Neuroscience
This summer I was able to set up a program to help women who are afflicted with obstetric fistula in the rural communities of Kashongi and Kitura in western Uganda. Obstetric fistula is a preventable birth injury, usually caused by obstructed labor, that leads to incontinence, social isolation, and other devastating physical and psychological consequences. Working with the organization Progressive Health Partnership, which seeks to improve maternal and neonatal health in the area, I held focus groups with community members to discuss experiences and perceptions of pregnancy, delivery, and obstetric fistula. We identified women with fistula, formed a partnership with a local doctor who knows how to repair fistula and worked out transportation for women to get to this doctor’s fistula repair camps. In order to address the complex social and emotional needs of fistula clients, a thorough counseling guide was created and a local counselor trained to follow up with women before and after their surgeries. Additional resources, such as a flip book about fistula to educate community members and decrease stigma, were created. Through the Wallenberg Summer Travel Award, I strived to honor Raoul Wallenberg’s extraordinary legacy of humanitarianism and service to others by helping to bring some peace and healing to women with obstetric fistula.