Weak and in pain for 17 years…help has arrived!

Dartso is 34 years of age and is a mother to four children. Her eldest daughter is 17, and her youngest is 2:

“I was married at the age of 16 according to my father’s wish. I had never met my husband before we were married. I had my first baby girl at the age of 17 and was never ready to have kids at all. I am not a lucky woman or mother because my husband and his families had been expecting a baby boy at the year I got married to him, but unfortunately I was not able to fulfill their expectation until I at last had a baby boy 2 years ago. I still remember the time I delivered my second baby girl. It was a cold and raining evening. I went after a missing milk yak and the baby decided to come on my way back to our tent. I was all alone in the grassland and very terrified. I had to use a rock to smash through the [umbilical] cord and use part of my cloth belt to tie the baby’s cord to stop the blood. I never knew my delivery time and my families never knew about it as well I guess. Nothing is treated here and no medical advice or support is available to those of us who spend our days as nomadic farmers. Everything is too far away, but also, it is considered unnecessary. I don’t believe this any longer. When I had my children, it was my responsibility to look after everything no matter if I got pregnant or just delivered a baby. For many years since having my children, I have felt weak and uncomfortable. But, we never talk to our families about such things – women’s business.  Even such matters are not discussed with my husband. I suffer from severe backache often and serious headache is always bothering me. I have never been to hospital.  

“Then I was so fortunate to have attended a village Health Education Program a few months ago.  This program was provided by a Qinghai charity called Shamtse, and funded by Captivating International. I listened with great interest for over 3 days of presentations, including many things about women’s health issues that I had never heard before. I also received a free medical examination and some medical supplies. The doctor, upon hearing of my back pain and severe headaches, provided pain relief tablets and details for me to visit a local doctor. It has been 3 months now since the training. These tablets have been my life saver. If only I had known of this 15 years ago”

Dartso is one of over 3,000 beneficiaries of the November 2015 Captivating Healthy Village Education Program. Each year Captivating, in partnership with local NGO Shamtse, run these programs in remote locations bringing much needed help and knowledge to men, women and children.

2016 will be another expanding year of this program. Not only will over 3,000 people attend training in November 2016, but in addition several smaller training programs will take place throughout the year.  All 2016 programs still requiring financial support:  a Rural Village Women’s Health Educations Program, Aids education and prevention program and much needed medical supplies for several areas in Western China. If you would like to sponsor any of these programs, please contact andrewc@captivating.org.