Ethiopian woman nursing twins

Love in Motion-Global is dedicated to improving the reproductive health of women and girls of child-bearing age in Ethiopia. In December 2007, we collected data regarding two complicated issues that concern rural women: Female Genital Excision & Vaginal Fistulas. The National Committee on Traditional Practices in Ethiopia (NCTPE) reports that culturally-based abuses including wife beating and marital rape are insidious social problems in Ethiopia. Societal abuse of young girls is pervasive, and 72.7 percent of the female population undergo Female Genital Mutilation. Other harmful traditional practices surveyed by the NCTPE include uvul-ectomies, milk-teeth extractions, food and work prohibitions, marriages by abduction, and early marriages.

Girls of reproductive age encounter significant health risks and psychological trauma as a result of pregnancy. During prolonged labor, the compression of soft tissue between the baby's head and the mother's pelvis often cuts off blood flow to the bladder or rectum. As a result, tissue dies. This creates a hole, or a genital fistula. The consequences of vaginal fistulas are devastating: The baby typically dies and young mothers are left with chronic incontinence. They are abandoned or neglected by their husbands and/or families, and ostracized by their communities.

We are currently expanding our network to collaborate with Governmental and Non- Governmental agencies in Ethiopia. Through local partnerships we provide empowerment training and Start-Up Packs; meeting the hygiene, clothing ,comfort and nutritional needs of expectant mothers and families infected and affected by HIV/AIDS.