
Built 850 years ago, Notre-Dame, which translates in English as “Our Lady”, has played a role in key moments of history and captured the imagination of people around the world, drawing an estimated 13 million visitors a year.
We stand by the French on this painful incident, and we pray that the new Cathedral will be adorned with greater beauty and glory.
Thankfully, a number of companies, organizations and business tycoons have began to contribute to the re-building of the 1,000-year-old Strasbourg cathedral, which may take decades to rebuild. Although, President Macro has pledged to rebuild the cathedral in 5 years
The overwhelming support from different quarters is a moral boost to the french and tourists who are always in awe of this amazing pride of Paris.
The cause of the fire is still being investigated but have been linked to the renovation work going on on the French heritage site. Meanwhile investigation has shown that some important part of the building were left intact after the inferno.
In responds, Pope Francis twitted: “Today we unite in prayer with the people of France, as we wait for the sorrow inflicted by the serious damage to be transformed into hope with reconstruction. Holy Mary, Our Lady, pray for us. #NotreDame
We feel the pains of Paris. Yes We Are Winning…We CEEEyou!
I have discovered that in recent times one of the major determinant of happiness for many people, especially Youths, is sports betting. A win guarantees financial benefits and boosts the morale of the player whereas a loss brings immediate sorrow, anguish and disillusionment for the lost of scarce resources committed to the game.
The growing interests of many young people in sports especially football is not borne out of real love for the game as it were, rather it is largely motivated by economic reasons, especially with the introduction of sports bet. It is certain that the love many Nigerians have for sports but also about making money.
The sports betting industry is billion dollar industry and growing astronomically and as become a phenomenon across Nigeria, apparently because there is good money to be made and everyone wants to be a part of it.
By reason of the money involved, disappointments and regrets often ends the happiness of many who are involved sports betting, and who have adopted it as a quick cash alternative. One reason for the display of anger, mood swing, aggravations and transfer of aggression by many sport bets enthusiasts are consequent upon failure to win sports predictions.
The increasing number of Betting companies in Nigeria is not unconnected with the economic hardship, occasioned by joblessness and widespread poverty in many homes. Sports betting and lotto has become very rampart especially among many young people and this is very worrisome.
The YWAW media team was on the street to interview some sport betting enthusiasts about how a win or lost affect their happiness and those around them. Click the link to see a short video of the interview:
The impact of unhappiness has unpleasant effect on the mental wellness as well as physical wellbeing of a person. This in turn affects those around the person who is unhappy. Since happiness is contagious, an absence of it create an atmosphere of sadness and disaffection.
As we commemorate the International Day Of Happiness, it is most appropriate to create awareness about the need to promote the things and experiences that makes us happy. To read about 10 reasons to be happy click: https://www.theodysseyonline.com/10-reasons-to-be-happy
The International Day of Happiness is celebrated worldwide every March 20,[1] and was conceptualized and founded by philanthropist, activist, statesman, and prominent United Nations special advisor Jayme Illien to inspire, mobilize, and advance the global happiness movement.[2][3][4][5][6]
For information about the top 10 countries with the highest number of happy people click the link:
March 21st of every is regarded as the World Down Syndrome Day, and today, the 14th Edition was celebrated in a grand style, by the Down Syndrome Foundation, and the Yes, We Are Winning foundation (YWAW).
The Yes We Are Winning Foundation, led by it’s Project Coordinator, Afonrinwo Babs ‘Deji with the media director, Olubunmi Olaniyan, and a member of the YWAW team, Kikelomo Olatunde were present at United Nations Information Center, Ikoyi to commemorate the day Collaboration with Down Syndrome Foundation.
YWAW Team with Mrs. Rose Mordi of the Down Syndrom Foundation
The 2019 edition of the World Down Syndrome Day with the theme, “Leave no one behind” the event was graced by dignitaries and important personalities from all works of life including Dame Abimbola Fashola (Former First Lady, Lagos State), human right advocates, as well as parents and partners.
Testimonials
One of the Parents spoke about the challenges faced in fathering a child plagued with both autism spectrum disorder and Down Syndrome. He said “It was a very sad experience having to cope with the reality of nursing a child with Down Sydrome.
In her words, she said, “”Our first child was born with the Down Syndrome. We did all we could to change his condition, spent lots of our resources in several hospital before finally succumbing to fate. When he was growing up, we took him to different schools yet all we got was neglect and bullying from other kids until a friend in South-Africa introduced us to the Down Syndrome Foundation, and today, we are proud parents.”
He concluded by saying “If you have never felt a pain before because of your child, then you aren’t a parent yet.” He finally encouraged the parent, government and individuals to keep supporting this amazing set of people by giving them equal opportunities, showing them unique and genuine love.
A parent and his wards
Another parent, Alhaji Yahya came in all the way from Kwara State. He mentioned how he first saw the school on TV, then contacted the founder, Mrs. Rose Mordi who has being of great help to his son. The man said “Because of the kind of love my son has gotten, I have also decided to sponsor two children with down syndrome whom I picked on the street. The children are also registered in the foundation”, he enthused.
He then concluded by saying, “My son is 22years old, he can do a whole lot of physical exercises. He’s plays table tennis pretty well, and does some other house chores, and happily married with a child. I think it is better we allow them marry and have a child early, because no one knows tomorrow.”
If there is any father who could have regretted having a child with down syndrome, perhaps the parents of ÌyanuOluwa could be, however, instead of being sad, what brought them tears years ago is now their pride. Their little daughter, ÌyanuOluwa clocks 3 years today (Picture Insert: ÌyanuOluwa with members of Yes We Are Winning Foundation).
Inioluwa at 3
The father said, “At a time, everyone neglected us including church members. Even family concluded we take her to the hospital and inject her to die, but we believed God gave us the child for a purpose.”
In conclusion, the Founder of the Down Syndrome Foundation, Mrs. Rose Mordi thanks everyone who came for the event, notably, the Yes We Are Winning Foundation for donating relief materials to the school.
Today will go down a memory lane, as we all reflect, agreed and resolved to stop the bully and neglect of these amazing individuals, instead, we advocate for total inclusion and integration of these ones into the society by giving them equal opportunity.
Part of the extras was exhibition of hand made materials by the students, choreography, video presentations and advocacy recitations by the students.
For women with obstructed labor, labor that goes unattended, the labor can last up to six or seven days. The labor produces contractions that push the baby’s head against the mother’s pelvic bone. The soft tissues between the baby’s head and the pelvic bone are compressed and do not receive adequate blood flow. 
Few months later; I was due, but Pascal had traveled outside the state on official assignment. I was alone in the house for days, no body to help, and my closest neighbor were not home at the time. The closest person I could reach on the phone was 10 km away, and by the time Prisca arrived I had gone into labor, and this got worst at the community health center. I labored for 3 days. It was a painful experience especially for me as a young girl. Unfortunately, I lost my child. Life was unbearable afterwards, and I wished I died.
What is family to you? Family is everything to some people, and to another majority, its nothing; just a medium through which we came into this world. Whichever school of thought you belong to, family is always important.
The family becomes a community, and the communities make a great nation. The kind of society we have is a reflection of the kind of families that makes up such societies. Children get to learn values in the family; they learn to work together as a team; thereby building teamwork capacity from a young age. Family also functions as a bulwark against crime.
Built 850 years ago, Notre-Dame, which translates in English as “Our Lady”, has played a role in key moments of history and captured the imagination of people around the world, drawing an estimated 13 million visitors a year.
The cause of the fire is still being investigated but have been linked to the renovation work going on on the French heritage site. Meanwhile investigation has shown that some important part of the building were left intact after the inferno.
