 Welcome to Spotlight Advanced. I'm Liz Wade. And I'm Colin Lover. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand no matter where in the world they live. When Betty Apio married her husband many years ago, both their families were full of hope and happiness. Apio lives in the country of Uganda. In Uganda, as in many countries, everyone expects women to have children. Many people there believe that women exist to have children. To fail at this is to fail as a wife and as a woman. After Apio was married, her husband prepared their house for children. Then they waited. They tried again and again to have children but the children never came. Today's spotlight is on infertility. Some people are not able to have children even when they are trying for over a year. This is infertility. There are many medical reasons for infertility but today's spotlight is on the social attitudes surrounding infertility. Betty Apio and her husband went to a doctor to find out what was wrong. She received some medical treatments from the doctor but they did not work. To make the situation worse, her husband's family began to make fun of her and call her bad names. In Uganda, a man can have more than one wife. So his family told him to find another woman, a second wife. This new wife gave him two children. Now Apio lives a different kind of life. She told the Washington Post Foreign Service. People will never give me respect. They believe I have no value. They insult me. They say you barren woman, you are useless. It is horrible. I must be strong or I will not survive. Infertility affects people all around the world. It does not matter if you have money, education or power. And it affects both men and women. Experts say that globally about 15% of all couples who are at the age to have children are infertile. In some places this number can be as high as 20%. Infertility is common but people do not often talk about this problem. Many people feel great pressure to have children even if they are successful in other areas of life. To men and women who want to have children but are not able, the pressure can be crushing. And often if a couple cannot have children, people blame the woman. This can lead women especially to feel shame. They believe that they are alone in their struggle with infertility. They may even avoid talking about children. They may avoid attending events where children will be present. They may even find it difficult to be happy when children are born to other people. It is difficult to be infertile but the social attitude about infertility only makes the problem worse. As in Betty Appier's case, the community can make infertile people feel great shame. But people should not feel shame about their infertility. They should not feel alone. In fact, some women are speaking out to encourage other people who may be struggling. By talking together they are finding hope. Betty Appier wanted to be one of these women. She decided to talk about her situation. She wanted to share her story with other women. She did not want other people to feel like she did. Appier has found some help at a support centre in Kampala. At the centre there were groups that help women. These groups explain the medical reasons for infertility. Women can connect with other women. And they can connect with doctors who can help them at a fertility centre. Prakash Patel runs one of the fertility centres in Kampala. He told The Washington Post that many women struggle to visit him. Women often do not want anyone to know they are going to a fertility centre. And they share great sadness. He said, I say to them, this is not a disease. There are many like you. You do not have to feel shame. If you or someone you know is infertile, the best thing you can do is to find people who support you. Surround yourself with people who will love you and care for you. These people may be in your own family, but they may not. They may be some friends or people from your community. If you do not feel comfortable talking to a friend or family member, there may be resources in your community. Many fertility centres have support groups. They are a good place to learn about what medical treatments are possible in your area. These treatments are not possible for everyone. They may cost a lot of money and they do not always work. But the most important treatment is the support and love to face the challenge of infertility. The emotional pain of infertility is very real. This is true even for people who are able to build their family in other ways, such as through medicine or through adoption, caring for a child without parents. Many people who are infertile feel anger and shame. They may wonder why this could happen to them. They may want to feel peace and acceptance, but they also may not want to lose the dream of having children. Shannon Woodward wrote a book about her struggle to make peace with her infertility called Inconceivable. It was not easy for her. Her desire to have her own children never went away. Woodward is a Christian. She says she was able to see how God can work through her pain. She writes, For years I hated my broken body parts. I took my worth from what I could or could not produce. I asked God to heal my body. But it turns out he had a better plan. He healed parts of me I did not know were broken. He put new skin on old wounds. He freed me from my pain and self-hatred. Infertility is painful. But facing infertility can bring healing. If you are infertile, look for support. And if you know an infertile person, offer them love and support. Do you know someone who has struggled to have a baby? Is there support for infertility in your area? Tell us about your experiences. You can leave a comment on our website or email us at contact at spotlightenglish.com. You can also find us on Facebook and YouTube. The writer of this program was Adam Navis. The producer was Michio Ozaki. The voices you heard were from the United States and the United Kingdom. All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. You can listen to this program again and read it on the Internet at www.spotlightenglish.com. This program is called No Baby, No Shame in Infertility. Visit our website to download our free official app for Android and Apple devices. We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.