News

22 May, 2020

In Yemen and around the world, obstetric fistula strikes the most vulnerable women

AL HUDAYDAH, Yemen – Five years ago, Marwa* was a child bride living in the port city of Al Hudaydah. “I was almost 17 years old, and happy with my new life. I was a new bride and I got pregnant fast. I thought life was smiling at me,” she told UNFPA. She had no idea how quickly life would turn...

13 January, 2020

Leaving no one behind: Is the achievement of the SDGs possible without securing the dignity, rights, and well-being of those who are “invisible”?

This commentary, published in the International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics, highlights crucial interventions required to end fistula. Fistula elimination necessitates protecting women's/girls’ human rights and addressing social determinants that affect their ability to “survive, thrive...

Ms. Kaleso suffered stigma and isolation stemming from fistula for a year before she got treatment. © UNFPA Malawi

1 July, 2019

From social outcast to future teacher: A Malawi fistula survivor’s story

LILONGWE, Malawi – Monica Kaleso loved to go to school. She studied hard and never missed class. Her dream of becoming a medical doctor was on course until 2013, when, at the age of 17, she began a relationship with a man from the same village of Kadammanja. Later that year, Ms. Kaleso discovered...