Transforming Lives : Stories from the Field :

Mattu’s Story

Mattu came to the Aberdeen Fistula Centre in Sierra Leone just one month after delivering her stillborn child. When she had problems with her labor, she was taken on the back of a motorbike from her remote village to the nearest hospital. Not only did Mattu have to deal with the pain of losing her baby, but she also developed an obstetric fistula from her prolonged labor. Mattu said that the worst thing about the fistula was the physical pain of warm urine on her broken-down skin and not knowing if it would ever be cured.

Thankfully, she did not have to wait long for her surgery, and now she is able to return to her life on her family’s palm oil plantation with her 4-year-old daughter.

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.