Fistula Foundation

Fistula Foundation is doing really great work!
Is there any possiblity of making donations tax deductible in Germany and maybe other european Countries? Might motivate more donors.

After reading "Half the Sky" and watching the video "A Walk to Beautiful" I was inspired to learn more about the Fistula Foundation. This organization restores life to so many women who have had to endure horrible physical conditions as a result of childbirth trauma. I feel blessed that I have been able to support the Fistula Foundation for over five years now , and I encourage everyone to join this humanitarian effort.

My confidence in the Fistula Foundation could not be higher. I am always sure that the donations I send will be used in the most efficient way to help the victims of this terrible condition.

The Fistula Foundation does so much to improve women's lives for so little money. Obstetric fistula is maybe not an easy sell as a cause--but it is a common and devastating condition. The stories of the women involved and the heroic people who work to make their lives better never fail to move me.

This charity gives women their lives back. It is a joy to think that whatever donation I can give, contributes to this wonderful cause. Imagine, a life with no hope is changed to one of purpose. They do wonderful work.

I am a long time donor to this wonderful organization. They have literally given so many women a new life and helped restore their dignity and self worth. It gives me great joy to help, if only in a small way, in the success of their mission. Thank you, Fistula Foundation, for allowing me the opportunity to help return my many blessings from God.

Enough cannot be said about the DEDICATION and PROFESIONALISM this organization demonstrates ON BEHALF OF WOMEN WORLDWIDE. As a small donor, I am very proud each time I see the tremendous progress they accomplish each year! Please keep those donations going, WHATEVER you can contribute!

I have donated to Fistula Foundation for several years. As a professional woman, I make a comfortable living, but am not wealthy. I want to give money to organizations where my relatively modest donations can have an important impact. Fistula Foundation is such an organization. The surgeries that they pay for and train doctors to perform change women's lives for the better immediately. Imagine being a woman who is isolated and ostracized because you cannot afford an operation that costs just a few hundred dollars. Imagine that you are another woman who has the ability to fund one or more operations that will permit other women to rejoin society as happy, active members. How could you not donate to an organization like Fistula Foundation that has a proven record of helping women get needed fistula surgeries?

The Fistula Foundation has the best mission that I know of among American charities. It reaches out beyond our rich country to find and help entirely innocent people who are in the most desperate situation. The plight of a woman who is a victim of fistula can be resolved by an intervention that is relatively inexpensive and highly efficient, and it is ONLY by this medical intervention that a socially crippling and devastating outcome can be prevented. This is a high-leverage use of an American family's charity funds, so much better that smugly supporting other people who are much closer to us geographically and socially but whose needs are far less. The Fistula Foundation is much more far-sighted, and fills a great gap of imagination and knowledge in our home society by reaching out across oceans and worlds to cure women suffering from grievous accidents of childbirth.

This is an organization that really makes a difference in women's lives and in the world.
I'm proud to support Fistula Foundation!

I joined the Fistula Foundation after meeting Dr Hamelin on Oprah. I was impressed by she and her husband’ s devotion, so I started supporting their work. I love that a small contribution can change a woman’ s life. I like the personal way staff acknowledges contributions...makes you feel special. It has become my favourite charity ....one I will support wholeheartedly!

When I gave birth to my son it awakened the reality that many mothers around the world do not have access the the same medical care my son and I received. The Fistula Foundation provides life improving services to mothers around the world. By restoring their medical health, these women can give their best to their children, their community and to themselves. Instead of a Mother's Day gift I ask my family to make a donation to this top rated charity each year. No box of chocolates or flowers could ever replace the the work done by the Fistula Foundation Check them out on Charity Navigator and you'll see their impact on lives and stewardship with resources.

It's heartbreaking that women with obstetric fistulas have to live not only with physical discomfort but also with the social stigma. The Fistula Foundation reaches many of these women and helps them return to their lives. It is a gift beyond measure and I feel privileged to be a part of this life saving/affirming work. I am a legacy donor in the hope that the Foundation will continue to thrive so that more women affected by obstetric fistulas can thrive.

When I first learned about obstetric fistula in developing countries, I was appalled at how it affects lives there. Through no fault of their own, women (often very young and often, sadly, after losing their baby) suffer not only the misery of incontinence but also rejection by their community, their husbands, and even their own families. But how wonderful it was to learn about the Fistula Foundation's caring mission to make everything right again for them! In fact, often better than right, because many learn a new skill while recovering from their surgery and go home with a new way to provide for themselves and their children. I'm delighted to support this organization with a monthly donation and with more in my will.

I have been a donor to Fistula Foundation for several years. I applaud their life changing work to end obstetric fistula and to stay true to their core mission.

When I learned about fistulas and the devastating effects they can have on a woman's life, I was moved to do something about it. I donate whenever I can and I know the money is being used to help heal and empower women who need it most. The Fistula Foundation sends regular updates and newsletters, so I know what progress is being made and I can feel a personal connection with those receiving treatments for fistulas. Keep up the good work!

So much is going wrong in the world, it helps me to be able to do something small that makes a difference for one woman, her family, her community. I know a dollar given to Fistula Foundation is well-used, given to service and not high salaries. I thank them for their dedication and tireless work.

What a wonderful organization that supports such a worthy cause, and that assists to alleviate such needless suffering of woman and families - thank you for all that you do ;-)

My husband and I have been associated with the Fistula Foundation and Kate Grant for the past eight years as both donors and recipients.
We have a small program in Masaka, Uganda at the Kitovu Hospital where we support Fistula surgeries. The Fistula Foundation has assisted us in creating an Ambassador program that sends repaired women to remote villages to encourage those who are in need of repair to go to the hospital in Masaka. Kate Grant and her staff are doing GREAT work.

I have been supporting this charity for years and I am always proud of the work they do. Their CEO is inspiring and defines leadership. I feel connected to this cause and the charity in a way I don't with other causes I support. A safe harbour for women in need - what else could you wish for as a donor? I will continue to support for years to come.

I was moved by the stories about plight of these women. I hope we can eradicate this disease from earth completely. I congratulate Fistula Foundation for the great work so far. Hope that they can extend their work to all corners of the earth.

The Samir-Samira Lakhani Foundation donated to the Fistula Foundation when it was starting a new branch in Nepal. Samir-Samira Lakhani Foundation was interested in making the lives of women in Nepal who suffered from fistula a little better. Having a fistula is a devastating condition not only medically, but socially as well.
Our Foundation wants to train surgeons and other support staff who can go to remote places and perform surgeries and take care of the women( and their families) who are affected by this condition.
Nepal's interior is not easily accessible and hence with the training of the support staff and Doctors, the women with this condition will be taken care of in the remote areas.
Fistula Foundation CAN do all this work and Samir- Samira Lakhani Foundation is very glad to support this wonderful nonprofit.

The Fistula Foundation is that rare charity that functions on a shoestring and does life saving work for those mothers who suffer this horrendous affliction while delivering their child. Not only do they suffer physically, but they are made to feel as an outcast and are subjected to every possible shunning measure that the social hierarchy can exact. How sad that this misunderstanding of a medical consequence leads a culture to cause further suffering when a $450 surgery can change that life! Fistula Foundation is a low profile, highly effective charity that works continuously for the good of women across the world. Your dollars go further to the good of others than in almost any other charity that I have found. We all want our gifts to charity to have maximum effect possible. Fistula Foundation is a 5-Star charity that has incredibly low administrative costs so that your dollars go directly to the needs of these distressed women. Please consider donating in any amount to The Fistula Foundation.

Many years ago, Nicholas Kristof suggested in his NY Times column that instead of sending flowers to our mother for Mother's Day, we spend the same money to completely change the life of a mother who suffers from an obstetric fistula. It seemed like a great idea, and when I saw that the Fistula Foundation has Charity Navigator's highest ranking, I immediately sent a donation. Via annual updates and emailed stories of women who can now fully participate in their communities, I've seen the work done by this fabulous team, and I now sustain the Foundation with a monthly gift about the size of the cost of that Mother's Day bouquet. It is humbling to be able to support such an amazing organization.

It makes me feel good to support this charity, which is top-rated on charity watch. I practiced obstetrics for 35 years and know from experience with real women how debilitating this injury is.

I feel good about helping other women who need help but don’t have means to obtain it. No women should have to endure what these women go through when the solution is so simple. This is my favorite charity

I feel my money is put to good use with this organization. Women need other women’s support in more areas of their lives. We have been “property” forever and this gives these ladies a chance to be independent
Thanks

After researching charities to support financially, I stumbled upon the Fistula Foundation. The women's stories tore a hole in my heart. I am happy to give what I can when I can. They do wonderful work for such deserving women.

So focused, so clear, so direct, and making such a difference in so many women's lives, and the lives of their families and communities. My whole family supports Fistula Foundation wholeheartedly!

For a few dollars you can change a woman's life forever. The best investment you can make!

I donated to The Fistula Foundation because they do life-saving work, by which I mean they give women who have suffered due to a fistula the chance to live a normal life free from the social injustices and physical pain that the condition inflicts on them. The Foundation provides medical treatment to women who would not be able to access it otherwise. Non-profits like this one are necessary to ensure that no one is deprived of their basic human rights!

Fistula Foundation changes lives. Having worked in countries with little access to obstetric care I have seen how many women need surgical repair of this complication of childbirth. Fistula Foundation focuses care where it is most needed; training surgeons to treat this problem and providing surgery for the women in need. This is a life changer for women!!
Retired nurse-midwife

I have been contributing to Fistula Foundation since reading "Half the Sky" by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl Wu Dunn some years ago. The foundation does excellent work and transforms women's lives in so many positive ways. Three years ago I was diagnosed with an intestinal fistula and needed immediate surgery. It really brought the work that the foundation home to me. A donation of any size makes a huge difference. Do your own research and decide for yourself.

I am on benefits, so money is really tight.However, women and children are always my main concern when it comes to charity, and I am happy to help in my monthly donations to assist and improve the lives of these women so that they may return, with dignity, to their families and live an active and happy life.

I have donated to the Fistula Foundation for some years now. I worked for many years in women's health and helped support many women through labour and birth. I have been lucky enough to have had safe and straightforward childbirths myself. I heard of this Foundation and thought it would be appropriate to donate as an expression of gratitude for my own experiences. I like the fact that they do not bombard me with donation requests but do keep me informed of where funds are being spend and what valuable changes are being made. I trust this Foundation to use their funds wisely. I think they work from their heart.

NOVA's "A Walk to Beautiful" enlightened me to the tragic problem of obstetric problems leading to vaginal-bowel/bladder fistulas.

Women who marry young and/or have a small stature (e.g. from a diet insufficient in calories to promote adequate growth) are at increased risk of an obstructed labor. This can lead to fistula as the birthing pressure cuts off blood circulation to vaginal, bladder, and/or bowel tissue which can become necrotic. And the walls of these organs may fuse leaving an open passage. Consequently, the woman may lose any bowel/bladder control as feces or urine leak from the vagina.

This becomes a living hell as the lack of sanitation facilities, running water, etc leaves fistula sufferers as messy malodorous social pariahs -- shunned and unwelcome anywhere.

I've been a regular donor to The Fistula Foundation for years and have been kept apprised of their ongoing expansion of facilities and services in many needed locations.

And I add that they have not used my donations to relentlessly hound me for more and more money. They are good stewards.

I'd rank them just below Doctors Without Borders and only because (MSF) works in dangerous and war-torn areas.

At the conclusion of the book Half The Sky, readers were encouraged to choose at least one action to take to help make a difference. I had been so moved by the stories of women who suffered fistulas, and encouraged by efforts to help them that I decided to investigate fistula repair or prevention work. While researching groups I could support, I discovered the Fistula Foundation. I was very impressed with their work, and immediately took money from my savings to fully fund the surgery for one woman. Later that year, as I continued to think about the plight of women who endure fistulas, I again funded surgery for another woman. This past Christmas, my group of friends decided to make a donation to the Fistula Foundation rather than exchange gifts, as we already have such abundance in our lives. I am so inspired by the reports I get from the Foundation, and am always eager to share news about their work with others. I hope others discover this wonderful group.

I donated because I know that this is a worthy cause that deserves much more attention and resources so that these women and girls who are suffering so much will be able to live a healthy and normal life

Several years ago, my wife and I were getting ready to purchase a professional-grade recorder for her birthday. The night before I was going online to close the deal, we watched a PBS special about the Fistula Foundation. I am a retired Presbyterian pastor and our hearts went out to these girls trapped in a cruel, throw-away society. I checked out the Fistula Foundation and found that they had an excellent record for managing their funds. So, we dropped the recorder order and sent the money instead to the foundation. We have been supporting this essential work ever since. Thanks so much for reaching out to stem this tide of misery. :o) Bill and Miriam Combs

Everyone should read "The Hospital on the River" by Catherine Hamlin to understand how much women suffer with fistulas.... their lives are changed irrevocably and, without surgery, become almost unlivable.
I'm a strong supporter of The Fistula Foundation who provide surgeries that bring sufferers the help and care they need. For many people the word 'fistula' is unknown, and, if it is, is not a topic of easy conversation. I urge to to consider donating to this truly amazing cause.

About 12 years ago I saw Margaret Hamlin on The Oprah Show. That was my introduction to The Fistula Foundation. Ever since, I have held a yearly fund raiser/birthday lunch. Each year I invite my friends-more each year- to my home for lunch. They in turn , write a check to The Fistula Foundation. It is such a gift to educate people about this cause. There is so much we take for granted. Please donate and ask your friends to donate too. You'll be glad you did!

I saw "A Walk to Beautiful" when it was released and was deeply moved by the stories it told. What can be more astounding than making a person from two tiny cells? Unfortunately, sometimes things go awry and a woman's attempt to create family leads to her lifelong isolation from family and friends. Can you imagine? The Fistula Foundation brings skilled medical care to these deserving women and restores them physically, leading to their acceptance back into their family and community. Ultimately this return leads to their mental healing. I can't think of a more worthwhile cause.

I do not have children by choice but I stand in solidarity with all women of the world. Childbirth should be a time of joy. I find it unthinkable what so many of the women--and girls-- have to endure due to lack of care. This organization is wonderful and changes lives one at a time. I wish I had more to give.

If you've had a child (even here in the United States, UK or other wealthy countries), there's a chance that you too have actually had an obstetric fistula - and would still have one without the intervention of surgical repair. When I had my son in 2011, I tore extensively. But I was in San Francisco at a highly resourced hospital with antibiotics and skilled surgeons. Soon after that, I watched A Walk to Beautiful and realized: that would have been me, physically, were I living in an area without access to medical help for complicated births. Since I do live in such a place, I feel obligated to help support my sisters who do not.

Great organization -- highly dedicated, intelligent people doing work that literally transforms lives of women suffering from a condition that no one in the "developed" world would ever have to suffer through.

I'm not sure exactly how I learned of this nonprofit, but it was likely via one one of the sites that promotes petitions for the good of people, animals, the planet etc.

I read the stories and thought, this could have happened to me had I not been born and living in a place with decent medical care. The stories of the isolation and the problem itself touched me. These women live with far less than I do in their everyday life.

I learned of the dedicated staff and volunteers at the locations of the clinics and how much work they do with the resources they have. I learned about how far away medical care is for many of these women.

This is one of the nonprofits that I donate to that I know a real human being WILL receive a benefit (a better healthier life and support system-learning she wasn't the only one with this problem) from my donations. I like that. I've been donating off and on for about three years.

I'm very impressed with Fistula Foundation. This charity is very reputable. I have been donating to Fistula Foundation for over a year. I even get personal thank you letters in the mail, it's really nice of them to make the time and effort to do that.
Thank you for all your work to help women with obstetric fistulas. It's so much more than just a medical problem for these women, they lose their place in their society and culture.
You guys are saving lives, really well done to you all!

Fistula Foundation restores full humanity to women who have become isolated through no fault of their own. When a woman (or girl) has brought a new life into the world, and--because of circumstances beyond her control--becomes incontinent from her labor in childbirth, she is no longer welcome to be with other people. She stinks. Human beings cannot be fully human when they are isolated. Fistula Foundation restores women to full humanity.

I have been donating to the Fistula Foundation for years. They do wonderful work, spend funds wisely, and are excellent at communicating with donors.

I believe deeply in what Kate Grant and the Fistula Foundation are doing for women. Nicholas Kristof opened my eyes to this foundation in 2006 with one of his columns and I have been giving continually when I can. I have received lovely notes of thanks, handwritten, and incredible updates on how specific women in various countries, whose lives would otherwise be ruined, are able to have the relatively inexpensive surgery and makes lives for themselves and their children.

I saw a documentary about the women who are saved by the Fistula Foundation. I was so angry to see these women shunned for a medical condition that they had no control over causing or coping with. In no other charity that I support, is there such a quick fix and complete life change for the recipients. I encourage everyone I know to support this wonderful organization.

I learned about The Fistula Foundation (and its cause) through a mailing. I read the contents and cried. I had no idea how many women, and their families world wide are effected by Fistula. The Fistula Foundation makes a difference in every country they visit. They work to train surgeons, doctors & health care workers. They build or supply facilities, educate and most importantly they reach women in need. They give women their lives back.
I give what I can monthly and read every newletter they send.

I have been supporting Fistula foundation since 2011 and have been continually amazed by the service and communication they provide. Every newsletter is an exciting celebration in true impact for women and families!

I've been supporting The Fistula Foundation since I learned of them from watching Louis C.K. compete for them on Jeopardy!. In return I receive very thoughtful letters expressing gratitude of Foundation members and informative newsletters with pictures of those who are being helped. The Foundation also produces short videos documenting their progress for a YouTube channel. Watching those makes me feel really good about helping these people do what they do.

A few years ago I happened to catch part of a documentary on obstetric fistula and my heart went out to the women had been so adversely affected by this condition. It was great to see the work of a doctor who had dedicated her life to helping these women and how a relatively simple operation could transform their lives. I sought out a way to make a contribution and found the Love-A-Sister program from the Fistula Foundation. I am happy that every year the money I give enables a woman to have an operation. and recover her quality of life.

I knew this foundation by reading Peter Singer's book. Before that I didn't even know about this problem. I make donations every time I can. It's so important to give a new life to all these girls and women.

I have been supporting Fistula Foundation since I first saw Dr. Hamlin talk about the suffering of women with obstetric fistula on the Oprah show and they are excellent at what they do.

The Fistula Foundation is a highly dedicated organization helping women with obstetric fistula - a devastating childbirth injury. They spend funds wisely by working with local partners and have very effective outreach programs in order to find the women that need their help. This is important because many women with obstetric fistula are shunned away from their families and communities, left to suffer alone. Even worse, many of these women have lost their babies during the childbirth process that injured them.

Please keep spreading the word to support Fistula Foundation and help put an end this needless suffering.

As a nurse-midwife working in Ethiopia in the 1960s I saw many women in rural areas with obstetric fistula who could not access treatment. Fistula Foundation is filling an enormous void in women's health care. Fistula Foundation gets the story of these women out to the public who have little knowledge of this life changing problem. Because of Fistula Foundation's work care providers are trained, facilities are built and equipped and best of all WOMEN get their lives back. The best of value for every donation.

The Fistula Foundation is a superb, five-star organization doing hugely important work on behalf of women who need, and are so grateful for, its help. The foundation gives heartfelt care in highly professional fashion in some of the most challenging medical landscapes and situations on earth. Also important, donated funds go at the highest possible percentages for care, not administrative costs.

This is not one of the widely known charity organizations and that's such a huge shame because the difference they make in the lives of women is exceptional & life-changing. The type of work they do is not a subject that's well-known and not talked about much, but it needs to be. There are women all over the world who suffer terribly after childbirth from a condition that's so easy to correct. God Bless the Fistula Foundation!!! Thank you all so much, you're angels on Earth!!!

The Fistula Foundation ranks right up there with FINCA as my favorite international nonprofits. Like FINCA, the Fistula Foundation is highly professional, efficiently run and makes a direct contribution to the quality of individual lives in a way that goes on to serve broader communities. I developed an obstetric fistula during the delivery of my first child; had I lived in a less affluent country, she would have been my last child had she survived at all, and the rest of my life would most likely have been one of suffering, shame and isolation.

I am so grateful to the Fistula Foundation for giving me the opportunity to help my less fortunate sisters; I am also grateful for the invaluable work of Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times in bringing the plight of these women to my attention. The Fistula Foundation treats its donors with the same level of respect it treats its beneficiaries; the solicitations it makes are informative, uplifting, and appropriate in frequency and tone. Two thumbs way, way up!

After watching "A Walk to Beautiful" I was very moved and had to do something to help these victims of the culture. I researched and found this organization helping the women who are abandoned and treated as outcasts through no choice of their own. Not only is my donation well spent they are truly changing the lives of these women by providing health care that does not otherwise exist. I appreciate that I am not constantly bothered to keep donating or that my donation is used to buy mailing labels, tablets, etc. as freebies to get donations.

From the first time I saw Dr. Hamlin on with Oprah I knew this was an organization that I would support for a very long time. While the foundation continues to spread its efforts to so many countries it is sad that there are still so many women who continue to suffer this horrible condition and need the services of the Fistula Foundation.

Until I read about this nonprofit in a Nicholas Kristof column in the New York Times, I was unaware of it, and I didn't know about fistulas. Now I'm glad I learned what a great job the Fistula Foundation is doing helping women. They make such a difference in their lives.