Healing the hidden wounds of childbirth

For women like 38-year-old Farhiya from rural Beletweyne, the consequences can be devastating — a painful obstetric fistula, a hole in the birth canal that left her incontinent, isolated, and cut off from her community.

“I was stressed, constantly worried, and isolated from my community. I was living in my house as if I had some sort of contagious disease,” she said.

In Somalia, 6 out of 10 births occur without a doctor present, which often leads to childbirth complications like obstetric fistula.

I was living in my house as if I had some sort of contagious disease

The condition impacts millions of women worldwide, with those in the Arab region — especially in Yemen, Sudan, and Somalia — among the most affected, according to the UN sexual and reproductive health agency (UNFPA). 

This is largely due to limited access to basic and essential maternal health services.

“An estimated 171,000 pregnant women are struggling to access life-saving maternal health care”, reported UNFPA.

In addition, the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Somalia is worsening the situation.

Malnutrition among pregnant and breastfeeding women has reached critical levels, further increasing the risk of pregnancy and birth-related complications such as premature delivery and low birth weight in babies, according to the UN agency.

Journey to healing

Although recovery is a long and arduous journey, it has also been marked by support and compassion from friends and communities.

For Farhiya, one neighbour raised money for her to travel to Mogadishu for treatment. Unfortunately, the $800 surgery cost meant help was still out of reach.

Hope emerged when another woman told her about a fistula campaign – a major community outreach effort paired with free fistula repair surgeries – at Dayniile Hospital.

With support from the Federal Ministry of Health, Physicians Across Continents, and UNFPA, and funding from KSrelief, the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre — Farhiya once again found strength in her community.

Their collective support enabled her to travel to Mogadishu, where she finally received life-changing repair surgery.

“Most of the patients who come to us are from rural areas, and each one of them has her own story, each more painful than the other” said Dr. Aisha Abdulkadir Abdullahi, a member of the medical team at Dayniile Hospital.

“With the ongoing awareness and surgical campaigns, I am hopeful that the numbers will gradually decrease and one day fistula will be fully eradicated”, she added.

For Nince, a 35-year-old mother of three, fistula surgery has been truly life-changing.  

“For five years, I haven’t visited any relatives or been invited to any weddings. I was too ashamed to use public transport”, she shared.  “Now that I have had the surgery and am no longer leaking urine, I have decided to visit my relatives”.