VVF:Well done Stephanie Okereke-Linus for the movie 'DRY'

             

About 158,000 Nigerian women are living with VVF disease with every 30,000 cases added yearly.
Nigeria account for 40% of Vesicovaginal fistula VVF worldwide and about 158,000 Nigerian women are living with the disease.

VVF is a hole in the bladder through the vagina that allows uncontrollable leakage of urine to the outside through the vag­ina.

You need to see someone suffering from VVF to really understand the gravity of this disease, the stigma, the smell, the pain and the isolation: VVF is caused mainly by difficult or prolonged obstructed la­bour; the impacted fetal head presses the vagina and bladder wall against the pubic bone.


Permanent Secre­tary to the Federal Ministry Of Health, Mr. Linus Awute who was represented by the Di­rector of Family Health, Mr. Wapada Balami re­vealed this in Abuja at the premiere of movie titled “Dry” a film produced by a foremost Nigerian Actress Steph­anie Linus to educate Nigerian on the implica­tion of early marriage in Nigeria especially Northern part of the country.

Awute stated that:
 “Women with VVF are the poorest in so­ciety and always spent the rest of their lives in misery without care but that VVF is curable and only a few women have access to treatment to this condition require collective resolve and ac­tion to eliminate and ap­proach that will includes preventive and curative measures
“Successful elimina­tion of VVF in our so­ciety requires massive awareness, creation for sensitization, education and social mobilization at all levels in addition to the effective health­care.” He said.

Also speaking the pro­ducer of the movie Ste­phenie Linus said that the development of any society depended on the welfare of its women

She said that most Ni­gerian girls developed VVF and other medical challenges when they were being trafficked and forced into early prostitution or mar­riage.

 “And I feel this is just a platform for us to create enough aware­ness about the things that women are going through in our coun­try this movie will give women who are devoid of a voice to express and make people understand their situation.
“Give them access to education, good medi­cal care and when you give them all of this you know you are building women who are sustain­able and can also be able to take care of the fam­ily,” she said.

I have not watched the movie ''DRY'' but the review so far has been wonderful, I hope to watch it very soon.
Aside from this movie, Stephanie has a foundation that has helped many girls suffering from VVF to get help via medical and surgical care. I remember last year while reading about how her foundation in collaboration with USAID repaired and treated many cases of VVF, I taught about how she can still do more by producing a movie that can really create an awareness about VVF, because a lot of people has not seen or heard about this awful disease.
And wow! She produced the movie:

Well done Stephanie!