PW Mission Matters

PW group “intertwines” art and service

By Kathy Randall

Presbyterian Women of St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church in New Orleans formed a needlework group three years ago, and look what they are doing! They are knitting to help the homeless, and their work is displayed on the side of a 130-year-old building in Ames, Iowa.   

Women of St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church in New Orleans contributed to this "art for the community" project. The squares displayed here will be turned into blankets for people taking refuge in shelters.

Mary Ann Mott, coordinator for the needlework group, says “We just show up and teach one another.” They do more than teach one another. While needlework is the focus, women in the Thursday morning sessions have loved one another through the loss of a husband, the tragedy of Alzheimer’s, the anxiety and joy of daughters moving away/coming back home. Not only do they support one another in love, they share the love with the wider community, electing to do a major needlework project for others annually.

The first year they made caps for newborns at East Jefferson General Hospital and donated them at Christmas. The second year, the group created handmade washcloths and supplied personal toiletries for residents of Raintree House—a program that provides services to at-risk adolescent girls—and presented them to the girls at Thanksgiving. For this, their third year, the group chose a project to help the homeless. The project, called Intertwine, was recommended by Kathy Randall, and it meant becoming part of an effort to put art to work for the community of Ames, Iowa (a place near and dear to PW hearts, since it was the site of the first PW Churchwide Gathering in 1988).

The proposal was simple—knit or crochet a 12- x 12-inch square as a work of art, and submit as part of a greater effort for art expression and homelessness awareness. The squares would be joined together for a May 2016 display, then the squares would be dry cleaned and fashioned into blankets to be donated to homeless and women’s shelters. Mary Ann Mott, Norma McClure, Carol Staiano, Mary Ruth Shanks and Frieda Palmgren represented the St. Charles Avenue PW needlework group with colorful, skillful submissions. Ann Byerly and Kathy Randall also contributed squares, for a total of eight from St. Charles Avenue PC.

Intertwine, a community-wide effort to “yarn-bomb” the facade of Design on Main, was the inspiration of Jennifer Drinkwater, assistant professor of art and visual culture at Iowa State University (and Lee Randall's cousin). Ouida Drinkwater wrote of the project, “It was so fun watching people walk by and looking up and stopping dead in their tracks . . . and taking photos! Inside the gallery was a wall of papers you filled out so people could see where the knitters were from. Jennifer was so proud of the numerous squares she got from all of you."

The completed project is impressive. It took nine months to assemble. Squares came from 14 states. The ages of needle-workers ranged from 8 to 93 years! Three-thousand plus volunteer hours went into its construction, resulting in more than 1,000 knitted or crocheted panels that were sewn into 37 larger segments. The display will be taken down June 4 so the squares will still be in good shape for blanket assembly and distribution.

Thank you to all who cared and shared!

About the Author: Kathy Randall is the current moderator of the Presbytery of South Louisiana and former PW Church Gathering coordinator.

Key to social change for women all over the world

By Candy King

The Days for Girls (DFG) project at Dorchester Presbyterian began a year ago when I noticed a shield and liner on the Justice and Peace table at the Churchwide Gathering in Minneapolis. I took some information home and researched online by going to www.daysforgirls.org. I learned that [in many parts of the world, where fresh water, sanitation and supplies are scarce or nonexistent] girls miss school during their periods. Because girls in these situations do not have access to or disposal for paper products, Days for Girls kits contain washable liners and shields. Each kit lasts about three years.    

We had women from a wide range of ages helping to assemble the DFG kits on Mission (Dorchester Serves) Day.

I presented the idea to Dorchester’s PW group in the fall of 2016. We set a goal of producing 100 kits. Another Charleston area PC(USA) congregation, St. Andrews Presbyterian, helps us on other mission projects, so they were eager to participate in this project. Mary Oliver from St. Andrews made 700 serged flannel liners for the project. Several ladies at our church who do not participate in Presbyterian Women were so enthusiastic about the project that they became actively involved in sewing and purchasing items.

The website tells exactly how to sew the pads and liners, with tutorials and a list of resources of where to buy in bulk. This is not a creative sewing project, except when choosing fabric patterns. Everything has been researched and needs to be sewn using the DFG instructions. This was sometimes difficult for a group of women who are experienced with sewing; always, someone thought there would be a shorter and easier way. Shortly, we all followed the directions exactly. We did discover some of our own tips; for example, we found that the PUL (special waterproof fabric) can be purchased at our local fabric store (JoAnn’s), in the baby section. It is used for diapers. The store also carries the size 20 snaps and snap tool, in the same section. If we collected people and percent-off coupons, we could purchase at 40 to 50 percent off (the PUL doesn’t usually go on sale). The PUL (polyurethane laminate) is made of fabric with waterproof polyurethane laminate on the back. It cannot take pins because they would damage the waterproofing. We found that large paperclips were excellent to hold the parts together for sewing.

Mary Oliver made 700 liners by herself and brought them to our PWP gathering in Beaufort, SC.

The panties and washcloths all should be dark colors. We ordered wholesale lots, available through DFG, so some of them (white and light ones) had to be dyed. The website tells where to purchase the dye. We hand-dyed in big plastic bins. Items had to be pre-washed before dying, with a special detergent from the dye company. Since we had a high efficiency washing machine, I called the dye company to ask if we were to use the same amount of detergent. We were told to use half the amount. The orange labels that are sewn on each bag are ordered from the Days for Girls website. They arrived quickly, with a note from a DFG volunteer thanking us for helping girls. The lady who ordered the panties called DFG several times with questions, and they were very helpful.

We finished our goal of 100 kits in March of 2016 and assembled them on a mission workday. The website lists a map with all of the DFG chapters across the U.S. The closest chapter to Charleston, SC, is Atlanta, GA. I emailed the address listed, and they were enthusiastic about receiving our 100 kits. They even offered to meet us halfway to Atlanta, since the boxes would be way too heavy to mail. It so happens we have two members who travel to Atlanta, so the boxes were transported and transferred, and soon will be headed to Malawi.

Our ladies have shared their experience with Days for Girls in the presbytery and beyond, so other churches in Charleston and in other states have become interested. Seacoast, a mega-church in our area, wants to start their own chapter. Dottie Kelley, who belongs to Palmetto Presbyterian in our area, has a mission to Haiti called Creations of Hope. She heard about Days for Girls and wants kits for girls in Haiti. At this time Haiti, is not listed on the Days for Girls map for kit distribution. Perhaps it soon will be!

Just from Dorchester’s 100-kit project, the word is spreading. The DFG website has a wealth of information, but I am always available for questions. We don’t have any current goals for more kits, as we have other continuous mission projects, but are always available to help other groups.

About the Author: Candy King is the PWC moderator, Dorchester Presbyterian Church, Summerville, South Carolina.

Microcredit project in Santo Domingo, Guatemala: Two stories

Editor's Note: This post is a follow-up to the previous post about PW in the Presbytery of Western North Carolina and their partnership with women in two presbyteries in Guatemala. The following profiles are based on interviews that the nonprofit ADEHGUA, who is administering the microcredit program for PW PWNC, had with the women toward the end of the first phase of the project.

Cristina

Cristina bought 24 Creole chickens to fatten and sell. Sadly for her it went poorly. Her animals were large but became sick. She sold five, but the remaining 19 died. At the time of this interview, she is not ready to buy more chickens because “in the current climate (winter) it is very common for them to get sick and die.”

Cristina says she will repay the loan and does want to continue working on the project. “I have not lost everything because I was left with the two pens. These will serve me.” She plans to vaccinate the next set of chickens that she buys. “I didn't want to vaccinate them [the first batch] because they were healthy, but you cannot raise them so. I am going to vaccinate them so they will not die.”

Cristina is 72 years old. She lives alone with her husband who is very ill. He is blind, has difficulty walking and appears to be losing his mind, because he speaks incoherently. Cristina cares for her husband with the help of her daughter who lives next door. She manages with the support of a son who is in the United States and five other children living in Guatemala, although they do not contribute much, she says, because they also have families.

She enjoys working on the project and with the other women. Despite losing her initial investment, she has a very good attitude and wants to continue investing. She has plans to expand her pens and has new ideas to improve her activity.

Mónica

Mónica is president of the Santo Domingo Women Uniting Efforts micro-enterprise group. She is an enthusiastic, dynamic young woman who studies at university on Saturdays. She and her husband, Fredy, have four children, ages 14, 12, 10 and 9. Monica is always accompanied by her husband. They get along very well and work as a family in the microloan enterprise. Their productive activities are many.

Mónica and her family raise chickens, pigs, ducks and fish. They also sell perfumes and used clothing, and create sashes for honor roll students. Mónica and her family collaborate on the household work and the microenterprise activities. Why does Mónica have so many activities?

She says, “ . . . at first I felt bad because I had no formal job, but I think that people should not feel bad about it; there are other ways of going forward. We dedicate ourselves to selling things people need in order to bring the daily bread. My husband sold fish that we bought in the market, but for months, there was not a lot of product. We decided to try to raise them ourselves, and it has worked. It is better because we invest less and earn more.

“When we cannot sell fish, we sell more clothes and perfumes. We have a motorcycle and we go to villages and communities in the municipality. Sometimes we leave at 6 in the morning. We are out four hours, because we have to care for the house and animals that we have here. We also sell sausages and pork sausage.” (Mónica laughs because the interviewers are impressed with what she tells them.)

“In September, for Independence Day, we make sashes for students who are top honor students. My husband, who is also a painter, paints them. I have a machine and sew them. I did not take any course in dressmaking but taught myself. We do this work at night. My children help by cleaning the animal pens. They feed the animals and care for them when we are not here."

Mónica studies natural sciences at the university, focusing on the environment. She attends classes on Saturdays from 7 am to 5 pm. At the time of this interview, she was finishing her second semester. When asked when she has time to do her homework, she laughs again and replies: “. . . at night when I finish caring for the animals and the things of the house, so I go to sleep late."

Mónica had never before participated in a women’s enterprise group. She says, “Apart from the benefit that people who cannot have a normal job receive, it has given us the realization that we can do much. It helps us to see other perspectives. We feel useful, but we need more—some workshops to help us change our outlook. I see that there is a lot of negativity in the women, because if a job does not work, they think if I try again, I'm not going to be able to do it.

“Also to talk about the values ​​and rights of women, because husbands do not approve of them learning to earn money. Provide talks not only for the women but for their husbands, that even if they do not work together, they can support their wives. I also feel that there is little awareness. We want to see money but we do not leave to find it. The money is not going to arrive in our hands.”

As president of the group, Mónica says, “You think it is going to be easy but no, there has to be pulling of the women. Not only are there the accounts that we are going to repay as a group, but how are we going to get out of this negativity so we don't stay stagnant?”

Mónica and her husband already had an initial investment in all their activities. With the loan they received from the microcredit project, they invested a bit more in each. They made the pen for the pigs, a pool to raise fish, bought more chickens, a pair of ducks with the sale of chickens. To repay the loan, they are going to sell two pigs they have been raising with household waste and brush. They will be left with the pens to raise more pigs, and with the chickens, ducks and fish.

ADEHGUA observes that the difference between Mónica and the other women in her group is that she has had the opportunity to study and to learn from a diversity of activities. “If a loan is invested in two small activities, it is more profitable and with less risk because if you lose a part you still have some left, contrary to the case of Doña Cristina, who lost all her capital, labor and effort in a single activity,” an ADEHGUA representative notes.

At this writing, in fall 2015, ADEHGUA was preparing for the closure, evaluation and follow-up of the first phase of the PW-sponsored microcredit project.

Women Uniting Efforts: PW Microcredit Project in Guatemala

By Barbara McLean
Moderator, PW in the Presbytery of Western North Carolina

Monica and her family have been able to expand a number of microenterprises with the help of the PW/Western North Carolina microcredit program.

PW in the Presbytery of Western North Carolina has a long history of involvement in mission and hands-on projects, both locally and globally. One of our projects—the one of which I am most proud—is the microloan project for our PW sisters in Guatemala. We have a 21-year history of partnership with Suchitepéquez and Sur Occidente presbyteries. In April of 2012, we hosted three women from these presbyteries for a week in North Carolina, and in the fall of 2013, four of our PWs attended a retreat in Guatemala with the women in those presbyteries. The idea for making these loans came out of this retreat. After getting to know the women and hearing their stories, it became apparent that a microloan program could be a huge help for them and their families.

We found an agency in Guatemala (ADEHGUA) whose job it is to administer microloan programs. They have a long and successful history of doing so. We initially raised just over $7,000 and, in April 2015, our first checks were sent. Thirty-two women participated in the first cycle of our program and of those, 30 plan to continue. A group of 15 from another area would like to join. 

ADEHGUA is helping the Guatemalan women learn to run their businesses. Groups meet every two weeks to report their progress. ADEHGUA collects payments and keeps records for each project. All of the money goes back into the pot for future loans and to pay administrative fees from ADEHGUA for administering the program. 

Some of the projects receiving funding so far include raising chickens, pigs and other livestock; cooking projects where food is made to sell; a small store that provides basic supplies; raising corn; making and selling clothing; and selling firewood and coal. See the next post for profiles of two women and their projects.

This is a unique undertaking for PW in the PC(USA), so we are happy to be on the cutting edge and to be living into our purpose in this way. Thanks be to God for the opportunity to do this and for the wonderful response we have had so far to be about God's work in Guatemala.

For more information, email [email protected].

A Mission for Justice: Menstrual Hygiene

Women in North Carolina help women in Guatemala launch small businesses

By Barbara McLean
PW moderator, Presbytery of Western North Carolina

Presbyterian Women  in the Presbytery of Western North Carolina has a long history of involvement in mission and doing hands-on projects both locally and globally. One of our projects—the one I am most proud of—is a microloan project for our PW sisters in Guatemala. The idea for making these loans came out of a fall 2013 retreat with women in three presbyteries in Guatemala. We sent four women from our presbytery. After getting to know these women and listening to their stories, it became apparent that a microloan program could be a huge help for these women and their families. 

So we formed a task force that began work a little over a year ago. We developed some plans and found an agency in Guatemala whose job it is to administer microloan programs. The agency has a long and successful history of doing so. We initially raised just over $7,000 and have partnered with ADEHGUA, a group working in Guatemala, to administer the program. In April of 2015, our first checks were written to provide loans for businesses. Thirty-six women are participating.

Our funds were depleted after the first cycle of loans, so we will need to raise more for the second cycle of loans, which will begin in the fall. The rate of repayment is anticipated to be around 80 percent, but we have no way of knowing at this time whether that will be accurate for our project. We asked for more funds in April in order to keep this project alive. We need prayers for those women who are starting new businesses and for PW in our presbytery as we continue to raise funds.

This is a unique project for PW in the PC(USA). We are happy to be on the cutting edge and to be living into our purpose in this way. We look forward to sharing information about specific women and their projects as more information comes in to us in late summer and early fall.

If you are interested in learning more about our microloan project or if you are interested in contributing, please contact Barbara McLean.

 

 

Telling PW mission stories in scrapbook format

Telling our stories is sometimes hard to do. Presbyterian women know the importance of mission, but in general we don’t do a great job informing others of what and why we are doing it. This was a topic of discussion at the 2014 fall meeting of the Mission Relations Committee of PW's Churchwide Coordinating Team. We decided right there to glean stories in a fun way. That was the genesis of this year's Churchwide Gathering mission scrapbook project.

We were surprised with the overwhelming response. More than 140 scrapbook pages were submitted at the 2015 Gathering in June. These pages have been digitized and are now available for your online viewing.

You will see that many PWs are working on familiar projects like prayer shawls and quilts, little dresses for Africa and sani-pads; other PWs are crocheting mats for homeless people out of plastic grocery store bags, making pillowcases for women's shelters, making finger puppets for Operation Christmas Child, and much, much more!

It is amazing to see PW mission in action throughout the country!  Every time I look at the scrapbook, I notice new things. Two things jumped out at me recently:

1. The press release—Imagine if 140 PW groups put a small article in the local paper inviting the community to participate in a mission project?

2. Collaboration—More than 21,000 meals were prepared in four hours with the help of 20 churches in one presbytery. I imagine the people participating in this one are still talking about it.

I hope you are inspired by the great work being done on behalf of Presbyterian Women. I want to thank all who participated in this project and to our PW staff in Louisville for the time and effort they have spent on this labor of love.

Your sister in Christ,
Jane McGookey

Editor's note: Jane McGookey is the synod representative for the Synod of the Covenant, on the Churchwide Coordinating Team of Presbyterian Women in the PC(USA).

Overcoming suffering in South Sudan

“All the world is filled with suffering. It is also filled with overcoming.”

—Helen Keller                                 

“Bible, three, Nancy” were the only three words I understood during an announcement at church recently. I wondered what it was about, then forgot about it until greeting people after church. (The Murle, have a custom of filing out of church, going down the line and greeting each person as they leave.) During that time, at least three women repeated those words (among others I didn’t understand) as they greeted me. Taking the third one by her hand, I went in search of an English speaker. “You are the ‘preacher’ for the Women’s Group this week. It is Tuesday at 3 p.m.” he told me. Typical South Sudanese fashion, no checking to see whether you are available, just making the announcement. 

“Ok, I will do it, but they must get a translator,” I told them.   

Three p.m. on Tuesday found me (and only me) at the church. I  set up my flannelgraph ‘‘sermon’’ and waited as slowly the women trickled in. Finally, we started with prayer and songs. Then came testimonials. But I still didn’t see a translator. More testimonials, another song. Then Tabitha looked out the door and, as another woman got up to give her testimony, she said, “No, we are done with that. It is her turn.” The translator had arrived.

A typical tukhel in South Sudan; photo by Nancy McGaughey

I gave my lesson on the Good Samaritan. I chose that scripture because earlier, when I was in the field, talking with the driver, he said he was tired of all the fighting in his country (a common sentiment). He wanted peace. I said that, before lasting peace, there had to be forgiveness and reconciliation. He asked, “How many times must we forgive? We are tired of forgiving. My grandmother used to tell me, ‘You can remove one piece of grass from the thatch of a tukhel and it will not leak.’” I must have looked confused, as he then said, “We can lose one tribe and still be the country of South Sudan.” The hurt and the pain go deep on all sides. Only God can unite this nation. We must keep praying for these brothers and sisters.                                                   

The best way to get around during the rainy season is to travel one of the many waterways in South Sudan. The Nile is certainly one of the prettiest (at least when it isn’t raining). The noise of the motor prevents conversation. It is just you, God and God's creation. Beautiful birds, fish, water snakes, crocodiles and hippos.

Patients waiting to be seen in Lul Clinic; photo by Nancy McGaughey

At one of the clinics I recently visited in Upper Nile State, the staff said people who came to the clinic for treatment had requested the kawajas (white foreigners) to come and meet with them so they could thank them for bringing health care to their village. It seems those who have so little are the most grateful. This is one of the clinics that is being funded by OFDA (Office for Foreign Disaster Assistance, a branch of USAID). It occurred to me that as it is funded by the U.S. government, you are the very people they want to thank! So thank you from them.            

At another clinic, I was sitting in the delivery room/inpatient room/outpatient clinic for prenatal care, talking with the staff about their challenges and what they needed to provide good care to their patients. Out of the metal cupboard in the corner of the room came a  hen, which proceeded to wander around the room. I think I was the only person there who found this strange. I do admire these women, as they overcome so many obstacles in their lives and work to make pregnancy/delivery safer for women in Sudan.          

Please hold in prayer:

• All those displaced who do not feel safe returning to their homes
• Those who need to forgive and those who need forgiveness (all of us)
• The leaders of this nation, that they might come to an agreement, seek peace and seek what is best for the people and the nation

Nancy McGaughey, center, with clinic staff in Wau Shilluk;
photo courtesy of Nancy McGaughey

I am privileged to be one of your representatives here in South Sudan. Without your prayers and financial support, I would not be able to be here. Mere words cannot convey how blessed I feel nor my gratitude for your support.

May you be blessed, as well.

Nancy McGaughey

Editor's Note: Nancy McGaughey is a PC(USA) mission coworker in South Sudan. Read more about Nancy McGaughey's ministry on the PC(USA) website and on page 129 of the 2014 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study. Write to her and give online (MI910021) to support her work.

Additional Note: Presbyterian Women in the PC(USA) has lifted up South Sudan as an area of mission focus during the last two triennia. Presbyterian Women supports mission partners in South Sudan through its gift from the Mission Pledge to the PC(USA) and through grants from the Birthday and Thank Offerings. PW visited these mission partners in 2011 and 2013. For more on Presbyterian Women's work in South Sudan, see theMarch/April 2014 issue of Horizons magazine, the July/August 2012 issue of Horizons and the PW mission web pages.

Swarming bees, strongs winds accompany health training in South Sudan

Swarming bees, strong winds, unfamiliar languages, speed boat trips up and down the Nile—all were part of my recent trip to Kodok in Upper Nile State, South Sudan.

IMA World Health, the organization with which I currently work, recently received funding to open mobile clinics for people displaced by recent conflicts in Upper Nile and Jonglei States. Dr. Jenny Bell and I flew to Kodok, north of Malakal, to conduct trainings for the staff—she in management of childhood illnesses, I in reproductive health. Kodok has a population of about 51,000, but has grown by another 52,000 with all of the internally displaced people (IDPs).                                                                                                       

Our first day in Kodok, we delivered supplies to a new clinic opening in Ogod, a village an hour and a half up river from Kodok. The noise of the motor prohibited conversation, so it was a great time just “cruising the Nile” and enjoying the beauty of God’s creation. It was obvious how Moses could easily have been hidden among the reeds along the banks.

The room I was given for our training was too small for the eight women in our class, so we moved outside onto the verandah. The first afternoon the wind became so strong, we had to move around the corner. The next afternoon a swarm of bees came up from the bushes, so again we had to pick up our chairs and move around the corner.   

Only two of the eight women in the class spoke some English. Fortunately for me, one’s English was good enough to serve as my interpreter. They all spoke Shilluk (their tribal language) and Arabic. It is customary in South Sudan to start training by asking the participants about their expectations and their goals and objectives for the training. When I asked the women what their expectations were, they said things like: “gain new knowledge and skills,” “learn more about prenatal care,” and “learn more about anemia.” All of their expectations were about gaining knowledge and skills. I was excited. When I told them this was the first training I had done in South Sudan that did not include “good food,” “certificate,” “t-shirt” among the expectations, one of them replied, “We are here to learn. If the food is bad, it is only for two days. We will survive. We are here to get knowledge and new skills.”

I like to start my trainings with a short devotion—a song (in their language), a prayer, a few verses from the Bible. Since these were all women, I decided to talk about women from the Old Testament. I chose Hannah and Esther, neither of whom they had heard of before. After telling the story of Esther, I mentioned the verse in which Mordecai says “Who knows but what God has put you in this position for such a time as this.” One of the women said, “Maybe God put us in this place, at this time, so we can help save the lives of women in our communities.” It is so exciting to see/hear them relate scripture to their own situations.     

Waiting to be seen at Wau Shilluk clinic

At the end of the training, one of the women asked if she could close in prayer. She prayed in Arabic, but I had someone translate for me. She said, “We thank God and IMA for sending us a good teacher from so far away.” You are the ones who have sent me here, so, in essence, she was thanking you. I also thank you for the privilege of being and working in this place at this time. Your prayers for safety, for work and travel, for good health are greatly appreciated.

Psalm 34:18 comes to mind when I think of these people. “The Lord is near to those who are discouraged; He saves those who have lost all hope.” God is near to them, He gives them hope and He sustains them. Please continue to hold them in your prayers—the country and its leaders, as they try to find a solution to fighting, and the people, many of whom are trying to survive in a place other than their home.

My plan now is to return to the United States the latter part of December. I will be available for itineration January through April 2015 (perhaps longer). It seems so far away, but the time will go quickly. As you plan for 2015, I would appreciate the opportunity to meet and thank you in person and share more of my journey taken with the people of South Sudan.                                                                                                        

Blessings,                                                                                                   

Nancy McGaughey

Editor's Note: Nancy McGaughey is a PC(USA) mission coworker in South Sudan. Read more about Nancy McGaughey's ministry on the PC(USA) website and on page 129 of the 2014 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study. Write to her and give online (MI910021) to support her work.

 

Additional Note: Presbyterian Women in the PC(USA) has lifted up South Sudan as an area of mission focus during the last two triennia. Presbyterian Women supports mission partners in South Sudan through grants from the Birthday and Thank Offerings. PW visited these mission partners in 2011 and 2013. For more on Presbyterian Women's work in South Sudan, see theMarch/April 2014 issue of Horizons magazine, the July/August 2012 issue of Horizons and the PW mission web pages.

Fistula treatment: A letter from Ethiopia

March 2014

She lay on the dirt floor with her knees pulled up to her chest. Tears rolled down her cheeks as Kidist thought of her baby, the tiny body still and lifeless as she saw him for the first and last time. For six days Kidist had been in labor, scared, in pain and exhausted because she could not push her baby out. Now three months later she still could not control her body. Urine leaked out of her no matter how she sat, how she lay down, how much she tried to stop it. Kidist’s husband had become disgusted with her condition and walked away from the marriage without a word. Now her sister brought food daily to the door of her tiny hut on the very edge of the village but left quickly because the terrible smell was so powerful. No one else even came near. How could she live like this the rest of her life, Kidist asked herself.

This Ethiopian woman suffered through eight days
of labor and is permanently paralyzed because
of an obstructed delivery. Photo by Lucy Perry,
Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia (Australia)

Kidist is 13 years old.

While Kidist’s story is fiction, it accurately portrays the plight of thousands of women, especially young teenage women, in Ethiopia. When Rich and I arrived in Ethiopia, I had no idea what “fistula” meant. That first year, I learned that an obstetric fistula is a hole in the tissue between the vagina and the bladder or between the vagina and rectum. Both can happen to the same woman. These tears or holes are nearly always caused by prolonged labor of three or four days, even up to nine days. In Ethiopia, and other parts of Africa, when there are complications during labor, there is often no physician or medical help other than a female village elder. No one is present who can perform a Caesarean section or other medical procedure in a complicated birth. Often, the baby is stillborn. In Ethiopia this happens to about 18,000 women and girls a year. About half die along with the baby. The other half are left with fistulas.

Although obstetric fistulas are the result of labor complications, the root causes are poverty, malnutrition and early marriage. Girls who grow up malnourished and/or poor have stunted growth and their pelvises are not large enough to accommodate the passage of a baby. In some areas of Ethiopia, marriages traditionally occur with a bride as young as 12 or 13 years old. The girls’ pre-adolescent or adolescent bodies are sometimes not physically ready to give birth.

Oasis of hope

There is hope. Our second year in Ethiopia, I visited the Hamlin Fistula Hospital. Founded in 1974 by Catherine and Reginald Hamlin, it is the largest hospital in the world that treats fistulas exclusively.  Walking through the gates of the hospital compound means leaving behind the noise and dirt of the neighborhood and entering a place of peace and beauty. The hospital is a series of small buildings on a slope overlooking a river and hills. Flowers and bushes line the walkways. Trees gracefully overhang the paths. Women walk around with smiles on their faces and small colorful knitted blankets around their shoulders, no two blankets alike. I saw a ward of women and their babies. Women who have been treated for fistulas at this hospital can return when they are pregnant again so that they can safely deliver another baby.

Treatment here costs the patients nothing. Many arrive at the gate after traveling for days, by foot or by public transportation. They arrive with no money and no hope. Their husbands have left them, their families have abandoned them, strangers avoid them. But if the women can find their way to the hospital, the cure rate is 90 percent.

A safe environment

I later visited a place that furthered my understanding of those women who are the other 10 percent. Desta Mender (“Joy Village”) is a green, flowering oasis with vegetable gardens, a small restaurant, and a dairy and chickens located a few miles outside Addis. This residential community for women with incurable fistulas offers training and support. In this safe environment women learn how to live with their chronic medical condition while acquiring livelihood skills to support themselves.

In addition, Desta Mender houses a midwifery school that equips women with knowledge and skills related to pregnancy and childbirth. Midwife graduates return to their home areas, able to provide medical care to local women who experience childbirth complications, significantly reducing the incidence of fistulas. The Hamlin Fistula Hospital in Addis has also established five small hospitals in other parts of Ethiopia so that women with fistulas have a greater chance of reaching a place of help and healing.

Partner church hospital treats fistulas 

Aira Hospital, in western central Ethiopia, is a general hospital that treats obstetric fistulas. This hospital, located in an impoverished area of the country, is owned and operated by the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY), the PC(USA)’s partner in Ethiopia. In this way, EECMY is addressing one of the terrible consequences of poverty in Ethiopia. The PC(USA) has identified poverty, especially regarding women and children, as a critical global issue. This hospital’s treatment of fistulas is an example of the PC(USA) and a global partner both identifying the same important issue and seeking significant ways to tackle it together.

Dr. Catharine Hamlin visits a patient who
has undergone fistula repair surgery
at Hamlin Fistula Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Photo courtesy of Hamlin Fistula Hospital.

Over time, living in Ethiopia, my eyes have been opened to a world I had never seen before—a world of pain, of rejection, of sorrow and hopelessness. How grateful I am that Christians such as Catherine Hamlin (and her late husband), and denominations such as EECMY, are living out their Christian witness, looking forward to the day when every Ethiopian woman who has a fistula can be treated and helped to move forward in her life. And, even more, I look forward to the day when every Ethiopian woman will have adequate medical care so that fistulas will be a condition of the past and never again a reality of the present or the future.

To learn more

Read the op-ed piece that appeared in The New York Times in February 2014 featuring Dr. Catherine Hamlin and the Hamlin Fistula Hospital in Addis. Dr. Hamlin was nominated in February 2014 for the Nobel Peace Prize by the country of Ethiopia.

Visit Hamlin Fistula Hospital on the web at www.hamlin.org.au.

Finally, thank you

Once again, [my husband] Rich and I are thankful for your partnership with us as we work on your behalf in Ethiopia. We are not in Ethiopia by ourselves. You have come alongside us with your prayers, your encouragement and your financial support. Without you, we could not be here. Please keep supporting us as we minister together.

Marilyn Hansen

Note: Marilyn and Rich Hansen are mission coworkers in Ethiopia. Read more about the Hansens' ministry in the 2014 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, page 133, on their PC(USA) World Mission web page, and on their blog, Meskel Musings. Write to Marilyn or Rich and give online to E200476 to support their work. Congregations: Give to D507537 for the Hansens' sending and support.