Her first pregnancy
Kelemi, 30, lives in a rural area of Southern Ethiopia. She is married and part of a close-knit community. During her first pregnancy, she had very little access to medical care. She saw a Health Extension worker only once and received no further follow-up, leaving her largely unaware of the risks ahead.
When she went into labour, it lasted for three days. Realising something was seriously wrong, her family undertook a long and difficult journey to a hospital. There, Kelemi delivered her baby by caesarean section, but sadly, her child was stillborn. The prolonged labour also caused her to develop a fistula.
Seven years of isolation and despair
Returning home, Kelemi was separated from her community. She had no social life and became very depressed. She lived with her condition for seven years, feeling hopeless and alone.
Her life began to change when staff at a local hospital told her about Yirgalem Regional Fistula Hospital, a hospital fully funded by Hamlin Fistula UK.
“I was so happy to hear there was hope for me,” Kelemi recalls. She even encouraged another woman in her village living with fistula to seek care at the hospital.
Healing, hope and a new beginning
At Yirgalem, Kelemi received her fistula repair free of charge. She experienced care, respect and kindness from the staff, which helped her heal emotionally as well as physically. “The staff respect me. The care of the staff has helped me to heal psychologically,” she says. She remembers the simple comforts that meant so much. “Before I came here I was sleeping in a bed with no blankets and no linen because of the incontinence. At the hospital, they welcomed me and gave me blankets to sleep on.”
Today, Kelemi lives freely in her community and is happy and stable. “Before this I knew nothing about health services. Now I am teaching others about it,” she shares. She returned to Yirgalem for her second pregnancy, with ongoing support and regular medical check-ups. Her husband accompanied her, and a few weeks later she welcomed a healthy baby by caesarean section.
Kelemi’s story shows the power of skilled and compassionate care. Treatment restored her health, her confidence and her place in her community, and it gave her the joy of motherhood once again.
