File:Healing Hands of Joy-Making Motherhood Safer in Ethiopia.jpg

English: My name is Allison Shigo, and I am the co-founder of Healing Hands of Joy (HHOJ), an international NGO that exists to see obstetric fistula eliminated in Ethiopia and to see fistula survivors empowered and successfully reintegrated as self-contributors to their communities and educators in safe delivery. Caused by prolonged obstructed labor, obstetric fistula is a devastating childbirth injury often resulting in stillbirth, chronic incontinence, spousal abandonment, social stigma, and personal shame. HHOJ’s Safe Motherhood Ambassador (SMA) program seeks to support, equip, and deploy women recovering from these devastating effects, restoring their joy, self-esteem, spiritual well-being, and psychosocial capacity to engage fully as community members. This photo I took is of Selamawit, one of the graduates of our SMA program. Following two days of difficult labor, Selamawit had successfully delivered her baby, but in the process developed an obstetric fistula. Her physical state then led her to isolate from friends and neighbors for four tortuous years. Finally, Selamawit was able to undergo surgery at the Hamlin Fistula Center in Bahr Dar and was physically cured. Her emotional healing, however, was far from complete, as the psychological and social effects of such extreme conditions had taken its toll. Thankfully, Selamawit was referred to the HHOJ treatment center in Amhara, where she received holistic training and rehabilitation, including modules on health, nutrition, and family planning and modern contraceptives, as well as individual psychological counseling and basic business training with access to a microloan to enable her to engage in a suitable income generating activity and improve her financial situation, which is key to restoring a sense of self and purpose. Today, Selamawit is fully cured, and is happily living at home with her husband and two children (Ermias pictured). She has engaged in a sheep raising business, and has successfully reintegrated back into her community, saying “I promise to educate my community and family about obstetric fistula and prevention. It will help to eliminate the problem in my country.”