Home 5 Project 5 Hope After Healing: Rebuilding Lives Beyond Fistula
Hope After Healing: Rebuilding Lives Beyond Fistula

Nigeria | Women’s Health | Survivor-Centred Storytelling

Key Achievements

For many women in Northern Nigeria, surviving Vesicovaginal Fistula (VVF) is only the beginning of a longer journey marked by stigma, isolation, and economic hardship.

The project explored life beyond surgery in Jahun and Abalango communities, combining survivor voices with skills-based training delivered in collaboration with MSF.

Survivor interviews, field recordings, and evidence from WHO, UNFPA, and MSF were woven together to highlight both the scale of VVF and pathways to dignity, reintegration, and economic empowerment.

Through documentary film, Hausa-language radio, op-eds, and community engagement, the work reduced stigma, increased awareness of free treatment, and demonstrated the impact of survivor-centred, evidence-based storytelling.

“True impact lies where evidence meets empathy — human stories backed by credible data.”