Deschutes Public Library

Shout Gladi Gladi - Transforming Maternal Care in Africa

eng

videorecording

Shout Gladi Gladi - Transforming Maternal Care in Africa

956902615

Originally produced by The Video Project in 2015

79

Shout Gladi Gladi chronicles the maternal health care crisis in Africa, and the heroic efforts to rescue African women from a medical condition during childbirth that can turn them into reviled outcasts -- if they survive. About 2 million women and girls in Africa and parts of Asia are living with obstetric fistula, and many die from it every year. Those that survive are incontinent and shunned in their villages. Filmed in Kenya, Malawi and Sierra Leone, Shout Gladi Gladi presents the womens' stirring struggles, and profiles the quest of Ann Gloag, a former nurse, who drives a movement to save these vulnerable women from this preventable and treatable condition. The root causes of fistula are grinding poverty and the low status of women and girls, especially in developing countries. The condition was once prevalent in the U.S. and Europe, but was nearly eliminated by the early 20th century with improved maternal care. Gloag works to eradicate fistula by bringing proper maternal care and outreach programs to the poorest slums and most rural villages in Africa. More than simply repairing their health, Gloaǵђةs efforts also empower these women to determine their own futures. When the women are cured and ready to return to their homes, they join in a singing and dancing celebration called Gladi Gladi. No longer outcasts, they raise their voices in triumph. Shout Gladi Gladi illustrates how improving the health of women is fundamental to a strong and successful nation, especially in developing countries

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