T-SHIRTS AGAINST FISTULA

A t-shirt company from Hillsboro, Missouri, has joined the fight against obstetric fistula. With cutting-edge design, they are spreading the word among teenagers in this town of little more than 2,000 inhabitants.

Kristen Parks (17) and Jessica Nogrady (18), who started the business simply because they couldn’t find t-shirts that they liked and thought they could make some of their own, have been raising money for obstetric fistula. They sell t-shirts especially designed with a message against fistula and donate 15% of the proceeds to the Campaign to End Fistula.

“We really hope to help at least one woman receive the surgery to repair her fistula, get her life back, and provide her with her post-surgery care”, said Kristen. In only one recent event, they talked about fistula to more than 200 students, collecting more than $300 in donations, which they mailed to the Campaign at the beginning of June 2010.

All things considered, it’s a lot of effort for the two young girls still in their high school years. “We found out about obstetric fistula through an organization that conducts workshops for younger girls in our school district to help them learn about self-esteem,” explained Nogrady.

“We wanted to design a shirt that we could sell and donate part of the profit to an organization. We chose the Campaign to End Fistula to raise funds for and educate our volunteers about,” remembered Parks.

The girls envisioned a message that shows that it’s easy to take a stand for something you support. “We wanted to make the design neat looking, but to the point and attention getting,” said Nogrady. “When we told people about our idea and showed them the design, they were very interested in what obstetric fistula was and telling us how they would be willing to buy a shirt,” completed Parks.

After they designed the t-shirt, they realized they wanted to do more to help educate others about this condition which can be so easily prevented. They put together a workshop for their entire school in April. “The first step to prevention is education, and if we could educate the majority of the 1,200 students at our school then we could make a difference” explained Kristen Parks.

“We expect that by showing the students a movie over Obstetric Fistula, teaching them what it is, letting them ask questions, and telling them what they can do help, the students will decide to stand up and help us fight fistula,” added Jessica Nogrady.

High school students raise funds in Missouri. Photo: Kristen Parks.

This experience has shown us how easy it can be to make a difference in the world, whether it be on a small or large scale. As long as you are passionate about what it is, and have the time to dedicate to it, you can do so much to help your cause. You have to be persistent, hard-working, and willing to do what it takes to get your cause noticed and raise awareness. We want to show people that if you really believe in something, stand up for it. It doesn't matter how old you are, any difference is still a difference. It may be a lot of work, but it’s totally worth it when it’s all said and done. We encourage anyone and everyone to join us in our fight against fistula!

Kristen Parks and Jessica Nogrady, Hillsboro, Missouri.