Agnes A
Uganda
Agnes Found Hope at Terrewode
Agnes was only 14 years old when her parents offered her for marriage. They were very poor and received 100,000 shillings and the promise of 2 cows. She soon had 3 children and it was while delivering her 4th baby that her labor became obstructed and prolonged. Agnes’ baby died, she suffered an obstetric fistula, and her uterus had to be removed.
Agnes’s husband forced her and their 3 children out of their home due to her constant leaking. Her father’s relatives also rejected her. She fled to the Ogolai trading center where a good Samaritan provided a thatched roof hut for them to live in.
I lived for four years like a foreigner, yet my own father’s home was just a stone throw away. My relatives never checked on me.
Five years passed before Agnes met Grace, a fistula survivor who connected her with Terrewode Women’s Community Hospital (TWCH). Her fistula was closed and she was dry! Through TWCH’s Social Reintegration program, she received prevention education and vocational training. Her life was transformed. Agnes is now able to support herself and her children.
Agnes now educates others on prevention and treatment awareness, as well as advocates for improved maternal and child health services. With her friend and mentor Grace, they established the Amorican Fistula Solidarity Group’s Music, Dance, and Drama committee charged with creating community awareness on fistula.
I’m a changed woman and no longer rejected all because of Terrewode. I plan to save money to purchase my own land and build a home for me and my children and have peace.
