Q&A: “I Said to Myself, Why Not Create an NGO Focused on the Dignity of Women?”

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

Interview with Salamatou Traoré

NIAMEY, Jun 12 2007 (IPS) - Later this year, Salamatou Traoré – a leading health worker in Niger – will be awarded a five thousand dollar grant from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in recognition of her work to assist women who suffer from fistulas. She is one of three persons being honoured by the agency for their efforts to uplift women.

A number of factors may cause fistulas to develop, including a woman’s pelvis being too small for her to give birth. This leads to obstructed labour that can, in turn, cause damage to the woman’s birth canal – and bring about incontinence that leads to her being ostracised. Poor, young women who do not have access to the caesarean procedures that help prevent fistulas are often afflicted by this condition.

A nurse and midwife, Traoré heads Dimol, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) based in the capital of Niamey which helps women recovering from fistulas to rejoin society (Dimol means “dignity” in Peul, a language spoken in Niger and other West African countries). Ousseini Issa of IPS joined her to discover more about how she came to be involved in the efforts to deal with fistulas.

IPS: What drew you to being a health worker?

Salamatou Traoré (ST): My inclination towards this profession came from my family…I had a father who was in health care, and I saw how he worked, and I really admired and appreciated the role that he played in the family and in society. I followed everything that he did with great interest, and it was this that motivated my choice (of a career as a health worker)…

IPS: What led to Dimol being set up?

ST: I was part of Coniprat (the Niger Committee for the Fight Against Practices Harmful to Women’s Health – Comité nigérien de lutte contre les pratiques néfastes à la santé de la femme), which was created in 1978 as an association before becoming an NGO, and of which I was then the president. It was at this time that I…developed the idea of dealing with fistulas in our activities, which unfortunately did not meet with the approval of my other colleagues. I said to myself, then, why not create an NGO focused on the dignity of women? I thus resigned from the presidency, while remaining a member (of Coniprat) to submit my idea to other people who adopted it, which led to Dimol being created.

IPS: How do you manage to reconcile your professional and home lives?

ST: Everything depends on the people around you…I am a bit hot headed…But thanks to God, I have a family and professional circle that understands me and that is completely willing to help me.

IPS: What do you plan to do with your prize money?

ST: This prize is also to the credit of all those who work with me. It will enable us to continue to raise awareness amongst vulnerable groups and lead the fight for respect for women’s rights, (for) their dignity. We will use this money to produce T-shirts, posters (and) awareness-raising tools, that will allow us to give a greater visibility to the abuse of human rights in general – and of women in particular.