46 years of silence: Obstetric fistula leaves women battling stigma, isolation

46 years of silence: Obstetric fistula leaves women battling stigma, isolation

For 46 years, Alice Atieno lived with a condition she did not understand and could not control. A childbirth injury that occurred in 1980 left her leaking urine and stool, forcing her into decades of shame, isolation and rejection. She stopped moving freely in public, withdrew from society and watched relationships around her slowly change. The turning point came when she heard of a free fistula screening camp at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching …