What is this all about?

1) What we are doing:

Cycling approximately 1100 miles from Seattle to San Francisco following Highway 101 on the coast and camping along the way. Our goal is to raise $3,000, the cost of repair and rehabilitation of 10 women (yup that is $300 per woman) for the Campaign to End Fistula (http://www.endfistula.org). We start our ride on May 27th, 2008.

Patient at the Gyadi-Gyadi Women's Training Center in Kano Nigeria.
The center providers skills training and literacy to fistula patients
to facilitate reintegration into communities.

Lucian Read/WpN/UNFPA

2) Why we are doing it:

Chances are if you know us or received an email, you may have heard of gynecological fistula--an injury most commonly associated with prolonged labor which leaves women incontinent (and thus dribbling urine or feces for the remainder of her life, vesicovaginal or rectovaginal fistula). Virtually unheard of in the developed world, over 3 million women are estimated to be living with untreated fistula in developing countries and an additional 30,000 to 100,000 develop cases each year on the African subcontinent alone. Women with fistula are often ostracized, forced out of their homes and communities because they are unable to work and bear children. Fortunately fistula is a treatable condition with surgical success rates as high as 90 percent. However, without assistance it is virtually impossible for women to access and afford treatment.

3) What you can do:

Donate and spread the word to friends who are sympathetic to the cause (or may have extra money floating around). Even $5 or $10 helps! Here is what you do: 1) go to this cite and click on "donate online" (http://www.endfistula.org/donate.htm), 2) follow the instructions, upon completion an email will be sent to the address you provide. Please forward this email to: amberandkelsea@gmail.com so we can keep track of how much we have raised!! You can also send us a short message to post if you feel inspired. If you are on facebook, you can join our cause "bike to end fistula" or the "Campaign to End fistula" to help publicize the condition.