Fistula is a medical condition in which a hole forms between the bladder and vagina or rectum, resulting in the leakage of urine or feces, that is caused by prolonged, difficult labor or when birth takes place in an immature, prepubescent mother. Thousands of Ethiopian women suffering this condition visit the Fistula Hospital in Addis Ababa each year. Shunned by their husbands, families, and society at large because of their urinary and fecal incontinence, they suffer greatly both physically and psychologically. This program follows the efforts of doctors and care staff to provide not only treatment, but also engage in educational and consciousness-raising activities, bringing to light the issues of obstetrics and social problems faced by developing countries.

In the world’s only camel-based library, five camels carrying over 300 books trek more than 400 km across the deserts of Kenya as they travel from one village to another, where children eagerly await their coming. Many children in the deserts do not go to school and are unable to read or write. Yet all of them peer intently into the books, their eyes alight. It is not easy to maintain such a library in the face of financial difficulties and severe weather conditions, but this mobile library will continue to wander the desert in its mission to introduce children to the joys of books.