Zeina is a young woman who’d been married three years and was living in a southern region of South Sudan, near the border of Democratic Republic of Congo (where her parents and some siblings still lived).
Sadly, when Zeina tried to give birth, even after a Caesarean, her baby didn’t survive. Even worse, she suffered a fistula injury, and lived with constant leaking of urine. Zeina’s husband was away and she suffered alone for six months. Word reached Zeina’s father, Abdulahi, in the forests of the Congo, where he was grazing his herd. Zeina’s parents hadn’t seen her for three years.
This is, despite the sadness, a special story we wanted to share because Zeina’s father acted immediately to help her. Often we share stories where women are abandoned by their families when they suffer with a fistula, but that’s not always the case.
Zeina’s dad organised for his younger children to be taken care of, then together with his wife (Zeina’s mum), they went to find Zeina. Abdulahi had to sell his livestock to fund the journey to Juba, where they brought Zeina for treatment.
Zeina is now dry for the first time in half a year. Abdulahi said he plans to take her home with him to continue healing for a while before she goes back to her husband.
“If the doctor says a month, then she’ll stay with us for a month,” he says. “Even if doctor says three years, she’ll stay for three years. As long as she heals.”
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