Rtw ’23: Women Warriors

Over the course of the past week, I’ve been fortunate enough to have been able to spend some time focusing on women’s issues. It was a powerful week for me that brought attention to an array of different issues that still plague women around the world. I learned a lot from my time at CCBRT on Thursday, and I was privileged enough to close my RTW week with a visit to a village to deliver reusable sanitary pads to school girls who, otherwise, would miss valuable education time. Having Karen by my side through it all was an added bonus. Being able to share these amazing experiences with a good friend really is the icing on the cake! This week was yet another reminder of how fortunate I have been in my life. I’ve had consistent access to quality healthcare, running water, a clean environment and a good education– all things that many women around the world aren’t afforded the opportunity to receive. Seeing the disparity first hand has been eye-opening and heart wrenching, and serves as a constant reminder that I need to continue to use my voice to speak out for those who can’t.

On Thursday, Karen and I toured the CCBRT facility, a medical center dedicated to helping women and children who suffered from extreme complications during childbirth. One of their main focuses is on women who have obstetric fistulas. Though it’s not common in the modern world, it plagues a large number of women in underdeveloped countries. An obstetric fistula is a hole that forms in the vaginal canal that can affect the bladder or the rectum. Often, it is due to lack of medical care during prolonged childbirth, especially in adolescent pregnancies. Not only is it extremely painful, but this medical complication has caused shame on the women who suffer from it. For more information on this issue, visit https://ballardbrief.byu.edu/issue-briefs/obstetric-fistulas-in-sub-saharan-africa. CCBRT really stepped up to the plate to address the issue and give women hope for a better life. Regina Monyemangene, the Training General Manager at CCBRT Academy, gave Karen and I a comprehensive tour. Regina and I worked together remotely on a systems implementation project in 2020 when COVID prevented me from doing the project in person. It was so wonderful to finally see the facility and spend the day with Regina in real life! She showed us the private and public clinic, the prosthetic and orthopedic wing, the Training Academy and the Mabinti Center. Karen is a nurse and care manager, so her knowledge and experience in her field added so much value to our discussions. Because of her background, Karen was really looking forward to seeing the rehab and women’s hospital in Africa. As soon as we walked into the intake ward for the Ortho clinic they were running that day, I was overwhelmed with how many people were there. There were so many moms and babies waiting to be seen, sitting on every free space available. I asked how far patients travel to bring themselves and their children for care, and I was told that they often travel from villages far away– easily a days journey. Regina got permission for us to enter the patient area where children with club feet were being treated, but of course, patient confidentiality prevented us from taking pictures. The work being done at CCBRT is so impactful for the women, children, and their families. We moved on to the prosthetic lab, and I was both fascinated and impressed with how much work was done with such limited resources. After that, we went to the Mabinti Center (https://newsite.ccbrt.org/the-mabinti-centre%EF%BF%BC/) a comprehensive 4-month residential program for women who suffer from obstetric fistula. The center features trained ambassadors who go into rural areas and identify women in need of help for their fistulas. The women then move to the center for their care, and stay for 4 months to learn life and entrepreneurial skills. Further, they are surrounded by other women who are going through the same thing, so they are able to bond with one another and build a community of support. The center really provides a multi-faceted level of care to each woman that walks through the doors. Not only are their medical needs addressed, but they are given back their dignity from a condition that stigmatized them. After our visit, Karen and I reminisced about our own childbirth stories. We were thankful that we both gave birth in facilities where our needs were immediately met, and our children were delivered by healthcare professionals who ensured mom and baby were healthy, happy, and thriving. The visit was really impactful, and highlighted just how fortunate we were to have the experiences that we did.

On Friday, Karen and I boarded a bus to head towards our lodge for our Safari adventure. The morning started off with a bit of chaos– our driver, Jimmy, drove us to the wrong bus station. After a brief panic, Jimmy spoke to the person in charge of the station, figured out where we needed to actually go, and brought us to the correct location. Thankfully, we made it on time! The bus seats were extremely close to one another with virtually no leg room. Cramped is an understatement! With each additional stop along the route, more purchased goods filled the aisles. There were TV screens with a very wide variety of shows from church programs (in Swahili, of course) to movies to reality TV. There was supposed to be a bathroom, but it didn’t appear as if there was one, so I was very careful with how much water I drank. It was a delicate balance to ensure I stayed hydrated, but not so hydrated that I had to use the restroom too often! Around noon, we stopped at a rest stop and had the opportunity to use the bathroom, Turkish style. As soon as we left the bus, vendors were in our faces, trying to sell an array of goods. It was utter chaos! Vendors would even get on the bus at one stop, walk the aisles as we traveled trying to sell their products, and then disembark at the next stop. It was wild to see! Once we got back on and moved away from the city, the scene transformed into vast mountains and lush greens. The conditions of side roads and homes were similar, but vegetation drastically changed. Plus, the temperature and humidity dropped, so I was thankful! Karen and I took turns at the window seat to look out at the changing scenery and to take a nap. Our bus adventure came to an end in the early evening, and we disembarked with a sigh of relief to be out of the cramped quarters. We got to our African view lodge shortly thereafter, ate some dinner, and promptly went to sleep, excited to explore the lodge in the morning.

The lodge proved to be a beautiful oasis, filled with the perfect places to rest and relax. Our bodies were still feeling the effects of the eleven hour bus ride the day prior, so Karen and I both booked a massage. The spa setting was peaceful– calm, with just the right amount of ambient sound: muted voices from the nearby kitchen preparing the days menu, flutes and drums off and on somewhere in the distance, and many different birds, including a rooster! Usually when I get a massage at home, there’s background music playing to create ambience, but at the lodge, the sounds of the area naturally create that feeling. It was wonderful! The lodge also featured a swimming pool, so we took advantage of that. It felt so good to sit by the water and take a dip whenever I felt too hot! As I was lounging by the pool, my mind started to consider Africa as a whole. I mentioned in earlier posts that Africa is a land of extremes, and with each new destination I visit, I witness more examples of the phenomena. On Friday, we were in the full immersion and onslaught of crowds in the city. We walked through the dust in dirty streets, surrounded by droves of people, inhaling the scent of burning trash. And this day, we were sitting by the pool, listening to birds chirping while snacks were hand delivered by staff members as we basked in the bliss of respite. At some moments, the contrast feels like whiplash of my heart and spirit. Maybe it’s my “Catholic guilt”– how can I lounge by the pool when moms with babies on their backs are selling goods to passerby’s on the street just to make ends meet? I’m doing this trip to emphasize women’s issues– and I am doing that– but I don’t have to be a martyr in the process. Though I know all of that to be true, the contrasts are so apparent to me at such a deep level that I can’t help but question it all.

Our Safari adventure began on Monday! Karen and I were excited to embark on a new part of our journey together in Africa, and we were excited to meet our new Safari Tribe! We booked with an agency that catered specifically to women, so we were curious to see who would be joining us. As fate would have it, it turned out that our safari would have only two travelers: Karen and myself! We were a little disappointed that we wouldn’t have the opportunity to spend time with a group of women, but we were just as pleased to have the time to ourselves. The first day of the safari proved to be a huge success! We were able to see many animals up close and personal, and I captured a lot of great photos to commemorate the day– including a special sighting of Pumba! At the end of the day, we retired to our accommodations for the evening. Our room was absolutely stunning– a far cry from a tent! It was spacious and clean, and already set up perfectly for us. Though I missed sleeping in nature, I was very thankful for a comfortable bed and an outdoor shower!

Part of the reason that we chose Long Way Expeditions (https://longwayexpeditions.com/responsible-travel/) for our Safari is because part of our payment to the company goes towards a donation of reusable sanitary pads to school girls in the villages of Africa. This donation will help them to not miss a week of school each month when they are menstruating– valuable educational time that adds up to months of missed instructional time over the course of the school year. On Tuesday, we got to visit a school to hand deliver the reusable pads, and it was an absolutely incredible experience. We met one of the teachers, Ms. Sofia, and fifty female students. We were able to donate fifty reusable sanitary pads– that’s one for each student in that class! It was so touching to visit the school and personally meet with the girls who were receiving the pads. The co-ed school is for children aged 13-18 and has approximately 800 students in total, day students and boarded students alike. When I met with the headmaster, he said that the girls receiving the pads would be boarded students, and then went on to explain that they have a strong need for a reliable water source at the school, especially since the donated pads were reusable and there was a need to wash and sanitize them. After that conversation, he stated that perhaps the girls who were day students should receive them, since they would be able to wash and sanitize them at home. EIther way, the reusable pads were going to be valuable to fifty girls, boarded or otherwise. As with any donation like this, you want it to be from locally sourced materials and labor (which we confirmed) and that they will be used in the way that is in line with the local culture and customs (which our tour company confirmed). What we didn’t consider, however, was that reusable pads need water to clean them. As it so often happens, a donation is just one layer of the onion peeled back, but there’s always more. I asked if they had partnered with any water NGO’s, such as water.org, or any lodges that are doing borehole projects. The headmaster said they had not, and we left the conversation saying that we would follow up with our tour company. Once we were signed in as visitors, Ms. Sofia took us to a gathering place under some trees where we were greeted by fifty girls. It was so humbling to see their bright young faces and hear them sing a song for us! I gave a short speech (which I was not prepared for) and then we opened the box and handed out the kits. It was such a lovely and rewarding experience, and even though it was just a small gesture, we knew there was more that could be done. Karen and I both left the school asking ourselves, “What else can we do?”.

Between visiting the CCBRT facility and handing out reusable pads at the school, I kept thinking about how amazing these women are. In a place where they are not treated equally, fairly, or even at times humanely, they continue to wake up each morning and do whatever they can to better themselves and their families. They are, truly, women warriors, overcoming any obstacle that stands in their way to live the best life they can. Though we only touched the tip of the iceberg, we made a difference, and my hope is that women around the world continue to advocate for one another. Many women around the globe are silently suffering. Some of us are privileged enough to be able to use our voices. How will you use yours? Until next time, dear friends: stay safe, stay healthy, and always remember to make space for what brings you joy.

I raise my voice–
not so that I can shout,
but so that those without a voice
can be heard…
We cannot all succeed
when half of us
are being held back.
-Malala Yousafzai