Women in the developing world suffer in silence from a debilitating but treatable condition — uterine prolapse, where the uterus descends due to weakened pelvic muscles, often after multiple childbirths. Deep-rooted stigma, limited access to healthcare, and lack of medical information prevent many women from seeking help. Instead, they endure years of pain, shame, and physical limitations.
To address this silent crisis, our partner, Joy*, in Nepal, has begun to visit remote provinces to provide 3-day mobile health camps including doctors and nurses who educate women about the symptoms of prolapse — a condition many had never heard of — and to give practical advice, medicines, and pessary rings to help treat the problem. For the most severe cases, the project supported life-changing surgeries.
One woman, Begmaya, a mother of five, had endured a stomachache and back pain for three years. At the camp, she finally received medicine and a pessary ring which stopped her pain. She said, “Now that I know, I will seek medical treatment whenever I get sick in the future.”
Another 38-year-old woman, Mandari, suffered for a year, and for a variety of reasons did not go to a doctor, but she was willing to go to Joy’s camp. She underwent life-saving surgery when it was discovered that she also had a cyst on her prolapsed uterus. The surgery not only saved her life but restored her health and the ability to care for her 2 children. Her response, “Thank you for saving me.”
Through this project of 2 camps in different areas, over 500 hundred women reclaimed their health, dignity, and hope. Through your support of projects like these, which provide informed, community-based care to impoverished women, cycles of silence and suffering can be broken— for good.
*not real name
