Dr. Melkamu Baye Agegenehu, a promising young surgeon at Felege Hiwot Referral Hospital in Bahir Dar, recognized the challenges faced by staff at the busy hospital in the Amhara Region of northern Ethiopia. But when his mother became gravely ill, he quickly learned that a lack of supplies and other disparities at the health facility could even prove fatal for his aged parent.
Chinyere Francis loved working on her farm in the rural town of Ikwo in southeast Nigeria. But she worried that neither her earnings nor her husband’s $15 monthly income as a pastor in his local church were enough to take care of their growing family. With the latest addition—their tenth child—the couple appeared exhausted at the prospect of yet another mouth to feed.
Dozens of women arrived outside of a tent in Musanze, Rwanda, for the chance to reclaim their lives. Many of the women were suffering with obstetric fistula, a childbirth-related injury that can result in incontinence and stench. Because of this, some had been living in obscurity; some had been shunned by their families and friends; and many of them had been struggling to live quiet lives despite the pain and shame. Globally, the World Health Organization estimates that between 50,000 and 100,000 women are affected by obstetric fistula every year.
Learn about a Jhpiego Women of Change: Vandana Lodhi
