Brenda Jackline Khaemba sheds tears of joy when she recalls the life, she has lived for the last three years. Jackline, a mother of three children, lost the meaning of life when it dawned on her she was suffering from fistula. “I got the fistula in 2020 while delivering my third-born child. At the time I didn’t have much information about the condition but it was crystal clear I had a hard task ahead,” Jackline kicks off the interview.

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.