Ms. Sarah Omega-Olang'o is honoured with a Certificate of Commendation during the UN Day in Kenya for her role as the local ambassador of Obstetric Fistula in Kenya. Her campaign has galvanized public awareness on the devastating condition; promoted the successful referral and surgical repair of hundreds of affected women in Kenya; and created global awareness of the condition by advocating for governments to invest and support Obstetric Fistula programs.
It was a great day for UNFPA when Mrs. Sarah Omega-Olango, one of Kenya's ambassadors in the fight against obstetric fistula, received a Certificate of Commendation from the UN Resident Coordinator, Ms. Nardos Bekele-Thomas, and the UNON Director General, Ms. Sahle-Work Sewde during a festive ceremony to celebrate the UN Day in Kenya.
"We are very proud of Sarah and wish her well in her work transforming the lives of hundreds of women in Kenya," said UNFPA Kenya Representative ad interim, Mr. Bouri Jean Victor Sanhouidi, during the ceremony.
"Obsteric fistula affects thousands of women in Kenya," he continued. "It takes away their dignity and affects their reproductive health. However, the lives of these women can be changed for the better with surgical repair; and so to have a survivor going around especially in rural villages where information is hard to come by, encouraging women to seek surgical repair for the condition and at the same time fundraising for these repairs is highly commendable. We at UNFPA Kenya are happy to continue supporting Sarah in her work."
Mrs. Olango, aged 37, is an obstetric fistula advocate and survivor. She comes from a humble background, having lost both parents in 1987 and 1989. She was the seventh born of nine siblings and due to the financial constraints, Sarah was forced to drop out of school before completing her secondary education.
Living in a rural home in a region where early marriage was rampant, she decided to run away. Unfortunately, she was brutally raped by a relative and got pregnant. For this, her relatives shunned her.
During delivery, Sarah labored for 20 hours as she tried to reach the nearest health facility, where she was then left unattended for another 18 hours before a gynecologist attended to her. Lack of supplies at the facility saw her transferred to a mission hospital miles away, where she had a stillbirth through caesarian section. Two days later she discovered she was leaking urine, but she was discharged despite the condition.
Living with the fistula brought Sarah humiliation to the extent of self-rejection. She lived a lonely isolated life and suffered from stigmatization from the community. Sarah lived with the condition for 12 years during which time she felt that her life had lost meaning. She attempted to commit suicide on several occasions, with little success.
In April 2007, Sarah suffered from depression and was taken to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret for treatment. During the course of treatment, Sarah learnt that she could receive surgical repair for the obstetric fistula in the new theatre established with support from UNFPA Kenya in 2005.
One month later, Sarah was operated on by Dr. Hillary Mabeya. Following the successful surgery, she was finally able to afford a genuine smile after 12 years.
As a beneficiary of the treatment, UNFPA sponsored her to attend a workshop in London along with other delegates where they were empowered to be Fistula Advocates and to participate in the global "WOMEN DELIVER" conference. In May 2008, she was invited by the US Congress to New York for "Americans for UNFPA" to help raise funds for safe motherhood. She also had a chance to share her story through several media interviews.
Sarah has been actively involved in the campaign to end fistula, advocating for prevention measures as the most effective way to end fistula. She has led successful community awareness initiatives on obstetric fistula in the midst of a culture where public speaking on reproductive health is a taboo.
Sarah was nominated as the Kenya spokesperson for the campaign to end obstetric fistula in Kenya. On the first UN International Day to End Obstetric Fistula held on May 23, 2013 in Eldoret, Sarah was championed as the symbol of hope.
On June 8, 2013, Sarah got married in a colourful wedding ceremony in Eldoret to Mr. Kennedy Olang'o, becoming a beacon of hope to all women living with obstetric fistula by demonstrating that survivors can find love again
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Sarah continues to mobilize funds for the obstetric fistula surgical repairs and continues to raise awareness in Western Kenya urging women suffering from obstetric fistula to come out and seek treatment that will inevitably change their lives for the better. To date, her interventions have seen the successful surgeries of hundreds of women in Kenya.
The UNICEF nominee, Mrs. Josephine Kulea Leseita, was announced the UN Person of the Year 2013 for her aggressive work in fighting for and protecting the rights of children in Samburu, especially the girl-child.
