On Thursday, Nov. 5, a fundraiser for The Fistula Foundation will be held in the Culp Center Atrium from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will have all kinds of jewelry donated by the participating organizations; Tri-Iota, Alpha Delta Pi and the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance. All jewelry will be available for donation with proceeds going to The Fistula Foundation. The donated amount will be given in the name of the HBO documentary, “A Walk to Beautiful.” Produced by Engel Entertainment, this film follows the lives of five women in Ethiopia suffering from obstetric fistula.The Fistula Foundation is dedicated to securing women’s health worldwide. The World Health Organization estimates that there are more than two million women suffering from fistula. Most often to occur after neglected child birth; fistula is a hole that forms between the vagina and the bladder. The United States has not had a working fistula hospital since 1895. This is not an issue for women living in the U.S., but it is for women around the world who do not have surgical care available.

“A Walk to Beautiful” was made to raise awareness along with funds to give appropriate medical care to women worldwide. With 59 OB/GYNs and 1,000 midwives for a population of 77 million in Ethiopia, these women are high risk. The facilities where the needed surgical procedures take place in order to heal can be more than 1,000 miles away.

The five women documented in this film were from different communities.

This condition is 100 percent reversible, yet many of the communities shun the women who suffer from it. Because of the social stigma and the lack of education, the women affected are often kicked out of their homes, forced to leave their communities to live alone in embarrassment and pain. The film followed these five women through their journey to the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital, which cares for 1,200 women yearly.

In order to encourage donation, jewelry was donated by the three participating organizations. “Alpha Delta Pi was approached about this unique opportunity to help with a problem outside the U.S. and we felt like the cause aligns itself with what Alpha Delta Pi stands for,” said ADPi president Sabrina Satterfield. “Being able to work with other college women who are passionate about this cause has been a unique experience and a way to extend our outreach off campus.”

The jewelry available includes bracelets, necklaces and earrings in silver, beads and hemp. Everything will be for donation only, with a $5 and $10 minimum on some of the nicer pieces.

Fistula is a common problem in Ethiopia, Uganda, the District Republic of the Congo, Pakistan and Bangladesh. It is often the result of child marriage, poverty and/or rape.

For more information, go to www.fistulafoundation.org.

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