Who are you trying to help? What issue are you trying to address?

Community based initiative centre Rwenzori (COBIC.R) is a local indigenous, non-profit community based organization formed in June 2009 by a group of stigmatized adolescent female youths, who were dejected, devastated and disillusioned as a result of obstetric fistula which had become so rampant among adolescents.

Obstetric fistula is caused by prolonged and obstructed labor. The constant pressure of the baby’s head in the birth canal causes a hole to form between the bladder and the vagina (VVF) or between the rectum and the virgin (RVF) as a result, urine or feces leak continuously and uncontrollably from the women’s vagina. Obstetric fistula also leads to increased cases of health complications, loss of lives for both mothers and babies, especially during birth.

This problem of obstetric fistula is very serious and highly embedded in political, economic and social determinants that underlie poverty and vulnerability. Because of the corruption that is so rampant in our society, there is limited government expenditure on priority social sectors that benefit the poor, thereby leaving so many marginalized people into indescribable suffering especially women and children.

What is your project and how will it help?

The project was envisioned after research findings from a study done in 2011 indicated that based on a large number of cases reported from various government and privately owned health institutions, obstetric fistula is a severe problem. Research further found out that 50% of female youths are involved in multi-sexual practices which expose them to HIV/AIDS, other STD`S and other related problems such as infertility due to STD, mental illness and other subsistence abuse.

Therefore, community based initiative centre Rwenzori (COBIC.R) came up with said project aimed at making the community understand the general problems of obstetric fistula among the female adolescents and creating awareness.

In general, the project aims to reach the following objectives:

1. To create awareness about obstetric fistula to make the community understand what obstetric fistula is, its cause and effects to the female youths.
2. To fight stigma, counsel, and help and treat victims of obstetric fistula in Kasese district
3. To fight and prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS, defilement related cases, and early marriages through creation of awareness and advocacy.
4. To provide psychosocial/mental health support to these traumatized victims and also provide support for maternal and infant health

How can other people partner with you on your project?

1. Funding
2. Exchange visits
3. Capacity building
4. Monitoring and support supervision of the project

Please detail the resources that you need.

We will require a total of approximately 12,000USD to fund all of the following activities of the project:

1. Conducting a stakeholder meeting to introduce the project to help the stakeholders understand their responsibility
2. Recruiting young mothers to act as peer educators in sensitizing other young mothers about the dangers of fistula
3. Training young mothers as peer educators in promoting the awareness of fistula among women
4. Forming reproductive health clubs of young mothers responsible for sensitizing the community about the dangers of fistula
5. Facilitating the reproductive health clubs’ efforts with drama costumes to assist them in promoting the awareness of fistula in Kasese district
6. Conducting meetings with victims of fistula, the district health office and peer educators
7. Mobilizing young mothers to attend video shows that show the dangers and impacts of fistula among the young mothers
8. Printing t-shirts with fistula preventive messages for peer educators
9. Conducting radio talks to sensitize the community about the dangers and impacts of fistula
10. Printing informational materials to increase the awareness of fistula
11. Conducting experience sharing meeting among peer educators, health workers to share lessons learnt, challenges and success stories
12. Supervising the reproductive health fistula clubs
13. Monitoring and evaluating of the project