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Allysia Trindade Instructor: Malcolm Campbell English 1103 Sept. 13 2012 Medical Issues Faced by African Women and Measures Taken to Prevent Them Introduction/Overview I will be researching the major health problems that affect women in Africa and the measures taken to prevent these issues. I feel that most people in our country are only vaguely aware about what happens in other countries, and I would like to inform myself, as well as others about a particularly serious and difficult topic. According to an article I found on the website for UNICEF, an agency of the United Nations, nearly 13.1 million women are infected with HIV/AIDs in Africa. This is a startling number. This disease affects both mothers and their children who are often orphaned after their parents pass away. To help stop the spreading of this disease requires agencies and activists that are willing to dedicate time and money to the cause. Though government help is currently being supplied to some degree, there is always going to be a debate as to how much help we can afford to offer and on how much involvement that the US should have in foreign affairs. The next medical issue is called obstetric fistula, caused by a failed labor where the child gets stuck in the birth canals and which, in turn, causes pressure that does not allow blood to vital areas and rips holes in the bowels. The New York Times states that the last study on how many women had this problem was done nearly 16 years ago and that, until this decade, outside nations

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have chosen to ignore the issue. According to the United Nations Population Funds executive director Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, at the current rate of action it will take decades to end fistula. The final focus of my research was done on the website of the World Health Organization about FGM or Female Genital Mutilation. This procedure I found to be the most shocking, and it is a surgery preformed by circumcisers who play central roles in the community such as those who deliver children. This is an operation for non-medical purpose in which the genitals are altered or injured. This can cause bleeding, infection, infertility, and more deadly complications. Most of the girls this is performed on are fifteen years old or less, and this act is said to be an extreme form of discrimination and against womens equality.

Initial Inquiry Question What medical problems do African women face and what measures are taken to prevent them today? What is the role of African women in their communities and how do these medical problems impact these roles? Why are these problems so out of hand and how can the media effect the help that African women receive?

My Interest in this Topic My initial interest in womens rights in Africa began in my Anatomy class my senior year of high school. My science teacher showed the class a video about the struggles of African women in their communities who suffer from fistula, a condition that is caused by a long, painful birth to a stillborn baby that tears the woman and makes her lose control of her bowel

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movements. Many of these women are kidnapped or forced by their arranged husbands to have children at a very young age, another factor that contributes to this problem occurring. Since the women live in small villages without proper medical care and the water they need to stay sanitary, they are shunned by the other villagers because of the way the smell and the fact that they are not mothers. The subject of the documentary was one lady who, without the support of her friends and family, had to trek alone for two days through the African wilderness to reach a bus just to ride to civilization. The video was absolutely heart breaking, in such a way that I cried in class as I watched the struggle of these helpless people. My heart yearned to help, and when I got home I researched more on the topic and found a Fistula Organization, where you can donate money and help fund a womans surgery and therapy. I wanted to organize a fundraiser at my school, but as the year progressed I became very busy and was never given the opportunity. I would like to use this research opportunity to learn more about the troubles faced by these women, and to find other ways that I can help.

Next Steps I will utilize The New York Times and various citable articles available on medical research. I will also use the information available at the organization websites that exist to inform and provide solutions to medical issues such as fistula. For example, there is a Fistula Foundation that will provide the facts, although Im sure a more persuasive view on the issue. Being lucky enough to attend a University, I will also be sure to use my privilege of viewing what the library has to offer.