In Kilifi County, Kenya, we met Judith Maangi Mweri, a 35-year-old woman whose story echoes the silent suffering of many women living with obstetric fistula. Judith chose to share her experience to shed light on this often-overlooked condition — and to give hope to others walking a similar path.

After delivering her second child at Gogoni Hospital, Judith was overjoyed. Her baby boy weighed a healthy 4.5 kilograms, and she couldn’t wait to bring him home. But just two weeks after discharge, her joy turned into fear. Judith began experiencing severe abdominal pain and noticed something protruding from her body. “It was terrifying,” she recalls.

Her husband acted swiftly, taking her to Malindi General Hospital. After a series of scans, doctors could not find any significant issue. Judith was referred to a private clinic for specialized care, but the specialist was unavailable each time she visited. Exhausted and in pain, she eventually gave up seeking help. “The more I sought help, the more frustrated I became,” she says softly.

Life moved on — painfully. Judith continued with her daily chores and even became pregnant again. But her condition worsened, and during the birth of her third child, she nearly lost her life. Still, after returning to the hospital, she was only given painkillers and sent home. “I lost all hope,” she remembers. For over a year, Judith endured her condition in silence, feeling forgotten and alone.

Then one day, a simple text message changed everything. It was from the M-Pesa Foundation, announcing an upcoming fistula camp in Kilifi County. Judith read it over and over, her heart pounding. “Could this be the help I’ve been longing for?” she wondered, before calling the number provided.

After sharing her story with the Amref Health Africa team, Judith was invited to the camp at Kilifi County Referral Hospital. Filled with both fear and hope, she set out on her journey. Upon arrival, she was examined and scheduled for surgery. “As soon as I came under the doctors’ care, I felt hope bloom inside me like a flower awakening in spring,” she said.

After surgery and three days of recovery, Judith returned home with strict instructions to rest. For the first time in years, she felt peace. “My condition was improving, and I was regaining control of my life,” she said. Alongside medical treatment, Judith also received psychosocial support, which helped her heal emotionally and reintegrate into her community with dignity.

But her journey took another unexpected turn. While attending a community event, the plastic chair she was sitting on broke, causing her to fall and re-open her surgical wound. The fistula returned. “I felt as though all my hope was slipping away again,” she recalls. For three months, Judith battled despair and confusion in silence.

Then came another call — a follow-up from the Amref team checking on her recovery. When they heard what had happened, they acted immediately, referring her to Wadadia Hospital in Kilifi for another surgery. Two days later, she underwent a successful operation that restored her health once more.

Today, Judith stands tall — a healed, confident, and dignified woman. Her eyes shine as she says, “Amref Health Africa and the M-Pesa Foundation came into my life like a bright light in a dark tunnel. I am forever grateful.”

Now, Judith is paying her healing forward. She speaks openly about fistula in her community, dispelling myths and encouraging women to seek help early. “Don’t wait too long, like I did,” she urges. “You deserve to live a life free from pain.”

Through the Integrated Fistula Programme, implemented by Amref Health Africa in partnership with the Flying Doctors Society of Africa, stories like Judith’s are becoming stories of triumph. The programme aims to eradicate female genital fistula by 2030, and in Kilifi County alone it has:

• Trained 1,125 community health promoters and nurses on fistula awareness and management.
• Hosted 13 surgical camps, reaching over 4,000 women.
• Facilitated 1,230 life-restoring surgeries.

With a focus on medical care, psychosocial support, and community reintegration, the programme offers women more than treatment — it restores dignity, confidence, and opportunity. In Kilifi, Bungoma, and Kiambu counties, women are reclaiming their lives and finding hope once again.