She says that she stopped working the moment she learnt of the condition as it couldn’t allow her to work. “The condition had limited me. I couldn’t go on with business as I would pass faeces and urine without my knowledge,” Jackline remarks.  She notes that there was a time she tried going back to work but she couldn’t manage the condition. Most women living in fistula are stigmatized. Women like Jackline are rejected because they leak and smell urine hence people avoid sitting or working with them. The condition makes one lose value in employment as well as in business. The fact that she has not been working has made her depressed, “my husband does casual jobs and the cost of living has gone too high. I have always wished I could be able to work and assist him pay the bills,” she notes.

Jackline describes fistula as an embarrassing condition; sometimes people would even start covering their noses when they came close to people suffering from it.  She points out that sometimes she would be too broke to buy sanitary pads, hence stuffing her underwear with rags. However, faeces still leaked onto her clothes, forcing her to wash them several times a day.

“For a woman, you must be very careful if you are married like me. A man can leave you because of dirt. Women suffering from condition work double to maintain high standards of hygiene in their bodies, house, and home compound,” she notes. She says she heard about Webuye fistula camp via a text message sent on her phone. “M-PESA Foundation was creating awareness about the campaign and they happened to send me a text message and that’s how I came to know about it,” she notes.

Since I didn’t have bus fare to the hospital, I walked approximately 50 kilometers for me to attend this clinic. “I had lost hope, I never knew the day will come and be free from fistula. I am happy God has made it come to pass,” she says crying.

“There was a time we tried to look for treatment but the medical fee was way beyond our ability. I never thought I can get treated for the condition. I am happy with what God has done for me. This is a miracle,” says Jackline.

“There are all these myths that go on in the communities: you are promiscuous, you are bewitched or you have HIV,” says Jackline. She notes that she has now moved from rejected life to a life of hope. She shares that now she will be a good ambassador of fistula in her village and the neighborhood. “Before I couldn’t speak about fistula because I was stigmatized. I was really ashamed to speak about It. I am now free. I will volunteer to speak to women about the condition and help them find help,” she points out. In addition to that, she says that most people don’t know fistula has a cure.

She urges women not to fear speaking out on issues they are going through since that’s how they get healing. “I will urge all women who are disturbed by issues some embarrassing like fistula not to give to brave themselves, talk to people and look for help,” she says.

Experts say about 70 percent of women living with fistula never seek treatment because they do not know what is wrong with them. Fistula was virtually eradicated in developed countries in the 19th century, following the discovery of the Cesarean section.

“I became a fistula victim in 2009. At the time I was only 16 years old,” she recalls.  Priscah notes that she is a victim of teenage pregnancy. She became pregnant at the tender age of 16 years. “I was in a relationship back at secondary school. At the time I was very innocent, I was only trying to discover myself and the world around me. It’s in that relationship where I got pregnant,” she explains.

She notes that although she was not mature for marriage at the time the man responsible for the pregnancy was ready to start life with her. “It’s normal for girls to get pregnant at a tender age in the village and so it was not a big deal,” she says.

Priscah says that, like most girls who get pregnant early in life she didn’t continue with her formal education. The pregnancy marked the end of her 8-4-4 education. “So I started cohabiting with the father of my child and when the time came to deliver he supported me fully,” she expounds.

Even though she had all the support she required, she notes that her delivery was not smooth as she struggled to push the baby to the extent that the doctors were planning to take her for a caesarian section but just before they took her to the theatre she delivered miraculously.

Unfortunately, her child didn’t survive. She died before they left the hospital. To add salt to the injury the doctors realized all was not well with Priscah. She had suffered a fistula. She would pass urine without her knowledge. “Although they did not reveal to me the condition I was suffering from they tried to treat me but they didn’t succeed. Not even going back to the hospital would save the situation,” she observes.

She notes that it didn’t take long before her man would get tired of her. He abandoned her. This saw Priscah go back to her parents where she shared with them about the condition.

She notes that her parents tried to take her to the hospital but didn’t succeed. They tried herbal medicines but again they were not successful. “Nobody has ever heard about the condition in my homestead. So we started looking for traditional solutions and even seeking prayers from men of God but the results were more of the same,” she says.

Priscah explains that it reached a point her condition was dividing her parents as they would shift blames on who was responsible for it. “Some paternal family members would accuse the mother of moving outside her marriage. Some thought it was a curse or witchcraft, everyone had different opinions about it,” says Priscah sobbing.

She notes that the fistula stopped her life completely. “I was abandoned by my husband, lost friends, and my health. I couldn’t work. I would stay at home alone. This is the only place I would find solace,” she explains.

A new chapter…

For now, Priscah is happy her life has taken a new turn. “I am starting a new chapter. I have lived an embarrassing life. I don’t believe that I can sleep and wake up without having soiled my bed. This couldn’t happen before. I am learning how to start living again. This is a new chapter in my life and I am very grateful,” she says. She terms fistula as a crippling condition that denies a person social life.

Priscah says she first heard of the fistula on the radio. “When I first heard of it on the radio, I was with my brother and he helped me look for details about it on Google. In the process, we learned how the Flying Doctors Society of Africa has helped women to overcome the condition. It didn’t take long before I heard about the Webuye Fistula Camp,” she says happily.

“ I even didn’t have bus fare to the camp venue. I borrowed the money Kshs250 to this place,” says Priscah a Uasin Gishu county resident.

She points out the lack of resources and qualified doctors are among the top reasons why most local hospitals can’t treat such conditions. “Most of the local hospitals don’t have qualified doctors to treat fistula. Treating the condition is also very expensive,” says Priscah.

For now, Prsicah is grateful to the Flying Doctors of Africa, M-Pesa Foundation and Royal Media Services for assisting women to get this treatment. “A lot of women are suffering silently. They don’t know where to find help but I am happy I am now treated,” she concludes.