THE CHALLENGE
Obstetric fistula is one of the most devastating and demoralizing birth injuries.
It affects the world’s poorest and most vulnerable women who do not have access to emergency obstetric care.
Fistulas develop over days of obstructed labour, leaving these women with a dead baby
and a hole between the vagina and bladder and/or rectum. This causes a constant incontinence of urine or faeces.
The problem is not just medical.
Women who survive infection, are ostracized because of their offensive smell.
Almost all of these women are abandoned by their families, excommunicated and are unable to find work.
Surgery can cure these women and allow these women to return to society.
Uganda has one of the highest rates of obstetric fistulas in Sub-Saharan Africa, 14-19.2 per 10000 women. Despite efforts to treat obstetric fistula, cases are increasing.
THE SOLUTION WE ARE PROPOSING
Our mission is 4-fold:
1: The surgery itself. The Alon Project run surgical camps, where we identify and transport women with obstetric fistula and traumatic birth tears to a local hospital. Here our specialised team of international and local surgeons, anaesthetics and nurses operate and care for these women until they are cured and able to return to their community.
2: Wholistic approach to these women – providing after surgical care, empowerment, business skills & education
3: Prevention. Obstetric fistulas are caused by poor obstetric care. One of our projects is high-risk waiting homes where we take women who are at risk of having complications during labour (women with a previous fistula repair, twins, previous caesarean sections, child pregnancies) and provide for them accommodation within the hospital grounds. This has been proven to increase maternal and infant survival.
4: Sustainability and education – teaching local surgeons & nurses. Patient education & awareness.
Our partners:
We are proud to announce the recent support from Mashav, the Israeli development agency that sits under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who are providing the majority of the funds needed for the camps.
This was promoted by the Israeli embassy of Nairobi who are also working on creating a joint support with the Ugandan ministry of foreign affairs and Ugandan ministry of health.
The Alon Project has received donations from MAP international and the Shusterman Family Philanthropies. The Alon Project is partnered with Carenet Uganda, a local Ugandan NGO. Carenet specialise in finding the patients and reintegrating them back into society and The Alon Project specialises in the surgeries and in-hospital care.
THE IMPACT OF GIVING
Surgery
Rose\\\'s story
Rose was a patient in our last camp. After a stillbirth 20 years ago, she has been suffering from constant urine incontinence due to an obstetric fistula. She had almost lost hope when we found her. We successful operated and cured her fistula. The joy was almost indescribable the next morning on the ward round, when she woke up in a dry bed for the first time in 20 years.
Rose was one of 150 patients that The Alon Project operated on and cured between October 2021-February 2022 in fistula surgical camps.
The benefits of the surgery are not only that these women achieve continence but also that they are now able to join society once again, return to their families, regain fertility and find employment.
The surgery gives these women back the life every human deserves.
Prevention
Together with a UK NGO, the Alon Project are opening a high-risk waiting home in the Hoima district in Uganda. We aim to also open one in Kitovu Hospital. This is aimed at preventing women like Rose from getting birth complications and obstetric fistula.
WHY FUND US?
We are currently raising money for two July (2022) surgical camps where we will cure 40-60 women. Our goal amount shown is the amount remaining in order to make this happen after already received significant donations.
One of the strengths of this program is effectiveness.
With relatively little money, you can cure these ostracised women of incontinence and give them their life back.
These are arguably the world\\\'s most vulnerable women. They are largely forgotten and neglected by the current system and their surgery and treatment is dependent on non-profit initiatives like The Alon Project. It is important to note that all members of The Alon Project, other than our Ugandan staff, work on strictly a volunteer basis and every dollar goes straight towards helping cure these women.
Every woman has the right to a safe birth, and to a dignified life.
Help us give these women the voice and life every woman deserves.
