OUR GOAL
Our
primary goal here is raise money to support 10 victims of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) get reconstructive surgery next month.
We need $2040 to provide reconstructive surgery to the first 10 fistula patients. We are working with one hospital and only one surgeon to make surgery possible.
*Please
support our patients and share the link with friends and encourage friends to contribute too.*WHO WE ARE!
We are
ICOD Action Network: welcome to
Project #40Women, our project to eradicate Female Genital Mutilation and provide reconstructive surgery to 40 mothers with fistula starting with the first 10 patients this November. Most women who develop
fistula remain untreated for their entire lives. This is why we are acting now!
WHAT IS FISTULA?? Please read more on World Health Organization's 10 facts about Obstetric fistula HERE![]()
Our secondary goal is to raise money to open up the first
solar-powered Fistula tracking centers here in East Africa. In the 14 months alone, we have reached out to 1500 girls and women
and increased the number of women accessing to maternal health services
by more than 30%. We are hopeful this number will double if we open up these community disease tracking centers
.
Our team have been tracking, managing Female Genital Mutilation and fistula cases and supporting patients get
reconstructive surgery at our partner health facility.
We took 3 of our patients for surgery on the weekend of Sept 4, 5 6.
Thank you all who made this possible. We'll keep you all posted on the
progress.We want out to join so we can reach out to more patientsFEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION AND OBSTETRIC FISTULA
About 140 million girls and women worldwide are currently living with
the consequences of Female Genital Mutilation. Female Genital Mutilation comprises all procedures involving partial or
total
removal of the external female genitalia. In communities where Female
Genital Mutilation is widely practiced it is one of the
causes of
obstetric fistula and urethral damage because procedures used in the
practice
especially among girls and women having their first deliveries. This is the why we are working very hard to eradicate Female Genital Mutilation because its relatedness to health effects like recurrent infections, chronic pain, cysts, an inability to get pregnant, complications during childbirth and fatal bleeding. There are no known health benefits.
Setting up fistula tracking centers
means we are matching patients to treatment....better diseases control and
guidance , AND promoting reproductive health in communities where health services are nonexistent or totally broken down. Our fistula tracking centers will grow into community health-support centers addressing several community healthy issues like malaria and children immunization campaigns.
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To treat fistula and provide women with follow-up medical care, we
need to know more about how many women and girls are in need of
services and also where they live. In most instances, stigma forces
women living with the condition to remain hidden and isolates them from
families and communities. By systematically registering and
tracking each woman and girl who has or had an obstetric fistula, we can
make enormous strides in improving their well-being. This is what makes our Fistula tracking centers
are important
addressing women's health issues.
The centers will be operated by our partner organization and will be just like any other ordinary field office like the one in the picture below: A laptop, printer, files to record patients bio data, a digital camera, an internet modem, first aid kits, two solar panel and batteries, chairs and tables for clerks and staff
. These centers will be hubs for innovations in communities and we will periodically share data and findings with
partners and supporters.
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HOW DOES THE WORLD STAND TO BENEFIT FROM THIS?
Project #40Women is
a community asset. We are opening fistula tracking centers for use by
other partners , activists and individuals advocating for similar
maternal heath issues. Innovations like internet and Telemedicine will
allow
us to extend training and consultation between our team and maternal
health consultant .
We are gaining positive
traction with local and international women health activists worldwide.
As we move forward with our mission, we trust that we will build more
collaborations. We see this as an enormous opportunity to build a
global community that shares knowledge in both directions that will
reduce suffering of fistula patients worldwide.
LOCATION OF OUR FISTULA TRACKING CENTERS
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HOW DID OUR STORY BEGIN?
Our journey began on April 15 2014 when our team started filming an
FGM short film called Chasing The CUT. Our film did not only capture
real-life stories about FGM victims across the region but also opened our hearts and minds to eradicate Female Genital Mutilation and other women rights abuses.
This inspired us to start our Northeastern Uganda Reproductive health
program which includes eradicating FGM, reconstructive surgery for
fistula patients and training grassroots organizations to lead maternal
health activities in their localities.
Watch trailer below
WHY IS IT NOW THE RIGHT TIME TO ERADICATE FISTULA?
Over 2 million women worldwide have an obstetric fistula, with the
majority of cases occurring in resource-poor countries like here in Uganda, East Africa. Most obstetric
fistulas are surgically correctable.
This crowdfunding campaign adds greatly to our ability to track and
support more women get reconstructive surgery and make it a
priority in our health care system.
Project #40Women finds opportunity in the
mismatch between the demand for maternal health services and expertise
and its limited availability. By supporting existing community-based resources like community disease tracking centers, we are increasing capacity through a “hub
and spoke” response model. We are the hub, health care providers and
patients are the spokes.
LET'S MAKE IT HAPPEN
Project#40Women is about building 'Action Networks' that empower people taking
ownership of their lives and getting healthcare system vital to improving their lives. If we create a vibrant "action network' through this crowdfunding campaign, we are very sure we will make be able to reach out to hundreds of girls and women.
We cannot spark this paradigm shift alone. This project is about including YOU in the movement
to improve lives of women and girls in communities where basic health services are non-existent or completely broken down.
Our team will :
- Provide services
- Develop partnerships
- Evolve working administrative structures that support the mission
- Make our entire reproductive health program more sustainable
Below is what this crowdfunding campaign will fund:
First, Project #40Women is seeking $2040 to provide reconstructive surgery to the first 10 of the 40 fistula patients .
Second, $726 will be used to buy 6 big water proof medical boxes that also include first aid kits. (This includes shipping to East Africa)
$2880 will allow us to bring on a part-time counselor and one Telemedicine consultant that will further amplify our efforts to
provide health support and counseling to our patients.
This funding goal will enable us to achieve our minimum viable fulfillment of initial set up, staffing and technology infrastructure.
As a second Stretch Goal, $2400 will be used to buy solar panels, batteries, a printers, digital cameras and
laptops for all the centers .
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$204 is the cost of one-time fistula reconstructive surgery here in
Uganda. However some extreme cases may require surgery
twice or thrice. This an incredibly cost
effective project; Funds raised here will directly go to paying for
reconstructive surgery of patients and provide post-surgery healing
support to patients.
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This campaign constitutes only a portion of our overall long-term
strategic budget. Our stripped down funding goal represents the minimum that we
need to begin implementing our plan to reach out to hundreds of fistula patients. We trust that we will be able to reach this goal due to support from visionaries like you.
DO WE HAVE A HISTORY OF PIONEERING COMMUNITY SOLAR CENTERS IN UGANDA?
YES, in 2010, we opened up Uganda's first solar-powered internet cafe for rural farmers. Watch video and see how we did it with our Chicago partners,
Project Focus
PERKS
We are so grateful for Project Focus who sent us a bag-full of postcards, posters, button badges from Chicago in May. We have them here so we are not incurring any cost to get gits for our contributors.
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MEET MARY, OUR TRACKING TEAM MEMBER?
I have continuously been inspired by what we have achieved over the one year. It brings me such happiness
that I could be part of something so … amazing. So thank you. So much. For
giving love, family and friends to those who are just trying so hard to be true
to themselves. Thank you for upholding women's values and what we stand for. You
are my heroes.” - Mary
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Our team expects a dramatic increase in our capacity to meet the growing
demand maternal health services in communities where we work. Supported by a medical consultant we shall offer consultation
remotely where specialty women health services are lacking.
Our
mission here is to rebuild lives of 40 of women broken down by Fistula. This campaign will help us start with the fist 10 patients.
We also want our staff to grow to include a nurse and a counselor as the
necessary resources become available.
OUR THEORY OF CHANGE
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THIS IS HOW WE MAKE THINGS WORK!
At
ICOD Action Network , we believe that solutions can come from anyone, anywhere but lasting solutions are got when ideas are grown from within communities. Our unique approaches like Barefoot Grannies have helped build grassroots activists for maternal health, girl-child education, women rights and brought incredible results to their communities.
Project #40Women is another example of how we are continuously self-sustaining and heather communities.
We have a history of working with and supporting
the evolution of small grassroots organizations as key means of developing
sustainable local capacity. Our work has impacted more than 100,000 people
since 2008.
BEYOND MONEY - WE NEED YOUR HELP SPREADING THE WORD
We are a grassroots organization driven by staff and volunteers who
work
hard
everyday to ensure our works creates lasting change in communities we
work. We don't have PR team. When you donate or read our campaign,
please
help us spread the work and encourage friends to contribute.
