Intégration du Traitement et de la Prévention de la Fistule: Lancement d’une Maternité en Sierra Leone

The Aberdeen Women’s Centre was built to continue providing obstetric fistula repairs in Freetown, Sierra Leone, following the departure of a Mercy Ships hospital ship in 2004. First known as the Aberdeen West Africa Fistula Centre and operated by Mercy Ships, the private center is now known as the Aberdeen Women’s Centre (AWC) and is managed by the Gloag Foundation. AWC receives financial support from the Gloag Foundation and others, including the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), through EngenderHealth’s Fistula Care project. In 2005, AWC built an outpatient clinic to offer consultations and vaccinations to children under age 12. From 2007 to 2010, AWC performed an average of 260 fistula repairs and served more than 7,000 children each year. Services to prevent obstetric fistula have grown to include counseling, family planning, and, starting in April 2010, a maternity care unit for pregnancy care, labor and delivery, and postpartum recovery.