People do a double-take when they walk by this Development Marketplace booth with its painful photo of a woman with a prolapsed womb. The problem is the hidden tragedy of 25 percent of women of child-bearing age in Nepal--some 600,000 women, with 186,000 needing immediate surgery, says Suresh Acharya of Media Initiative for Rights, Equity & Social Transformation (MIREST/Nepal). "In the Nepalese context, prolapse happens due to lifting of heavy weights, before and immediately after the delivery of a child, frequent childbearing, short spacing between two childbirths, and even bronchial coughing." Social barriers mean women often suffer the condition silently. "Even their husbands don't support them to go and seek medical treatment," says Acharya. MIREST, in partnership with private firm Norela Silky Wool, is running a mass awareness grassroots campaign aimed at 4.5 million women. They're also conducting mobile camps to diagnose and treat almost 4,000 women in four villages, and training 100 female health workers in counseling and treatment procedures. The project has US$10,000 in seed money from Norela Silky Wool, and is seeking a US$200,000 Development Marketplace grant to help launch the project.
The Fallen Womb: An Untold Tragedy in NepalComments |
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Sat, 06/09/2007 - 04:41
Corporate Social Responsibility lies in such hidden tragedies. Let them show magnonimity in coming to the rescue at these suffering women folk even if it means at micro level. World should respond to such tragic untold myseries.
Fri, 05/25/2007 - 10:45
The project was innovative, because for the first time world knew about the tragedy of fallen womb in Nepal. Why the project didn't receive the funding, it is upto the jury. However, I think the project is based on reality, henceforth Milinda Gates Foundation and such philanthropic agencies should provide funding to such projects that has humanitarian face. If such big foundations are not serious about humanity, then MIREST or Norela Silky Wool- small scale entreprises may not be able to push their genuine cause in the global forum. I also suggest project proponents of the "fallen womb" to submit its proposal to Milinda Gates Foundation, assuming that they may not be as robotic as the world bank. Good luck to the project though it could not win the funding from DM. Personally, I will try to contribute towards the proposed project, but the project proponents should not drop the idea of helping the Nepalese women, who acutely need the care and sympathy.
Thu, 05/24/2007 - 00:11
I am sorry that although your project was good, it failed in the eyes of jury. They have selected such projects which have nothing to do with ground reality, but are like fantasy novels.
Thu, 05/24/2007 - 00:08
The story narrated by Acharya is bitter truth, but Global DM jury found your project was not to be funded. Should the WB wants Nepali women to bear this burden forever? Really, WB has become more mechanical than logical. The WB created mechanism cannot help poverty ridden Nepali women to lift out of morass of utero vaginal prolapse.
Tue, 05/29/2007 - 00:08
I was shoked to find out jury going against its own objectives for promoting small-scale entreprise. But, they have upported all those projects that have big names and monies. It's really sad. However, we hope if Milinda Gates Foundation is really interested to serve the humankind, why doen't it's its spokesperson speak about their dedication towards humanity? If world bank can fund projects which have no basis of implementation and monitoring, why they are reluctant to fund projects with viablility of scale-up and replication like the 'fallen womb'? The Foundation should speak about their intention.