Please support Monze Fistula Trust and CHANGE A WOMAN'S LIFE

Wow, I did it! I broke the world record for time on the balance board!

On August 10, I set a new record, staying on the balance board for more than two hours. The previous world record was 1 hour 54 minutes 40 seconds. My feet hurt like crazy, but I kept telling myself, push through the pain to help the beautiful people I have met and cared for in Monze. Their life has unimaginable pain and suffering every single second.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the support. Together we raised over $2500, which puts me ahead of my original goal of $2,000.

Why did I break the world record for time on the balance board?

I wanted to raise money to help Dr. Michael Breen in his ongoing work repairing obstetric fistulae.

Obstetric fistula is a problem that affects millions of women in developing countries but of which many people are unaware.

When a woman is too small for her baby to pass through her pelvis — often from malnutrition or immaturity — the baby gets stuck and dies. In developed countries where medical care is readily available, the mother is rushed off for an emergency cesarean section. However, in places where medical care is not available the mother will be in labor for as long as a week as her tissue begins to atrophy around her now dead baby. Now not only has she lost her baby, but she has a giant hole between her legs leaking urine and/or feces all the time. She will emit an awful stench and will usually be shunned by her family and husband and left, unable to work, to live with her own misery and pain. This injury will not kill the mother, but I've heard many women say that it leaves them wishing it would.

Dr. Michael Breen is one of the only doctors in the world able to repair obstetric fistulae. I spent this past August assisting Dr. Breen in Monze, Zambia and I am very passionate about this cause. For the past year I have been collecting money (babysitting, selling stuff on Craigslist, begging my family members) to send to set up a small trust in order to feed these women while they recuperate, buy them new clothes and and pay for their transportation back to their homes once repaired.

This may sound like small potatoes but it is actually quite meaningful; because of the dearth of physicians able to do these repairs, women often come from thousands of miles away and spend years begging for a bus fare. Moreover, a new, clean set of clothes is not only practical, but a very meaningful gesture as a women leaves the hospital to begin her life anew.

In order to raise money to support this ongoing work I recently broke the world record for longest time on a balance board, which had been 1 hour and 55 minutes. I am seeking sponsors and will donate the money raised to Monze Fistula Trust in Monze, Zambia.

I urge you to donate whatever amount you're comfortable with. I will post pictures of all the women whose rehabilitation you fund. That way you will be able to forever see the smile that you helped put back on a woman's face.

It doesn't matter if you chose to donate or pledge $10 or $0.10, your donation will CHANGE A WOMAN'S LIFE.

Thanks,
Zoë Frank