Freedom from Fistula webinar

The FFF Foundation is a Scottish registered charity founded by Ann Gloag. An estimated two million women in Africa are suffering from obstetric fistula caused by prolonged, obstructed childbirth and lack of access to maternity care. The effect is devastating and often condemns them to a life of solitude and despair.

Fistula is all but eradicated in the developed world, in contrast, it occurs to thousands of women and girls in Africa

every day and they often have no-one to help.

Through local fundraising, the Hawick Club were able to contribute £600 in 2019 to Rotary’s Global Grant totalling

$221,000, and this amount is being used to fund FFF Foundation’s core projects in Sierra Leone which support

vulnerable women and children at Aberdeen Women’s Centre in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Rotarian Gordon McInally led the webinar with several speakers including Lois Boyle, director of Operations for FFF

Foundation and Margaret Moyo, Country Director (Malawi) for FFF and Eyemouth's Jo Pawley Past District Governor,

with footage of all aspects of the charity’s work.

We heard during the presentations how the FFF Foundation were still able to continue their vital work during the

Pandemic and how the vital funding was able to:-

• help provide consultations at the Children’s Outpatient Clinic, including consultation, treatment and

•  vaccinations.

• help provide safe births in the maternity unit.

• help provide life changing fistula surgery including recovery and reintegration

• help look after the welfare of the patients by providing food, housing, rehabilitation and skills training.

The webinar presentation during the club meeting was a first for the Hawick club and a discussion took place as to

whether this could be repeated, occasionally, at future meetings in lieu of a speaker.