Her life, marked by obstetric fistula, is a journey strewn with intense physical pain, marital abandonment, and economic hardship. Yet, Ramata Niang, as she is called, at the heart of these trials, drew strength from the unwavering love of her family and the tenacious hope of a cure that would restore her dignity and serenity. A mother of four, she embodies the poignant face of this too-often forgotten reality.

Now 30 years old, she recounts how she was struck by this disease, which has devastated her. "It started after my last delivery, which took place in precarious conditions. After a violent fall, I felt that something was wrong. My private parts were frozen, asleep, silent. Very quickly, I lost control of my natural needs. I could no longer stop myself from going to the bathroom. It was both humiliating and painful," she told journalists in a caravan in the Tambacounda region last week, for the promotion of reproductive, maternal, child and adolescent health (SRMIA) in partnership with the Directorate of Maternal and Child Health (DSME).

"My husband abandoned me after 15 years of marriage."

Hoping to be cured, Ramata visited several hospitals, without success. Despair grew, until one day she was referred to a midwife based at the Tambacounda Regional Hospital. “After confiding in her about my suffering, she registered me and explained that fistula treatment was only possible during the rainy season. When that season arrived, she called me back to begin treatment. Thanks to this care, I was finally able to regain my health. Today, I am completely cured,” she says.

Before continuing: “But this ordeal cost me dearly. My husband abandoned me after 15 years of marriage, exhausted by the expenses he had incurred for my recovery. Influenced by his family, he ended up believing that I had become a burden. Only my parents stayed by my side. They gave everything for me.”

Ramata Niang lived with this disease for two long years. Two years of shame, pain, and isolation. And even after her recovery, two months later, she still suffers from a urinary tract infection. “Today, I hope to return to my married life and rebuild my home. I just want to find a small job, even a modest one, so I can feed my children,” she prays.