​WHOI is delighted to welcome Maggie and Mariam from Canada World Youth (CWY) to our programs. Over the next few months, the two volunteers will be doing a work placement at WHOI around their program theme in health before going to Abiriw, Ghana to continue their volunteer work. During their placement at WHOI they will undertake research pertaining to Black women’s access to health services in the Maritimes (eastern Canada) with a specific focus on Nova Scotia. They will also support our Fistula and Empowerment Program (FEP) and help with administrative activities. Welcome to the WHOI family Maggie and Mariam!

We are happy to announce that our Fistula and Empowerment Program (FEP) is back in session. The program was very successful in its pilot stage (April to June 2014). Participants meet on a weekly basis to educate themselves and build awareness about obstetric fistula (a devastating childbirth injury) as well as to self-empower by addressing issues of sexual health, race, and political issues affecting women and girls.
FEP is off to a fresh start and we have an exciting line-up of guest speakers in addition to a host of new activities specifically designed to increase participant engagement, and community involvement in our programs around obstetric fistula and women’s health. 
Stay tuned because there’s lots to come!

Late last month the UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund)  Campaign to End Fistula published an article written by our founder, Habiba Cooper Diallo, on her journey to build awareness about fistula. Join WHOI in our effort to eradicate fistula.
Click here to read the article!

WHOI is off to an exciting new year with the launch of the Fistula and Empowerment Program (FEP). FEP, which began on April 10th 2014, is comprised of young women from the Halifax area who meet weekly to partake in obstetric fistula education and to self-empower through discussion, film, workshops, and other activities that address health and social concerns such as mental and sexual health, shadeism, the use of misogynistic language in schools, and issues of cultural displacement and a sense of belonging in Canadian society.
The innovative weekly sessions are participant-led and incorporate audiovisual media, guest speakers, and activities such as spoken word as way to explore several avenues of self-empowerment.
So, stay tuned for more news on FEP!

On 3 December 2013 our founder, Habiba Cooper Diallo, received the Zonta Young Women in Public Affairs (YWPA) district award  for Atlantic Canada and New England, USA. This achievement is part of an ongoing scholarship competition and she will now enter the international pool. We wish her the best! Click here to learn more about Zonta's Fistula program in Liberia.

​Nearly two years ago around this time our founder, Habiba Cooper Diallo, was gearing up for her visit to the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital in Ethiopia's bustling and beautiful capital city. Her work as an OF advocate was what impelled her visit. At the hospital, she had the opportunity to meet and interview two patients. She describes the experience as having "personalized" her work on fistula. Today, the fight against fistula continues and WHOI is proud to part of the effort.