Awa has lived with her cleft lip for over forty years. Many people could not see past her disfigured mouth, to see the loving wife, mother, and daughter who thrives on making others smile. With no means to pay for an operation, Awa had accepted living with her...
At sixteen, Akissi was so excited as she went into labour with her first child. Excitement led to devastation as she struggled for several days and eventually her baby died. Akissi discovered that she now had loss of bladder control and the prospect of not being able...
Adama was five months pregnant when the world around her started to flicker and fade. Because of clouded, disc-like cataracts in her eyes, soon all she could see were shadows and shapes. Months passed as her vision continued to dwindle. “Maybe it will clear up after I...
It all started with a toothache. Salematu was 24 when she first noticed the pain in her mouth. As a first-year nursing student, she knew she should go to the dentist, but she was struggling. She had just lost her husband unexpectedly, leaving her with two young...
GISELE SHOULD HAVE BEEN EXCITED ABOUT HER FUTURE… Since the day she went into labour, Gisele’s life has been shaped by shoulds. She should have delivered her baby normally. When she did not, she should have had emergency obstetric care. Perhaps she should have had a...
It had been eight years since 30-year-old Sylvester first saw Charity, with a shawl strategically draped across her face in an effort to hide the tumour growing down from her mouth. At the time, Sylvester was in the village, located in remote Ghana, to work on a...