NEWS RELEASE: Soroptimist Announces December 10th Appeal to Help Women Living in Extreme Poverty

Soroptimist Appeal Restores Dignity to Women with Obstetric Fistula

November 12, 2007
Contant: Jessica Levinson, Communications Director, 215-893-9000 x 129
Kamali Brooks, Public Relations Manager, 215-893-9000 x 130

Philadelphia, Pa – Soroptimist International of the Americas, a volunteer organization for business and professional women working to improve the lives of women and girls in local communities and throughout the world, is participating in Soroptimist International’s December 10th Appeal, also known as the President’s Appeal, to help women with obstetric fistula.

Each year on December 10th (United Nations’ Human Rights Day), the Soroptimist International president asks all Soroptimists worldwide to contribute to a project that helps women living in extreme poverty. This year’s appeal, Restoring Dignity: Hamlin Fistula Relief and Aid Fund, will support Ethiopian women with this debilitating condition.

Obstetric fistula occurs as a result of several days of obstructed labor without timely medical
intervention, usually a Caesarean section. The constant pressure of the baby’s head in the birth canal causes a fistula (hole) to form between the bladder and the vagina, and/or between the rectum and the vagina. The baby usually dies and the mother is left with urine and waste leaking from her body.

“Sadly, in Ethiopia, an obstetric fistula can be worse than death,” said Leigh Wintz, executive director of Soroptimist International of the Americas in Philadelphia. “The smell of constantly leaking body fluids results in young women, many of them girls, being rejected and outcast by their community. They are doomed to a life of shame and isolation. This is why our December 10th Appeal is so critical in helping women with this condition.”

An estimated 8,000 to 9,000 women in Ethiopia suffer with obstetric fistula each year and don’t have the money for fistula repair or the access to medical care that most women in developed nations have. At least 93 percent of fistulas can be repaired, but three percent are so badly damaged in childbirth, they cannot be healed.

Funds from the December 10th Appeal will help women who cannot be fully cured by providing ongoing medical care at the Desta Mender Village of the Hamlin Fistula Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In addition, the self-help rural village provides skills and vocational training to the women, encourages their independence and helps improve their morale and self-esteem.

“We invite the public to visit our website and read an article about obstetric fistula from our award-winning magazine, Best for Women,” Wintz said. “Since poverty plays a central role for women living with this horrific condition, we also invite readership of our white paper on Women and Poverty, as well as learning about our many programs that empower women and girls throughout the world.” Soroptimist International of the Americas’ website can be found at: www.soroptimist.org.

Last year, Soroptimist International partnered with Oxfam to improve educational opportunities for girls in impoverished areas of Pakistan. In 2005, Soroptimist joined with the World Health Organization to protect pregnant women and children living in Africa against malaria, a major cause of death and illness.

Soroptimist, a 501(c)(3) organization, offers programs that improve social and economic conditions for women and girls. Programs include the Women’s Opportunity Awards, which provides cash grants for head-of-household women seeking to improve their lives with the help of additional education and training. Each year, more than $1 million is disbursed through this award-winning program. In recognition of the power of women and their dreams, Soroptimist also sponsors the Live Your Dream campaign. Visit the campaign's online home at: <www.liveyourdreamcampaign.org>. Visit Soroptimist’s main site at <www.soroptimist.org> to learn more about the organization and its work on behalf of the world’s women and girls.

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