Like other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, Kenya has a huge backlog of cases of fistula. Based on the recent estimates, 4 deliveries out of 1,500 results to fistula and going by total number of births, there are 56,000 new cases each year with only 7.5% of them who can access surgical treatment.
Fistula is a treatable condition that requires surgical intervention, it is therefore not humanly and medically acceptable that even with the availability of fistula treatment opportunities, that most women and girls living with obstetric fistula continue to suffer the devastating consequences that push them in isolation because the constant foul odor and deep misperceptions about fistula. Lack of awareness in rural communities about the availability of free surgical treatment opportunities also contributes to the huge backlog cases of fistula in the country.
Let’s End Fistula Initiative is providing unprecedented access to holistic care for even the hardest-to-reach women and girls throughout Western Kenya through the established network of trained Regional Representatives (majority being fistula survivors) who serve as educators and advocates for maternal health. They educate rural communities about fistula being a reproductive and a childbirth injury, spread the good news of availability of free treatment opportunities, identify fistula patients and arrange for their transport to the treatment facility. LEFI serves as link between fistula patients with Fistula treatment sites as one of its strategic goal, our models is; we go to them, they don’t come to us.
