Event: Programmatic and Policy Recommendations for Addressing Obstetric Fistula and Uterine Prolapse

On September 27th, our colleagues at the Wilson Center in Washington, DC will convene an event, Preventing Injuries During Childbirth: Programmatic and Policy Recommendations for Addressing Obstetric Fistula and Uterine Prolapse, featuring several leading experts.

Speakers will include Kate Grant (Fistula Foundation), Gillian Slinger (Campaign to End Fistula, UNFPA), Luc de Bernis (United Nations Population Fund), Dr. Lauri Romanzi (New York University Langone Medical Center), and Celia Pett (Fistula Care, EngenderHealth).

From our colleagues at the Wilson Center:

Obstetric fistula is an injury caused by prolonged labor that creates a hole, or fistula, between a mother’s vagina and the bladder and/or rectum. The result can cause serious pain, stigma, and suffering as well as negative social and economic consequences. According to UNFPA, over two million women worldwide live with the condition and in most cases fistula is preventable and treatable.

This event will highlight the prevalence of maternal morbidities in developing countries and share lessons learned in prevention and treatment of fistulas. Panelists will identify key programmatic and policy interventions and make recommendations for moving the campaign to end fistula forward.

An art reception will follow and feature two mahilako swastha (“women’s health”) quilts from Nepal. These spectacular quilts are comprised of hand-painted panels that tell the story of uterine prolapse, a condition that affects an estimated 600,000 women in Nepal and is closely associated with poor birthing practices and abuse. The panels were painted by survivors of prolapse in Nepal and assembled into quilts by American quilters from the Faithful Circle Quilting Guild in Columbia, Maryland. The project is managed by the Women’s Reproductive Rights Program in Nepal and the Advocacy Project in Washington, D.C. Iain Guest, executive director of the Advocacy Project, will provide a brief introduction.

For more information about the event, click here.