When the baby’s head presses on the birth canal for a long-time during delivery, tissues such as the mother’s bladder, vagina, and rectum become necrotic, and a fistula is formed. As a result, urine and stool continue to leak from the vagina, resulting in complications due to prolonged labor that have a profound effect on their daily life which directly affects their social life. Cheerleading exercises were provided for the rehabilitative purpose to enhance the patient’s mental wellbeing.

In areas where female fertility is important, women who have had a stillbirth tend to suffer from fistula which directly affects their daily activities that include household chores and farming. These women may be abandoned by their husbands and families and end up spending the rest of their entire lives in huts. The women who want to have the surgery usually have weak pelvic floor muscles and need pre-surgery training so the surgery could be a success and follow through with the exercises during post-surgical rehabilitation. Cheerleading was coordinated as a shared experience through sports so that patients can help each other and create a network to benefit from rehabilitation.

In addition, because these women live in the suburbs away from the urban areas, poverty and lack of education are major factors that cause fistulas. Information has been collected from orphanages in the suburbs in Ethiopia to understand how large the issue is and to raise awareness of women’s health through cheerleading exercises.

See below for the Japanese version.
https://www.sport4tomorrow.jpnsport.go.jp/jp/20181003-1/