My Nonprofit Reviews

The impact on the fistula survivors' lives is stunning. They are shunned and live in misery, wet, cursed and unable to be in their community . They become strong educated advocates for other women with fistula. WFF not only trains local surgeons and nurses to do transforming surgery, but also teaches skills and has support groups to enable these ladies to find their voices and place. WFF is different from other fistula organizations as it focuses on prevention of fistula with safe childbirth education, increasing local expertise in treating fistula and following our ladies to reintegration in society. Very efficient with a modest but growing budget. Below are fistula survivors, Sarah Omega, our Kenya Country Director and Jane, one of our support group leaders and educator.

I am a Past President of a Seattle nonprofit, One by One Fight Fistula. I have been working with women in Africa to develop programs for educating about, treating and preventing fistula for over 10 years. One by One, after extensive research, decided to join forces with Worldwide Fistula Fund this year. The Board of WWF is professional, efficient, highly skilled, diverse, and caring. We have the same mission and approach-appreciating the dignity of our ladies with fistula and those who work with them in Africa and supporting programs they are developing on the ground in 5 African countries.

I am president of the Board of One by One at www.fightfistula.org. Fistula Foundation helps fund the fistula repairs we do at our Fistula Care Clinic, Gynocare, in western Kenya. Fistula Foundation pays for the fistula surgery and care, and we identify new fistula patients, provide transportation to Gynocare, and train repaired fistula survivors to teach their communities about fistula and its causes. These Regional Representatives also identify new fistula patients for treatment. We also have fistula educational programs in schools in Kenya. Working with FistulaFoundation has has made it possible to repair over 240 women so far this year and transform their lives. Great cause!

More Feedback

Obstetric fistula is a preventable devastating childbirth injury that only happens to ladies who live so far from health care that if they have a difficult labor and can't deliver without a Ceaserean section, they stay in obstructed labor for up to a week, their baby dies and the have an injury that leaves them leaking usine and sometimes feces too. They live an aweful isolated life. It takes $300-$400 to fix a fistula. With proper access to medical care and the education to know when labor isn't going to succeed, fistula is ENTIRELY preventable. The last US fistula was 100 years ago. In Mwanza Tanzania, I met a woman survivor on a fistula ward that One by One supports who had been leaking for 11 years. I met fistula surgeons who said because of our and others' support, that these women are becoming rarer as women are learning about free fistula surgery and are coming in sooner for repair. Less than a year is now common. One by One also works in prevention of fistula. Another grantee I met was an organization of dynamic bright women who are setting up leadership groups in villages to educate and enable women,to get treatment when they need it, set up microfinancing and medical care so women can become healthier and more important in their community. I was in one of their community meetings to educate men and women about fistula. There were at least 100 people there, men, women and kids of differnt faiths and ethnic groups. A young man lead it and very easily got people to talk about fistula. It was an amazing and powerful experience. He concluded that "We must take care of our women. They get up first in the morning, and go to bed last at night. Be sure to get them to a clinic when they are to deliver." We are supporting a hard working group in Niger that has set up a networking and transportation system of Health Promoters. Their message is, among others, "The sun shouldn't set a second time on a woman in labor." In this two year project, they have managed no not have an obstructed birth ending in fistula in the last 10 months, and have increased the rate of mothers delivering in a health care facility by 70%. It is a simple and successful model we hope to replicate in other countries. We fund small local groups who are doing what it takes and in doing so, we are improving the health education of men and women and improving the health of women and their children.

More Feedback