VVF Appeal
Mercy Ships Australia places a large emphasis on raising money to fund reconstructive surgery for West African mothers suffering from the childbirth injury vesicovaginal fistula (VVF). Our annual Mother's Day Appeal has proven to be enormously successful, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.
Childbirth is a time for great celebration here in the West. Rarely is the outcome anything other than a happy event. However in the developing world, childbirth is approached with a sense of trepidation. Statistics reveal that a woman living in sub-Saharan Africa has a 1 in 16 chance of dying in pregnancy, compared to a 1 in 13,300 risk for a woman in Australia.
Then there is the added risk of childbirth injuries. It is estimated there are two million women in Africa living with incontinence as a result of child birth complications. Not only must these mothers cope with the loss of a child, but they now face the added indignity of being ostracised because of their condition. The sad tragedy is over 90% of these injuries can be repaired with a simple operation costing less then $500 (includes surgery and recovery time in ward).
Over the last two decades, Mercy Ships volunteer surgeons have repaired thousands of child birth injuries and sent mothers home to resume a normal lifestyle free from the embarrassment and humiliation of incontinence.
Mercy Ships Australia is again asking supporters to dig deep and join us as we mend the broken bodies and heal the broken hearts of our distressed sisters in the developing world! Your donation can help change a mother’s life from one of hopeless misery to one of joyful optimism.
For more information on VVF and to view promotional material from this year's campaign, click and download the PDFs below:
2010 Mother's Day A4 Flyer
2010 Mother's Day Lick and Stick Flyer
Donations to the 2010 Mother's Day Fistula Appeal totalled: