Fistula Foundation

Fistula Foundation 🌍 Global leader in obstetric fistula treatment, healing women across Africa and Asia
🧡 $624 can end needless suffering, and transform a woman's life

Obstetric fistula is most prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, so that's where we focus our efforts. We partner with carefully selected doctors and hospitals trusted by the communities they serve. Since 2009, we have delivered more than 75,000 life-transforming repair surgeries at more than 120 sites in 33 countries across Africa and Asia. Supporters like you from around the world have joined

forces with our dedicated doctors, outreach workers, and brave survivors. Together, we can end the suffering caused by obstetric fistula, and give women their lives back. You can trust that your gifts are in good hands. Fistula Foundation receives the highest ratings from every industry watchdog group and is committed to accountability and transparency.

Did you know that skinny dippers are funding fistula surgeries? 🌊International Skinny Dip Day, held every second Saturda...
08/20/2026

Did you know that skinny dippers are funding fistula surgeries? 🌊

International Skinny Dip Day, held every second Saturday of July, has raised more than $61,000 for Fistula Foundation since 2019, funding approximately 96 surgeries for women in Africa and Asia. This year alone, 263 supporters across 32 teams raised more than $18,000—exceeding their goal and funding roughly 28 surgeries.

This tight-knit community has shown us how body positivity and life-changing impact go hand in hand.

Read the full story from Good Good Good:https://bit.ly/4wAp037

Nurses in the fistula community—registration is now open for our next nursing webinar!Join expert nurse trainers Ishbel ...
08/14/2026

Nurses in the fistula community—registration is now open for our next nursing webinar!

Join expert nurse trainers Ishbel Campbell and Stephen Katumo for practical guidance and best practices on discharge care and instructions.

đź“… August 18
đź•’ 15:00 GMT / 16:00 WAT / 17:00 CAT / 18:00 EAT

Please share with nurses at your hospital—we hope to see you there!
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/Rf3CUPKrTmivfpJVxWsSJA #/registration

5,549 surgeries. 23 provinces. A 95% jump over 2023.That's what our partner network delivered across the DRC in one year...
07/30/2026

5,549 surgeries. 23 provinces. A 95% jump over 2023.

That's what our partner network delivered across the DRC in one year—proof that local surgeons, hospitals, and community health workers, backed by sustained investment, can hold strong even as crises like the current Ebola outbreak unfold around them.

CEO Pam Lowney breaks down why resilient health systems start with local leadership. Read the Forbes article: https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesnonprofitcouncil/2026/07/21/amid-congos-health-crisis-a-blueprint-for-stronger-health-systems-is-emerging/

For many women in rural East Africa, giving birth far from medical facilities can lead to obstetric fistula and severe p...
07/28/2026

For many women in rural East Africa, giving birth far from medical facilities can lead to obstetric fistula and severe perineal tears— injuries that often can be repaired with a single surgery, yet leave women facing incontinence, isolation, and stigma while barriers to care remain.

In 2025, with support from the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, we provided more than 5,000 surgeries to repair obstetric fistula and severe perineal tears across Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda—restoring women's health and enabling them to return to family, work, and daily life.

Our work extends beyond surgery alone. We partner with local hospitals and providers to reach women in need, coordinate travel, and deliver treatment, while training surgeons and nurses, expanding referral networks, and building community trust so more women know that treatment is possible.

This past year, we trained 40 surgeons and 182 nurses across the region, expanding what's possible for women today and for the women who need care next.

Read the full story on Dell.org: https://www.dell.org/ideas/fistula-foundation-womens-health-east-africa/

Up to one million women like Manishime are still living with untreated obstetric fistula. But this problem has a solutio...
07/23/2026

Up to one million women like Manishime are still living with untreated obstetric fistula.

But this problem has a solution.

Last week we announced that in just one year, we provided 5,549 surgeries to women in the DRC—65% ahead of target—through our partnership with .

The takeaway is clear:
When proven models are funded, when care is integrated into health systems, and when communities reach the most isolated women, this crisis can be solved.

The question isn’t whether progress is possible. It’s whether we choose to scale it. Read our full report at the link in the comments.

While the world watches Ebola spread in the DRC, something else is happening that isn't making headlines: a local health...
07/21/2026

While the world watches Ebola spread in the DRC, something else is happening that isn't making headlines: a local health network built over 15+ years is holding strong.

Over the past year, Congolese surgeons, nurses, and community health workers delivered 5,549 surgeries for obstetric fistula and severe perineal tears—a 95% increase over 2023—reaching 23 of the DRC's 26 provinces.

An estimated 42,000 women in the DRC are living with untreated obstetric fistula. A surgery that costs $624, on average, can change that.

This is what happens when local leadership drives the work: 11 partner organizations, 41 hospitals, and a network that trained 128 healthcare workers and reached 127,000+ people with outreach in one year alone.

CEO Pam Lowney breaks down the case for investing in local health systems before the next crisis—not just responding after it hits. Read her thought leadership piece for Forbes Nonprofit Council here: https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesnonprofitcouncil/2026/07/21/amid-congos-health-crisis-a-blueprint-for-stronger-health-systems-is-emerging/

When Noela developed obstetric fistula, she lost more than her health, she lost her place in her community.After receivi...
07/16/2026

When Noela developed obstetric fistula, she lost more than her health, she lost her place in her community.

After receiving a life-transforming surgery, she got it back.

Her story is one of 5,549 surgeries from the past year—made possible across 41 hospitals in the Democratic Republic of Congo with support from Bloomberg Philanthropies.

Dr. Itengré Ouédraogo has been a full-time fistula repair surgeon for 14 years. In 2016, he founded Fistula Foundation’s...
07/16/2026

Dr. Itengré Ouédraogo has been a full-time fistula repair surgeon for 14 years. In 2016, he founded Fistula Foundation’s partner Association Renaissance (ARENA), the only dedicated fistula care facility in Burkina Faso, West Africa.

Improving access to care is one of Dr. Itengré’s greatest challenges, as many patients travel long distances to reach the facility, and there’s a shortage of trained fistula surgeons across the region. But ARENA, recently accredited as a Fistula Surgery Training Center, is working to change that, especially for Francophone speaking professionals in West Africa.

Despite these challenges, Dr. Itengré remains committed to helping patients like Elodie, a woman he treated earlier this year.

“My motivation is to help restore smiles. When you understand how difficult life is for a fistula patient, it becomes deeply motivating to see them smile again and return to life after successful treatment.”—Dr. Itengré Ouédraogo

You can support Dr. Itengré in providing life-transforming surgeries in West Africa.

Your gift today will go twice as far to help Fistula Foundation partners like ARENA change lives and change the world. Donate now: https://bit.ly/4v63SkI

5,549 surgeries. In one year.That’s what was made possible for women living with obstetric fistula in the Democratic Rep...
07/14/2026

5,549 surgeries. In one year.

That’s what was made possible for women living with obstetric fistula in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

With support from Bloomberg Philanthropies , we didn’t just meet our surgery goal, we exceeded it by 65%. And the impact goes far beyond the operating room:

• 45,801 years of healthy life restored
• $38.7M in lifetime economic impact for women and families

Behind every number is a woman reclaiming her health, her independence, and her future.

Obstetric fistula is devastating but it is also treatable, often with a single $624 surgery.

Amid health crises, this is a bright spot in maternal health care in the DRC. This is what progress looks like and what’s possible at scale. Read our full announcement at the link in the comments.

07/09/2026

Elodie is 28. She lives in Fada village, Burkina Faso.

After five days of labor, her baby did not survive—and the birth left her with obstetric fistula. Friends began to take another path when they saw her coming.

"People began to treat me differently, as if I were no longer human," she said. "If I used a plate or a cup, no one wanted to touch it afterward."

Then she found the hospital, and the surgery that she did not know existed. After treatment, she learned skills like soap making and tailoring to help her re-enter society.

Countless women like Elodie are still waiting for that opportunity. Your donation can help a woman in Burkina Faso, Mauritania, and Côte d’Ivoire.

Address

1700 The Alameda, Suite 300
San Jose, CA
95126

Telephone

+14082499596

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Fistula Foundation posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Fistula Foundation:

Shortcuts

Share

Category