In June, Fistula Foundation reached an important milestone: 20,000 lives changed by fistula surgery. This is a significant number because the best estimates available show that despite a growing global backlog of 1 million women who suffer from obstetric fistula, only 20,000 are treated each year.
“When Fistula Foundation adopted our global mission seven years ago, we never dreamed we would have been able to treat this many women in such a short time,” said Fistula Foundation CEO Kate Grant. “This milestone is the result of years of extremely generous donations from our dedicated supporters, and the tireless work of our committed partners in the field who work so hard every day to identify, transport, treat, and support women whose lives have been devastated by obstetric fistula. We have much work left to do, but I am so heartened by this tremendous progress we have made together.”
To mark the occasion, Grant published a piece in The Huffington Post telling the story behind the foundation’s longtime partnership with the intrepid Dr. Denis Mukwege and Panzi Hospital in Democratic Republic of Congo—Fistula Foundation’s first new partner in 2009, after the organization resolved to tackle fistula on a global scale.
