Orla Klipper, the founder of Shelter Gambia, has said that Vesico Vaginal Fistula (VVF) can be cured, adding that her organisation is here to help Gambians who are suffering from Vesico Vaginal Fistula.

She made this remark in an interview with the Daily Observer recently. According to her, since the launching of Shelter Gambia, they registered five patients, out of whom, four are already discharged. She said Shelter Gambia is established to enable women suffering from Vesico Vaginal Fistula to stay there for about two months after being discharged from the hospital. "These women will be well nourished, and will receive instructions and education about the problems of childbirth, induced injuries, among others. They will also be entitle to basic health education and they will also be able to learn skills like soap making, tie and dye, etc. All of these will be done free of charge," she assured.

According to her, Vesico Vaginal Fistula is stigmatised and it therefore requires a lot of concentration and care for the patients. "It was hard at the beginning to take care of all the patients alone but thanks to Dr Jah, a doctor at the Royal Victoria Teaching Hospital who gave her a helping hand in taking care of all the surgery of these women," she explained.

She added that women who are infected with VVF are isolated and discriminated by the society and as a result they keep it to themselves without not seeing a doctor. VVF, she said, is very complicated and it disturbs the life of a woman to an extent of loosing her marriage due to ignorance of both the woman and the husband about the illness.

She disclosed that there are two primary causes of fistula in women: childbirth, causing obstetric fistula and sexual violence, causing traumatic fistula. According to her, people who are mostly affected are women from the provinces because of the lack of good medical care, teenage pregnancy, early marriage, female circumcision and also under nourishment which do reflect so negatively on these women when they become pregnant.

She also revealed that, her team will be going to the provinces to meet with birth attendants, women and also men to educate them on VVF and to also help women who are affected. "VVF can be prevented, it can be cured and also can be avoided. I am willing to spend the rest of my life here to make sure that VVF is out of the Gambia", she said. She thanked the ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Dr Jah and all those who assisted her.