The first fistula patient with the surgical team and SIM administrators.

SIM is partnering with the Worldwide Fistula Fund (WFF) to provide surgery and care for women injured with obstetric fistulas. During the first two weeks of December 2009 the WFF sent a surgical team to Niger to operate on five women with obstetric fistulas.

The team operated on the women during the first week and provided post-operative care the second week. Since this was the first surgical visit by the WFF they also greeted the Governor and local public health officials. All were very positive about the work to help these women.

The Worldwide Fistula Fund is sending a second surgical team in April and May of 2010. They plan to operate on 10 women during this visit. They are using the Danja Center for Health and Leprosy operating room during these initial visits. After the new fistula center is constructed adjacent to the leprosarium they plan to keep a surgeon here and operate continuously through the year.

The foundation footings and blocks were laid in 2008 and construction will be resumed in April 2010. We hope that the fistula hospital will be completed in early 2011.

The fistula center work at Danja has four main aspects:

1. Prevention and education—teams will visit local villages to encourage people to take women to a government hospital in cases with prolonged labor. Local midwives will be instructed in how to avoid this injury.
2. Surgeries for obstetric fistulas will offer new life to the thousands of women suffering from this injury.
3. African surgeons will be trained to do obstetric fistula repair surgery at other hospitals.
4. Rehabilitation training will be offered to women who are on their own as skills or trades will be taught after their recuperation from the surgery.

	Ladies dancing with joy at their discharge ceremony.

Pray

Please continue to pray for this vital ministry taking place at Danja. Praise God that women are being healed and given a chance at new life! Please pray also for the construction of the new building that will allow these surgeries to go on year round.

Give

Your gifts help to provide surgeries for these beautiful women. Mark your donation to go to the equipment needed for the Danja Fistula Center CSL or help to provide the new kitchen that will be used to care for these women during their time in the hospital.

Thank you always for your generosity and your partnership with SIM!