An excruciating 15 hours of labour has left Kuuka Saakyelle with a constant reminder of the most life-changing experience.

Push, push, push – until the exhausted muscles between her bladder and vagina got perforated leaving her leaking urine uncontrollably.

It is called Obstetric Fistula.

Exhaling and exhausted, Kuuka lost her bundle of joy as the baby died. She returned home without her joy and with jeopardised health.

Continuous leaking of urine means her body constantly gives off an offensive smell, repealing relations and a social life.

“Whenever I am among people, they always ask if a child has urinated. I pity myself”, she told the reporter.

And even worse repealing her prospects of finding work. Kuuka says she feels tired easily doing even easy work.

It still does get worse as OBF victims considered outcasts and their misery considered contagious.

Kuuka Saakyelle has had four corrective surgeries but…nothing has changed.

A 2015 Ghana Health Service report on Obstetric Fistula estimates that there are between 711 and 1352 new cases of OBF developing in Ghana each year.

In 90% of these cases, it is all down to prolonged labour and lack of emergency maternal healthcare.