Our Educational Program is growing, slowly but surely! Dr. Abdoulaye continues to talk with the women in the Courtyard about how they got fistula and how to prevent it ... but now he has added something very special to this program.

Dr. Abdoulaye has begun to invite husbands of former patients to join their wives for a private meeting together at the Hospital. At this time, Dr. Abdoulaye discusses family planning, fistula, future pregnancies, labor and a C-section delivery. The women sit quietly listening to Dr. Abdoulaye ... each woman is so proud that her husband has come to the Hospital for this meeting!! With his extraordinary gift for relating to people, Dr. Abdoulaye carefully explains all of this information to the individual couple. There are questions and answers, there are smiles, there are handshakes ... and there is hope that these women will never experience another fistula because the next time they become pregnant, with the aid of their husbands, they will seek help before it is too late...

IOWD has hired a mid-wife, Hadjara Magagi, to specifically come to the National Hospital twice a week to talk with the fistula women. Hadjara talks about early marriages, fistula, prevention and personal body care. The women are extremely attentive during these sessions. They are free to ask questions and do so openly as they are very comfortable with Hadjara. Having a knowledgeable woman to talk to is a "first" for most of these patients and the sessions can go on for hours!

IOWD is thrilled to announce that as a result of a radio program about fistula, created by University student Souleymane Yahaya, people in villages near to Niamey have been calling the station requesting that Dr. Abdoulaye and Mid-wife Hadjara come to their village to talk about early marriages and fistulas!!!! This is an incredible opportunity to educate the Nigerien people..and they, themselves, have asked for this!!! IOWD will arrange for Dr. Abdoulaye and Hadjara to visit these villages.

Slowly, ever so slowly ... we are seeing progress because of education ... indeed, the winds of change are beginning to blow softly across this desert country ... and IOWD is proud to be involved...

Dr. Abdoulaye at a meeting with former fistula patient and her husband.	Mid-wife Hadjara, seated in yellow-print dress, talking to the women in the Courtyard.
Mariama, in blue scrubs, working with Hadjara in Courtyard.