VCOM View Vol 10 No 1

C helsea Porter, DO, lives in one of the most unforgiving landscapes on earth. She sleeps under a mosquito net to avoid malaria, and her diet consists largely of beans and rice. She is in West Africa, in the Republic of Niger, which is ranked by the United Nations as the poorest country in the world. Dr. Chelsea Porter and her husband, Ryan Porter, MD, were drawn to this region by the Danja Health Center, located on the southern edge of the vast Sahara, a medical clinic that cares for people from surrounding villages and beyond. The Danja Health Center also includes long-term care facilities for patients with leprosy, major wounds and burns and women with obstetric fistulas. Women and girls travel to Danja from all over Niger as well as bordering Nigeria to receive treatment, relief and restoration. A fistula is a passageway that forms between two areas in the body. Women in many third world countries develop obstetric fistulas due to prolonged and obstructed labor, which is particularly prevalent among child mothers with immature pelvises. Other contributing factors may include scarcity of basic healthcare, lack of education regarding reproductive health and the practice of female genital mutilation. “ It is a privilege, an absolute privilege to become a doctor and receive the education necessary to care for people in their most vulnerable moments.”

Left: Sunset over the Sahel seen from the sand dunes near Niamey, Niger’s capital.

Right: The Republic of Niger is a landlocked country in West Africa named after the Niger River. Bordering countries include Libya to the northeast, Chad to the east and Nigeria to the south. Niger is the largest country in West Africa and over 80% of its land area lies in the Sahara Desert.

summer/fall 2020 | VCOM V iew M agazine 15