Counseling
Our Counseling Program, led by Program Manager Carol Mabeya, draws on her background in social work to provide both one-on-one therapy and group healing sessions. Each fistula survivor receives daily individual counseling lasting 20 to 40 minutes, tailored to her needs, as well as daily group sessions of 5 to 10 women that last about 30 minutes.
Counseling continues for the entire duration of a woman’s stay in our program houses. Survivors of obstetric fistula often face isolation, stigma, and even exile from their families and communities. These painful social traumas create deep psychological wounds that require both individual support and collective healing. Our program ensures that every woman has a safe space to process her experiences, rebuild confidence, and begin her journey toward emotional recovery.
Vocational Training Programs
We provide vocational training in tailoring, hairdressing, and catering. Following each fistula survivor finishes their training of choice, she is given a business grant, fundraised with our partner Benevolent, to start a career. Many of the graduates of the vocational program go on to full-time positions in their fields, or venture into business ownership by participating in our business training.
Since its inception, the program has supported 52 women, with 8 women currently enrolled!
Business Skills Training
The Business Skills Training program is designed for survivors who already have work experience and aspire to grow their careers by starting small businesses. Over the course of a three-day module, our staff in Kenya teach the fundamentals of entrepreneurship and small-business management. Like our vocational training program, each participant completes the module with a business grant, fundraised in partnership with Benevolent.
To date, through these grants, totaling more than 3.8 million Kenyan Shillings ($26,450 USD), over 500 women have taken steps toward financial independence and long-term stability.
School Program
Many fistula survivors dropped out of school when they became pregnant or when they developed a fistula. Our school program helps these girls and young women return to their education by supporting them in primary and secondary school (elementary and high school) and offers them safe lodging with emotional support at our Beyond Fistula House. Our partner, The School Fund, helps to offset some of the costs for their uniforms, school fees, and books. Some of the girls are supported for further training in a local technical college.
Today we have 14 primary and secondary school students with 37 graduates and 8 college and technical school students with 13 graduates to date.
Farm Skills Workshops
Farming is a very common means of earning income in rural Kenya. Many fistula survivors have a background in farming and, once healed, are eager to learn how to turn their experience into an income-generating business. Our program includes a three-day farm skills training seminar and/ or poultry training. As in the vocational and business trainings, women leave the farm skills training with a grant to launch a small business.
Our farming workshops have allowed 108 women to transform their crops from barely being able to feed their families to having a surplus and selling at local markets for income.
Safe House
The Beyond Fistula House is a critical safe haven for young girls in our education program who cannot safely return home due to threats of sexual violence, unsafe conditions, or health concerns. This sanctuary offers more than physical protection; it provides emotional stability and a supportive, family-centered community where survivors can heal, grow, and continue their education.
While living at the house, girls receive secure sleeping quarters, nutritious meals, academic support, and access to counseling services. For many, this is the first time they have had a safe and nurturing environment in which to pursue their studies.
The Safe House can accommodate up to 25 girls at a time and is a vital part of our holistic care model.
To date, we are currently housing 21 young women, while 58 have successfully transitioned into independence, building their own homes and careers.
Kiondo Bag Weaving Workshops
Kiondo bags are a traditional Kenyan bag made sustainably from the fibers of the sisal plant and dyed with the bark of the muasi tree. Kenyan fashion designer Vicky Ngari, who learned bag making from her Kikuyu roots, is on a mission to reawaken the art of the Kiondo and simultaneously empower impoverished, rural women with a marketable skill. She teaches Kiondo workshops for fistula survivors – many of whom go on to open small businesses that benefit the earth, their communities, and their economic standing. See some of the survivors’ beautiful work here.
To date, over 500 baskets have been made during our workshops.
Peer Support Groups
Peer Support Groups bring together fistula survivors from the same regions to build community, foster emotional healing, share knowledge, and launch collective businesses. Each group selects a fistula survivor to be their leader/coordinator. We currently operate 3 Peer Support Groups that meet monthly and engage in group business ventures – two have pooled sufficient funds and are in the process of purchasing one sheep per woman, with long term plans to also purchase a cow for each woman.
The confidence and empowerment these leaders gained through the programs inspire them to bring hope, understanding, and practical help to other women in their villages.
Women’s Health Workshop
We had our first workshop in collaboration with Health by All Means (also known as Health by Motorbike) in May of 2023. These women will be going out to start support groups with other fistula survivors in their villages. They felt empowered with their new information and are excited to share their knowledge with others.
In our first workshop 32 fistula survivors attended and learned in depth information about their bodies, their health, about fistulas, and about cancer prevention.
There is more!
Many of these Programs are possible due to our partner Chameleon Buddies
