The United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) has said that about 800,000 Nigerian women suffer from Vesico Vaginal Fistula ( VVF) annually.
The Country Representative of the fund in Nigeria, Ms Ratidzai Ndhlovu made this statement during the graduation of 100 rehabilitated women living with obstetric Fistula in Sokoto.
Ndhlovu who was represented by Dr Audu Alayande, Assistant Country Representative, Reproductive Health, said “For this group of women, every day, they must cope with the foul smell emanating from their leaking urine and faeces.
“In the same vein, these women down with VVF were often abandoned by their husbands, stigmatized by families and communities, and later ostracized.”
She explained that the graduands had received a two-month training in sewing and knitting, petty trading and grinding machines operations, among others.
She said “This gesture is aimed at helping their reintegration process back into the society and reduce their stigmatization.”