Title: Surviving a pregnancy, but only just Digital Stories about Fistula Clients and Services from Uganda
1Surviving a pregnancy, but only justDigital
Stories about Fistula Clients and Services from
Uganda
2Fistula
- A tear between the vagina and the bladder and/or
rectum that causes uncontrollable leakage of
urine and/or feces.
3How an obstetric fistula forms
4- Fistula can also be caused by rape.
- Accounts of TRAUMATIC GYNECOLOGIC FISTULA have
been reported in Chad, DRC, Guinea, Liberia,
Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Sudan and northern Uganda
5Social Determinants of Fistula
- Poverty
- Poor nutrition
- Early marriage and pregnancy
- Low use and poor quality of health care services
6The Impact
7What is USAID Doing?
- USAID Bureau for Global Health Fistula Strategy
- Goal reduce the prevalence and severity of
obstetric fistula. - Objective advance and promote best practices and
programs to prevent and repair obstetric fistula.
- Strategies
- improve data base on the extent and severity of
obstetric fistula - increase public and community awareness
- improve quality of care for prevention and repair
- support advocacy and improve policies
8Global and Regional Progress
- Support to 17 sites in 9 countries with two
regional programs in east and west Africa - Facility-based study on determinants of
post-operative outcomes in fistula repair surgery - South-to-south learning through Uganda study tour
for delegates from Rwanda and Guinea - Development and testing of fistula counseling
curriculum - First-ever meeting on traumatic gynecologic
fistula
Surgeon, Mulago HospitalFistula Partner
Institution Kampala, Uganda
Curriculum developed with private funds
9Spotlight on Uganda
10Country Progress Uganda
- USAID funding began Oct. 04
- 18 surgeons trained in fistula repair and 735
women repaired through June 07 - Establishment of public/private partnership model
to improve referrals and link repair and
prevention services - 24 providers trained in counseling
- Workshop on Engaging Men in the Prevention of
Obstetric Fistula conducted for local NGOs - Joint planning between partners of National
Fistula Technical Working Group - Development of fistula resource center at Kitovu
Mission Hospital
Recovering after fistula repair Kitovu Mission
Hospital, Uganda
Figure may include repeat trainings
11- Digital Storytelling for Fistula
- What is Digital Storytelling?
- Short digital videos combining voiceover
narration, still images, video clips, and music - Supportive group process
- Told in the first-person
- Participatory production methods
12Digital Storytelling for Fistula
13The Story Circle
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15Photos from home
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17Sharing stories.
18What did you learn?
- What are some of the main messages of the
stories? - What did you learn from the stories?
- How could these stories be used in programs?
19What Participants Learned
20What they learned
In the villages, people are ignorant about
fistula. I will continue to spread the word that
women must deliver in the hospital. I am very
thankful to you for helping me learn. I will not
remain the same from this new experience. - Jane
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22What We Learned
- Digital stories are an effective counseling and
educational tool - Working in multiple languages is challenging
- Telling stories is empowering!
23Using the Stories in Programs
24- Counseling and Capacity Building
25- Training Community Health Educators
- Public education and advocacy
26The Way Forward What Can Be Done?
- Strengthen health systems capacity and resources
to address backlog - Upgrade EmOC to decrease incidence
- Advocate for policy change to tackle root causes
- Engage the community around issues of prevention,
improving access to treatment, stigma reduction,
etc.
27Thank You!