This project is dedicated to my late and beloved husband, Gilbert L. Kujovich,

the most brilliant, thoughtful and loving man I have ever known.

Protect Your Sister Project is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping women. We protect our sisters, mothers, daughters and wives in developing countries by improving their health, education and empowerment. Our goal is to increase the understanding of the causes and treatment of obstructed labor and obstetric fistula.We partner globally with the best organizations to eradicate obstetric fistula. We also strive to increase awareness in the United States about this problem and seek support to end this needless tragedy.

WHAT IS OBSTETRIC FISTULA?

The above image is often difficult to understand - for anyone, but especially for rural villagers in Africa. Therefore, we designed simplified educational tools to make this concept easily understood, as well as to build a bridge between the traditional world and the medical world.

To make matters worse the cause of obstructed labor is not understood. In many cultures, if a woman goes into obstructed labor, it is sometimes considered a divine or supernatural punishment for an imagined wrongdoing (usually infidelity), or that she has been bewitched. Therefore, the woman may not be taken to a hospital, but rather to a local priest or traditional birth attendant who may use dangerous, even fatal methods to get her to deliver.

The resulting incontinence frequently leads to being divorced, shunned or isolated, having to endure extreme shame and loneliness. Thus, she is both physically and psychologically destroyed, and all of this could have been prevented with better education and increased access to health care services.

 The Protect Your Sister Project is dedicated to the prevention and treatment of Obstetric Fistula, as well as helping the women who suffer with this condition.   

Please scroll through our website and learn about what we are doing around the globe and how you can help make women’s lives better.