My Nonprofit Reviews

I was fortunate to travel to Uganda and meet several survivors of fistula who have been helped by WFF. Each individual I met took a permanent place in my heart. To hear the stories of their struggles with fistula and appreciate the difference that the surgery and followup care that WFF provided motivated me to want to do more with this organization. These women went from having a situation that was almost unbearable to experiencing joy and fullfillment by returning to become a productive and welcomed member of their community. Community reintegration includes learning new skills, managing money, and starting a business--such as starting a goat dairy.

Imagine this was your village, your home--the only one you have ever known, but you are no longer welcome here because of a devastating injury during childbirth that left you unable to control the flow of urine or feces. The surgical treatments and follow up care made possible by WFF allows these unfortunate women to return to their homes and to a normal life. Through the rehabilitation and training programs after surgery, the women return stronger and able to support themselves and actively contribute to the community. These women also become advocates to help others seek treatment and care, paying it forward for what they have received. I have traveled to Uganda to meet the survivors and community members and hear their stories. I have seen the goat dairy and the textiles created by survivors who were able to return--I am in awe of the resilience and dedication of everyone working on behalf of the elimination of fistula and childbirth injury. WFF makes a difference.

WFF is an organization that directly addresses an unmet medical need through the offering of services, patient and community education, and by raising awareness of preventable devistating injury associated with childbirth. Every dollor raised directly supports the efforts to improve the lives of women who suffer from these conditions in west Africa. To learn more about the impact of childbirth injury, and obstetric fistual in particular, I recommend Tears for My Sisters, a book by the WFF founder L. Lewis Wall.