This is Hawa, a seventy year old woman who recently underwent surgery for an obstetric fistula. Now before you begin wondering how a woman could be seventy and suffering from a fistula caused in childbirth, and what that yellow and blue blanket is all about, let me take you back a couple of months...Back in May, I saw a special on the PBS show "Nova" called "A Walk to Beautiful" which was about the work of the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital in Ethiopia, which specializes in fistula repair surgeries for impoverished Ethiopian women. If you're looking for a powerful and inspirational film about the spirit and determination of the poor to change their life's circumstances against incredible odds, go to PBS's web site, find "Nova" and search for "A Walk to Beautiful"; you can view this one hour documentary there in its entirety.
This film, and the situation of these women in Ethiopia, moved me as few things have. So, I ordered the film and nagged a couple of friends from work to help me organize a fundraiser to pay for a fistual surgery for one Ethiopian woman, which would cost roughly $450. Now I say "nagged" but in all honestly these women, Audrey Steele and Eirene Ng'anga-Hackett, didn't need any nagging whatsoever; they were on board within thirty seconds or less, being extremely generous spirits with hearts for poor women. Audrey volunteered her lovely home and big screen TV as our viewing venue, and Eirene, being from Kenya, cooked enough African food to feed a small village. We invited about a dozen people over, fed them and then showed them the film, and let them determine what kind of donation, if any, they wanted to make. We made over $600 which we sent to the Hamlin Hospital for their good work.
But it didn't end there. Our women of Kullakas cooperative, all only one step above poverty themselves, have as their mission solidarity with and the empowerment of disenfranchised women everywhere. They wanted to do something for their suffering sisters in Ethiopia, so they decided to do what they do best--knit a blanket for a woman undergoing surgery. Now unless you've seen the film "A Walk to Beautiful" , this doesn't make a lot of sense. The Ethiopian women and girls need to stay at the hospital a minimum of two to three weeks to heal from their surgeries, and spend a lot of time in hospital gowns, wrapped in crocheted or knitted blankets they use like shawls to fight the chill in the air . Since the women of Kullakas are struggling themselves, we paid one of them a fair wage to knit the beautiful blanket shown above. When it was completed, we mailed it off to Ethiopia, with a card from the women of Kullakas as well as their picture, letting the recipient of the blanket know that she had friends and supporters in Bolivia ardently wishing her a better life.
Just a few days ago, I received a letter from Betel Amanuel, the public relations officer for the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital. I am going to quote portions of her letter, including her not so perfect English (of course, do I speak Amharic? Not a word!) so you can learn yourself about the blanket's recipient:
"We would like to share a story of our patient who was treated in our Harar Hamlin Fistula Center, this way you will know how your help have changed a woman's life, your blanket have warmed her...Hawa had been a fistula patient for 50 years and the reason she did not have help before was because she did not have money for transport or have support of family to get her to Addis Ababa. If she had found this, her life would have been different...unfortunately for her, she could not afford to pay a transport cost which was less than $1 and find a person to bring her to the hospital...Hawa was able to (finally) get to our center with a help of treated patient who was cured at our Harar Hamlin Fistula Center...(Hawa says) "Please try your best to restore my health back, I know I am old and I do not have the chance to have a child, but if you help me to get cured I will have the chance to thank my God after 50 years of suffering. I will be able to go to the mosque and pray, I would be able to be clean again."
I don't even like to dwell too long on the idea of a woman suffering the effects of an obstretic fistula--constantly leaking urine or feces, or both!--for fifty years! Fifty years! But to be a small part of the beginning of the healing of that sort of suffering, and to be able to assist others in being a part of the circle of compassion that has reached Hawa half a world a way...well, that's why I continue to do this small work that is the Global Women's Artisan Alliance. Not to mention the compassion of Betel Amanuel, most likely a busy woman as is any public relations officer of any hospital, to take the time to write this lovely note, so that we would know how our modest efforts helped someone...
This year, let's continue working together to extend a circle of compassion to other women around the world. To be a part of this global network of creativity and healing is truly a privilege.
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