Expanded program in the Democratic Republic of Congo increases access to fistula care across 41 hospitals
Photo caption: Fistula survivors celebrate their newfound health at HEAL Africa in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo.
Across Africa and Asia, up to one million women—including an estimated 42,000 in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)—suffer from a devastating condition called obstetric fistula, a childbirth injury that leaves women incontinent, isolated, and often ostracized by their communities. A surgery that costs, on average, $624, could permanently cure them—if they could access it.
With support from Bloomberg Philanthropies, we’re working to ensure that women across the DRC get the treatment they deserve.
Amid health crises, there’s a bright spot in maternal health care in the DRC.
One year into an expanded effort to reach women living with fistula in the DRC, one of the countries hardest hit by this devastating yet treatable condition, we announced impressive, countrywide results.
Since May 2025, Fistula Foundation and its network of local partners have:
- Provided 5,549 fistula surgeries across 41 hospital sites in the DRC, delivering 65% more surgeries than initially anticipated in the first year, and on pace to meet an expanded two-year goal of 11,000+ repair surgeries
- Trained 128 healthcare workers, including eight fistula surgeons and 120 nurses, expanding the country’s long-term capacity to deliver treatment
- Restored an estimated 45,801 years of healthy life, representing a total lifetime economic value of more than $38.7 million USD for women and their families
- Conducted 114 community outreach events, training 2,300 community members and reaching 127,414 people with messages about fistula
- Coordinated care across 23 of the DRC’s 26 provinces in partnership with local health authorities and the Ministry of Health
Behind every surgery number is a woman reclaiming her health, her independence, and her future.
Obstetric Fistula: A Life Sentence of Suffering
Fistula is devastating for the women who suffer from it.
When Noela developed obstetric fistula, she lost more than her health, she lost her place in her community.
“People used to say it was a curse and that it was incurable,” she said. “It was terrifying when it happened to me. I kept thinking about all the opportunities life could have offered me if I had not developed that condition.”
“The hardest moment was when my husband left me because of the incontinence. I lost my self-esteem, and yet I could not blame him. That day, I felt he was right to leave, because who could endure living with a woman who leaks urine endlessly? I stopped cultivating the land, which was my main activity. My income declined. I could no longer see any future for myself. I began enduring my life instead of living it.”—Noela, a fistula patient
After receiving a life-transforming surgery, she got it back.
Caption: Noela (right) celebrates her health with Nurse Byani (left) at our partner HEAL Africa’s facility in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo. “I sincerely thank all those who join their efforts to ensure that hopeless women like the one I was can be treated free of charge,” said Noela.
Her story is one of 5,549 surgeries from the past year.
Despite this promising progress, an estimated 42,000 women across the DRC are suffering from obstetric fistula, and 6,000 new cases occur annually. Without donor support, these women cannot access the surgery that can permanently cure them.
Country Context: Why We Work in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Political upheaval and violent unrest have taken a heavy toll on DRC’s healthcare infrastructure. There is also a horrifying use of sexual violence in the country. For these reasons and others, DRC has been called “the worst place on earth to be a woman.”
Caption: Community mobilizers in the Democratic Republic of Congo ride out to reach women in need and bring them to the hospital for fistula care.
More than half of the Congolese population lives in rural areas, where health resources are spread thin—and in high demand. Even simply getting to the hospital can be close to impossible, with dirt roads that are completely flooded and impassable for months on end.
Photo caption: Mobilizers conduct community outreach at a local market in Butembo, Democratic Republic of Congo.
All of these factors play a role in the DRC’s high incidence of obstetric fistula.
By the Numbers: A Record of Impact
Fistula Foundation has operated in the DRC since 2009, building a trusted network of local surgeons, hospitals, and community partners. In 2022, we launched the Fistula Foundation Treatment Network (FFTN) in the DRC to build long-term capacity for fistula care in that country.
The FFTN model, a countrywide network of care, amplifies impact by connecting outreach and hospital partners to reach more women in more places, refer complex cases to expert surgeons, and train the next generation of providers.
Photo caption: Dr. Bosolo Yoursen, a fistula surgeon from Community of Disciples of Christ in Congo, assists on a procedure at Bolamu Hospital in the Democratic Republic of Congo during a surgical training workshop in 2025.
In three short years, the FFTN in the DRC delivered 12,282 surgeries to women in need across the DRC—a 336% increase in surgical volume.
To-date, the FFTN has achieved the following results:
- 13,774 surgeries provided across 11 partners
- 62 surgeons and 481 nurses trained in fistula management
- 11,705 community members trained to spread awareness of fistula
- More than 137,263 people reached through radio programs and advertisements
- 130 outreach activities conducted
Caption: With support from Fistula Foundation donors, Ken was successfully treated by our partner FisPro DRC. To the donors who covered her care, Ken said, “May you live long, because you have provided us free of charge care that normally costs too much money. We are healed now, and our hearts are at peace.”
Behind these metrics are thousands of women like Ken who are now healthy, whole, and returned to their communities, thanks to support from compassionate donors.
Watch: Life with Fistula, In Her Own Words
Amid Promising Progress, Global Need Remains
Fistula Foundation operates across more than 35 countries in Africa and Asia. Globally, up to one million women live with untreated obstetric fistula. Each year, tens of thousands of new cases develop—the majority in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, where access to skilled birth attendants and emergency obstetric care remains critically limited.
Results from the DRC demonstrate how committed investment in proven, locally-led solutions can expand healthcare access at scale. To end the needless suffering caused by fistula globally, Fistula Foundation calls on:
- Philanthropists, governments and institutional funders to invest in scaling fistula treatment, training, and community outreach in the DRC and beyond
- Governments and multilateral organizations to integrate fistula prevention and treatment into national and global maternal health strategies
- Advocates and media to amplify the stories of women who have reclaimed their lives, and those who are still waiting.
Lend Your Voice—And Your Support
We need your help to spotlight the life-transforming impact that fistula surgery has on women who were injured, simply for trying to bring a child into the world.
Here are three ways you can lend your voice right now:
- Share our social posts on Facebook or LinkedIn to show what progress looks like and what’s possible at scale
- Email our Fact Sheet to a fellow philanthropist
- Send this blog to a friend or colleague who cares about maternal health
Want to do more? Donate to help us fund more life-transforming surgeries for women across the globe.
Published on July 14, 2026