Nepal dispatches: Mountain women endure a life of pain

By Jayme Poisson

I just returned from a whirlwind - or "ad hoc" as one of my new Nepali friends so aptly called it - trip to Timal (about six hours east of Kathmandu). A scramble at first, it was brilliant in the end! We traveled by jeep through the hills. The roads were rough, but the terrain breathtaking. We set up our sleeping bags with a team of Nepalese and Dutch doctors in what looked to be a school for the night and the locals cooked wonderful Nepali dhal bhat for us to eat.

Once we got to the temporary health camp, run by a wonderful organization called Women for Women, we started shooting film immediately.

I was surprised by how open and willing the women were to share their stories on camera.

I was worried they would be too shy. This particular camp was set up to address "fallen womb" - an epidemic in Nepal.

More than 600,000 women in the country suffer from a condition called uterine prolapse. It means the displacement of the uterus from its normal spot and is caused by the muscles and tissue around the uterus weakening. The uterus sags along the vagine, rectum, bladder and in the worst cases can actually fall out of the vagina. 

In Nepal, malnutrition, a lack of access to health-care and back breaking work in harsh conditions are contributing factors to "fallen womb." It is incredibly painful and women who are suffering from it can find it hard to stand, walk, do their daily chores or take care of their children.

Photo: Manual labour like this causes fallen womb in Nepal.

It also has a negative social stigma. We met one woman, Guna, 56, who had been suffering from fallen womb for more than 20 years - she went on to have six more children after developing the problem.

Too embarrassed to tell her family, Guna simply lived with the pain, avoiding village gatherings and festivals. She told us that she spent many many years depressed, suffering in silence.

The organization that we went with fit Guna with a specially designed ring to keep the womb in place. It costs about $3. She says she is feeling much better already. It goes to show how simple solutions can make all the difference in the world.

Here are a few pictures from the trip:

Photo: A local girl moves livestock at dawn.

Photo: Our neighbour. I fell head-over-heels for this little girl.

Photo: Women gather at the roving health clinic that was set up for two weeks.

Photo: Our digs. The school where we slept. Definitely better than a tent or the car!

Jayme Poisson is a Master of Journalism student at Carleton University. She will be trekking through Nepal during April and May while making a documentary about delivering maternal health services to remote and conflict-affected areas. In mid-June she will join the Star's summer intern program. She will be blogging regularly from the field.

Comments

[Sherrie Palm]

Care for women in Nepal who suffer from pelvic organ prolapse is near and dear to my heart;thanks for your insights Jayme as well as the beautiful pictures. POP has a huge impact on women's lives; in Nepal the social stigma and rejection by family members must be as hard for these women to endure as the physical pain. Thanks for shining a light on this health issue.
Sherrie Palm
Pelvic Organ Prolapse: The Silent Epidemic
http://www.sherriepalm.com