Transforming Lives : Stories from the Field :

Christina’s Story

In 2008, an outreach team from Kitovu Hospital visited Ugandan communities to raise awareness about fistula treatment and prevention. On this trip, they met Christina, a young woman who had lived with fistula for almost 10 years. After learning about the available treatment options, Christina decided to go to Kitovu Hospital, where her fistula was successfully repaired. Christina’s surgery is one of the more than 1,155 Kitovu Hospital repairs made possible since 2008 by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the Fistula Care project.

Kitovu Hospital stresses the importance of comprehensive care for women with fistula. In addition to medical treatment, fistula clients at Kitovu Hospital receive counseling about emotional challenges, fistula surgery, and the prevention of fistula. Staff encourage the husbands of fistula clients to support their partners during and after surgery. Kitovu staff also advise women who have had a successful repair to have a subsequent cesarean delivery if they want to give birth and provides these services to women who need them.

In the middle of May 2011, Christina returned to Kitovu Hospital with her husband to deliver her first child by cesarean section.

This resource was made possible by the generous support of the American people through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), under the terms of the cooperative agreement GHS-A-00-07-00021-00. The information provided on this resource is not official U.S. Government information and does not represent the views or positions of the USAID or the U.S. Government.