Providing access to obstetric care in Niger
The DIMOL (Reproductive Health for Safe Motherhood) project was formed in Niger to provide women suffering from obstetric fistula with access to good health and surgical services.
Over the project period, an estimated 55,320 people attended these sessions.
Key activities included the repair and refurbishment of an operating theatre in Niamey, Niger; digging a well to supply sufficient water for fistula sufferers to maintain cleanliness and standards of hygiene; and training two surgeons in the treatment of fistulas. Hospitals in Niamey, Tahoua, Zinder and Marad were equipped with specialist facilities for surgery on fistulas.
Furthermore, the project assisted with the reintegration into their communities of 40 patients considered medically-incurable. The DIMOL Reproductive Health Project for Maternity Without Risk project, again, organised monthly motivation sessions involving rural communities in 30 areas in Niger. These took the form of discussion debates facilitated by peer educators. Topics included reproductive health and the promotion of the rights of women and children, gender equality, family planning, preventing unwanted pregnancy, and prevention of the transmission of STI/HIV/AIDS. Over the project period, an estimated 55,320 people attended these sessions.