Guinea

EngenderHealth has worked in Guinea, a mountainous West African nation, since 1990. Our first efforts in Guinea were at the request of the country's Ministry of Health, which sought assistance introducing voluntary, permanent contraception in five clinics.

Today EngenderHealth's work in Guinea centers on fistula. Access to quality maternal health care is limited, and maternal mortality and injuries like fistula are common.

Through Fistula Care, EngenderHealth works with four large public hospitals, covering much of the country:

• Kissidougou District Hospital in Kissidougou
• Ignace Deen University Teaching Hospital in Conakry
• Jean Paul II Hospital in Conakry
• Labé Regional Hospital in Labé

EngenderHealth trains surgeons and other health care professionals in fistula repair and counseling-helping to restore the lives of women suffering from the debilitating condition. The project is also assisting health care staff at five health centers in three regions of the country to assess, diagnose, and refer fistula cases to the hospitals where repair surgery is available.

At the same time, the project works to prevent fistula from occurring. EngenderHealth and its partners train health care professionals to provide high-quality comprehensive obstetric care-including monitoring labor appropriately and performing cesarean sections when needed. At the community level, "Safe Motherhood Village Committees" have been established to educate pregnant women and their families on the importance of maternal health care and to refer women who need medical care to hospitals.

To help women who have had their fistula repaired reintegrate back into the community, the project has arranged for volunteer families to host and take care of the women for a few weeks after they have received surgical repair. Their acceptance by these volunteer families helps them gain confidence and strength when returning to their own families and communities.