Loko's parents sold her into child marriage with a 62-year-old man when she was 12. Two years later, she suffered from fistula during child birth. Her condition went untreated for seven years until CARE stepped in, and Loko to do the same for other girls. Loko was born in Gadda Kebele of Aero. Now 20 years old, Loko was sold into child marriage at the age of 12 by her older brother. Her husband was a 62-year-old widower and father of five children. Due to his advanced age, Loko’s husband was not able to provide for his family, leaving them destitute and hungry. At 14, Loko became pregnant with her first child. After three days of painful, unproductive labor, Loko was finally taken to a doctor in her village. Unable to treat her, Loko was sent to the nearest hospital. It took another transfer to find a hospital with the proper facilities to surgically deliver Loko's child. However, by this time, Loko had been in labor for several days and the child was stillborn. To make matters worse, Loko’s difficult labor and delivery caused damage to her bladder and bowel, making her incontinent. Although Loko was able to regain continence of her bowel, she remained incontinent of her bladder for seven years. This condition, along with her poverty, made Loko an outcast, making it difficult for her to find help from family or within her community. "I finally had one daughter but could not predict what her future would be like," Loko said. "At this time I really felt powerless, and every day and night I burst into tears. I prayed my God every day to help me recover from this misery. I swore that if ever I got any type of treatment which makes me feel like a woman again, I will spread this message to the community: 'Never let any woman of the community suffer from the problem I faced.'" Help came from team members of a CARE project called Healthy Unions. After visiting Loko in her village, CARE transported her to a hospital in Hageremariam where Loko’s condition was diagnosed to be fistula. Fistula is a condition that occurs from a difficult labor and delivery, often the result of pregnancy in very young girls. The end result is damage to the bladder and bowel that causes incontinence, making personal hygiene difficult, leading to social and personal rejection in many cultures. Luckily, with the help of CARE, Loko was finally taken to a hospital in Yirgalem that specializes in the repair of fistulas. After corrective surgery and a 14 day stay at the hospital, Loko was cured and fully recovered from her illness. Loko’s ordeal inspired her to spread awareness in her community about the harmful practice of early marriage. “I will continue to work hard on these issues throughout my life, with full commitment to act as a model. For all that I want to express my strong gratitude to Healthy Unions Project.” Donate to help other women like Loko, and your gift will be matched, dollar for dollar, up to $1 million! http://bit.ly/tgYi6i