Clitoraid hospital reaches out to doctors

Dear Doctor,

On behalf of our worldwide Clitoraid volunteer team, it is with immense pleasure that I write to you today with extraordinary news: Our Pleasure Hospital, the world’s very first clitoral repair hospital for victims of female genital mutilation (FGM), will open its doors on March 7 in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, West Africa!!! Mrs. Chantal Compaore, First Lady of Burkina Faso and a steadfast voice against FGM, will preside at the inauguration ceremony.

Clitoraid’s Burkinabe physician and hospital administrator, Dr. Da Sie Benoit, M.D., is eager to see the new medical facility open its doors and help the women of his community. At the inauguration, he will welcome four American volunteer doctors. Dr. Marci Bowers, M.D., and Dr. Harold Henning Jr., M.D., will perform the innovative clitoral repair procedure developed by a French surgeon. They will be assisted by their anesthesiologist colleagues. During their initial two-week humanitarian mission, Dr. Bowers will also train local physicians to do the surgery as she does in San Francisco, Cali. where you are welcome to come and be trained if you would like.

Dr. Da Sie Benoit has also organized a staff of local psychologists, sex therapist to address the different traumas, problems and concerns the patients may present.

We plan to organize several other humanitarian missions over the next 2 years to support our local medical staff in our hospital and we would be honored if you decided to join our traveling physicians on such mission.

However, the challenge Clitoraid faces at the moment is to keep the new hospital running on a daily basis while providing the FGM reversal surgery free of charge to the victims. Although we have applied for grants, time is of the essence. Until we gain the support of a large humanitarian foundation to sponsor medical activity that no other non-profit organization has taken on in Africa to date, your generosity during this transition period is critical if we are to meet the goal of $100,000 in essential operational costs for the upcoming year.

Now the spotlight is turned on Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, and on the thousands of FGM victims impatiently waiting to have their mutilated clitorises repaired so they can be complete women at last.

Our patients thank you in advance for your support!

Sincerely,

Nadine Gary, Clitoraid Communications Director