EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN WITH DISABILITIES
BINGHAM UNIVERSITY TEACHING HOSPITAL (BHUTH), JOS
NIGERIA
Led by SANATU B. SARMA
Project Title: Empowering Vesicovaginal Fistula (VVF)Women with Disabilities
Organization: Bingham University Teaching Hospital (BHUTH), Jos, Nigeria
1. BHUTH’s Mission
Bingham University Teaching Hospital (formerly ECWA Evangel Hospital) exists to provide health-care for all without discrimination as ministry of compassion.
2. The Type of Problem and Geographic Areas Covered
The Women with Disabilities BHUTH is primarily concerned with are women with Vesicovaginal fistula (VVF). The ailment is an abnormal problem affecting the bladder and the vagina that allows the continuous involuntary discharge of urine and in worse cases the involuntary discharge of stool as well. The problem is usually caused by prolonged childbirth. The majority of those who suffer from VVF are teenage mothers. Patients of VVF come from all the 36 states of Nigeria. But the concentration is in Northern Nigeria and the majority of patients with VVF who come to BHUTH for medical care are Muslims.
3. Brief History of the BHUTH’S VVF Programme
BUHTH is a 150-bed general hospital located in Jos, Nigeria. Founded by the Sudan Interior Mission (now Serving in Nations [SIM])) in 1959, Evangel is now under the auspices of the Evangelical Churches Winning All (ECWA). Since 2009, the official name of the hospital has been changed to Bingham University Teaching Hospital.
But the VVF programme in BHUTH started 28 years ago through Dr. Steve Arrowsmith, a missionary Urologist from United States of America (USA). He discovered that some women were suffering from vesico vagina fistula. And even when he booked them for surgery, they did not show up because they lacked the money to pay the bills. He began raising funds called “Poor Fund” for their surgery. The success recorded in the first surgeries brought in more patients. Dr. Arrowsmith founded the programme in response to the physical, psychological, spiritual and social needs of women suffering with VVF. Dr. Arrowsmith has since returned home, but the work is ongoing.
4. The Goal of BHUTH regarding Women with Disabilities
BHUTH’s VVF Center provides preventive, curative, rehabilitative and re-integrative services to women with genital fistula. The women who suffer from VVF are treated harshly by their husbands and often divorced. They are equally rejected by the society. BHUTH desires to see the VVF treated and also empowered so that they can be reunited with their families and be reintegrated into the society.
5. The Uniqueness of BHUTH in the Area of Women with Disabilities
BHUTH is the only private Christian hospital in Northern Nigeria that provides free medical care for women suffering with VVF. The women with VVF disabilities go through discrimination or
stigmatization. As the result many have been abandoned by their husbands and some relations. Most of them are unable to access medical care. And BHUTH comes in to provide free treatment in form of surgery as well as medical treatment until there is healing. Similarly, BHUTH provides short period of rehabilitation in which they learn some trade before they are discharged. The healing process usually takes a long time, and the women suffer all kinds of emotional and physical traumas. But even after they have been treated and discharged, many of them are unable to go back to their husbands. Having no place to go, many have gone into prostitution in order to earn a living and as the result they contract sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS, among others.
6. Statistics of Admission and Discharge Per Year
Between April 2018 to May 2019, we recorded fresh cases (first visits) of 308 patients. There were 552 follow-ups. Number of surgeries were 453.
7. My Personal Involvement with VVF and Women with Disabilities
I began work as female chaplain in BHUTH in 2000. Generally, my work involves praying for the sick, counseling and witnessing. But more specifically, I work in the VVF unit in caring for the women with VVF disease in the area of rehabilitation and re-integrative services. This is done through prayers, counseling, visitation and financial aid.
Empowering the women is key in rehabilitation and re-integration. My deepest concern is for VVF women and other disabilities who are stigmatized or discriminated in the society. They are rejected because of their uncontrolled urine and stool. Because of the desire to help them, I have developed some form of skill acquisition and to form self-help groups (SHG). These self-help groups are based in Gombe and Plateau States. But my visitation areas cover Middle Belt states which include Plateau, Gombe, Taraba, Adamawa, and Kaduna. I train the women in skills like making skin-care products (pomade or Vaseline), cake, beads, among others. I also invite business people to give them some talk on business, so that they will engage in petty businesses to help themselves, their family, and the society.
Another important aspect of helping them to become self-reliant is that I provide for them small soft loans to start micro businesses such as soap making, petty trading, farming, and so on. In this way, they are able to earn and feed themselves. The small loans are recovered after a period of about six months so that others could also benefit. But only a very small percentage (less than 20%) are able benefit from the loans because the funds are not available. One remarkable and encouraging thing is that the women are generally faithful in utilizing the little income they receive and are industrious in trying to fend for themselves. One reason for this is the fact that they feel abandoned by their families and have no one else to help them. And another one is that they are grateful for what we do for them and do not want to disappoint us.
To ensure that they utilize their training and the little loans given to them, I do follow – up to their communities and to see what each woman is doing to encourage and to strengthen them to put in their best. I take pictures with every woman in their area of businesses. I also invite them collectively to meet and discuss their progress. I use such meetings to listen to them and to assess their strength, weakness, failures, and their progress as well. I create awareness in each woman’s community concerning the causes of VVF and how they can curtail its frequency. This is yielding positive results. With the help of God, through this ministry many women have been integrated into their family members and they are doing very well. Many can now feed themselves and their families. And for those who are Christians, their faith has been strengthened, while unbelievers come to know the Lord Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
8. Funding Challenges
As a hospital, we are grateful for some national and international donors who have made free medical services available. But the funds are inadequate to accomplish the goal of empowering the women so that they become self-reliant. With available funds I will be able to visit them more often and provide the funds they need to start some business or enlarge existing ones.
a. Visitation Annual Expenses
On average I visit the discharged patients three times a year. To visit them all takes about one million, seven hundred thousand naira (N1,700,000.00 or $4,800.00). Our exchange rate per dollar is about three hundred and fifty-seven naira.
b. Expanding Training Expenses/Soft Loans
I do organize training workshops and seminars for them so that they can learn small businesses. Take requires finances in terms of materials, logistics, payment for the trainers and feeding. If we could increase the number of those who benefit from the small loans, that would go a long way in improving the lives of the Women with Disabilities. Right now we are working with 50 women (but hundreds of other women cannot be reached due to financial challenges). Of the 50 women, we have extended soft loan to 19 of them. The rest 31 are yet to receive anything. If we are able to give each one of them twenty-five thousand naira (N25,000.00 or $70.00) as loan, totaling seven hundred and seventy-five thousand naira (N775,000.00 or $2,170).
9. Prayer Requests
1. Please pray for my witness among the Women with Disabilities. Please pray that God will touch the lives of the unbelievers among them that they may know the Lord Jesus as their Savior.
2. Please pray also for those who will eventually return to their communities. For the Muslims, they are afraid to accept the message of the gospel their family and community will reject or even kill them for converting to Christianity.
3. Please pray for funds to empower Women with Disabilities. Please pray for the sustainability of their petty businesses.
4. Please pray for safety as I travel to remote areas to visit the patients. Our roads are unsafe because of increasing terrorism, kidnapping and armed robbery.
Thank you.
Sanatu B. Sarma
