25 women, formerly living with Vesico Vaginal Fistula (VVF) in Sokoto State, have received free repair surgeries, giving them a chance to live normal lives again.

This life-changing event was carried out courtesy of Extended Hands Foundation, founded by award-winning actress and producer, Stephanie Linus, in conjunction with SNEPCo/NNPC.

The repair surgery took place at the Maryam Abacha Woman and Children (VVF Hospital), Sokoto. All the repairs have been completed successfully and the women are recovering well.

The team of medical staff was led by Dr. Sa’ad Idris, a seasoned VVF Surgeon and former Commissioner for Health in Zamfara State with over 20 years’ experience in the field. He was assisted by Dr. Halima Bello a VVF surgeon, Chief Medical Director Dr. Lawal Bello, Chief Matron Hamsai Abdullahi Wisso, and other doctors and nurses at the VVF Centre.

According to the medical team, most of the women who benefited from the free repair exercise had very complex cases of fistula resulting from botched surgeries carried out on them by inexperienced doctors. Some of the women had damaged wombs and tubes which caused a continuous involuntary discharge of urine into the vaginal vault. These women had been living with this condition for a varying number of years and finally got dry after the surgeries.

“Extended Hands Foundation is focused on helping women with Vesico Vaginal Fistula (VVF), a serious disability that can be experienced by women after childbirth,” said Linus.

Recall that the mother of one produced a movie in 2015, DRY, to create awareness on how early child marriage causes VVF. She has since become an advocate, taking the message of restoration and hope to real women suffering from the condition.