Revised and Expanded Fistula Stories–Re-Launch!

Explore faith in action,
Educate your community on maternal health,
And walk in solidarity with your global sisters—

Announcing New and Expanded
Fistula Stories Curriculum!

A recent article in the medical journal The Lancet (http://press.thelancet.com/mmm.pdf) revealed that global maternal mortality is on the decline. This is good news, but much progress remains to be seen. It is still estimated that a woman dies in childbirth or from pregnancy-related complications every 90 seconds—and that for every one woman who dies there are 20 who live with childbirth-related injuries. One of those injuries is Obstetric Fistula. A hole between the vagina and bladder and/or rectum that leaves women incontinent and shunned, fistula affects more than 2 million women worldwide.

Fistula Stories is a 4-session curriculum for use in churches, campus ministries, and other community groups. Through education, Bible study, and advocacy planning, Fistula Stories invites you to take a stand on Global Maternal Health. Studying the specific issue of fistula provides a tangible framework in which to explore the connections between faith and action in our own lives. All of the participants in our pilot program during Fall 2009 reported that they understood the connections between faith and action in their lives in new and deeper ways, and they felt empowered to be advocates for this and other issues!

The curriculum is closely linked to a website, www.fistulastories.org, where you can read more stories of faith in action, find out more about fistula, and learn about what is being done to improve life for women worldwide. Visit fistulastories.org to download the free curriculum, complete with a leader’s guide and supplemental resources!

Interested in Fistula Stories? Stay in touch! Visit www.fistulastories.org/curriculum to download the materials and provide us with your contact information—we will keep you in the loop with anticipated supplemental materials, including a US Maternal Health Supplement (did you know that the US ranks 40th in maternal mortality among developed nations?) and Interfaith text studies.

Explore faith in action, educate your community about maternal health, and walk in solidarity with your global sisters! Check out Fistula Stories today!