Our Team

Kelly Anderson is pleased to join the dedicated team at Fistula Foundation as Senior Director of Philanthropy.

Kelly’s commitment to women’s health and social justice began as a sexual assault crisis line volunteer at the University of Michigan. After two decades in leadership roles in rape crisis centers – first in Washington, DC and then in Madison, Wisc. where she worked to expand service for underserved communities – she moved to the San Francisco Bay area in 2015 to serve as CEO of the Nepal Youth Foundation.

In addition to her professional experience, Kelly has engaged in related volunteer and community activities. In DC, she co-founded and served as the president of a small non-profit that supports women unable to afford medical treatment, spent six years as a mentor at BeFriend a Child, and served on the Washington Area Women’s Foundation grants committee. In Madison, her commitments included chairing the Dane County Commission on Sensitive Crimes and the Community Coordinated Response on Sexual Assault, serving as a board member of the Hancock Center for Dance/Movement Therapy, and fostering and rehabilitating rescue dogs.

Originally from the Midwest, Kelly is thrilled to be able hike and backpack in the stunning mountain ranges of northern California. She finds joy and satisfaction in her role connecting generous, compassionate individuals with the world of good they can help accomplish.

Jesse Dubow joined Fistula Foundation in 2019 and serves as the Program Manager, helping to support dozens of partnerships in over 20 countries. Jesse learned about fistula while serving as community health organizer with the Peace Corps in Ethiopia, where she developed and implemented programs to empower youth with reproductive health education.

She is passionate about gender equality and social entrepreneurship, and has worked on projects ranging from postpartum hemorrhage training in Guatemala to recycling feasibility studies in Indonesia. She holds a BA in International Studies from American University and an MBA from the Yale School of Management.

Mirabel Miscala joined Fistula Foundation in December 2015. As Digital Engagement Manager, Mirabel is delighted to communicate Fistula Foundation’s work through exciting and innovative means. Graduating from San Jose State with a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Digital Media Art, Mirabel holds a background in web technologies, content management, and various digital skills in diverse fields. Prior to the Foundation, Mirabel has worked in multiple roles and projects relating to web and technology, including teaching for classrooms and content production for start-ups. Influenced by Silicon Valley tech culture, she holds a passion for the arts and technology, bringing start-up experience and creative skills to the team. Mirabel is excited to contribute innovative skills in supporting the Foundation’s excellent projects, while helping women in need.

Tarah Walker joined Fistula Foundation in July 2021 as Senior Writer for Marketing Communications. She brings with her six years of experience in nonprofit communications, including media and public relations, content marketing, and internal communications. In addition to her public relations role at ACT, the global education nonprofit, Tarah led communications for ACT’s internal volunteer organization, facilitating donation drives for women’s organizations in Iowa, like the Domestic Violence Intervention Program, and generating positive broadcast coverage for ACT. She has volunteered for women’s organizations like the Iowa Women’s Foundation, using her communications expertise to promote economic self-sufficiency for women and girls. Tarah is a graduate of American University (MA, Strategic Communications) and the University of Iowa (BA, Journalism & Mass Communications). She believes that messages hold immense power and hopes to use her gift for communications to empower donor action and transform the lives of women across the world.

Habiba C. Mohamed is the Country Director in Fistula Foundation’s Kenya office and has worked with the Foundation since 2014. In that time, she has been instrumental to designing the outreach and reintegration components of Fistula Foundation’s countrywide network—the first fistula treatment model of its kind.

Before joining Fistula Foundation, Ms. Mohamed had nearly a decade of experience working on fistula programming. She began her career as a veterinarian, assisting livestock farmers in western Kenya. Through her close contact with these rural communities, she became familiar with the socioeconomic challenges they experience and became passionate about working with marginalized women. In 2006, she founded Women and Development Against Distress in Africa (WADADIA), a Kenyan nonprofit that advocates for women’s rights and reproductive health. While serving as lead director of WADADIA, Ms. Mohamed also supported a UNFPA-funded community program for six years, and served as a consultant program specialist for One By One, a US-based nonprofit focused on fistula treatment.

Ms. Mohamed is currently working towards her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology at Kenyatta University. She holds undergraduate and master’s degrees in the same subject from Mt. Kenya University, and has a higher diploma in Social Work and Community Development. Her research on the psychological effects of obstetric fistula has been published in the International Journal of Sciences, and the verbal screening tool she developed has improved identification of fistula cases. Under her leadership, Fistula Foundation’s treatment network has provided care to over six thousand women and counting.

Nelson Musa is Monitoring & Evaluation Officer of Fistula Foundation’s nationwide treatment network in Kenya. He brings fourteen years of experience in organizing and community health. Prior to joining Fistula Foundation, Nelson worked as an organizer for Jhpiego, and currently partners with WADADIA (Women and Development Against Distress in Africa), a key Fistula Foundation partner in Western Kenya.

Nelson holds a Higher Diploma in Psychological Counseling from the Kenya Institute of Professional Counseling, as well as a Certificate in Management from the Kenya Institute of Management.

Bwalya Magawa Chomba is the Program Director for the Fistula Foundation Zambia office. Bwalya is responsible for supporting referrals for fistula patients to partner hospitals, serves as key liaison between the hospitals and the community, and strengthens partnerships with government ministries and community and faith-based organizations.

Bwalya has been working as a Social Worker and Community Development Officer for 13 years, most recently based with the Ministry of Community Development and Social Welfare in Nakonde District. Bwalya has also worked with Caritas / Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Mpika Diocese, where she worked as a Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, coordinating revisions of project strategies with key stakeholders and ensuring a shared understanding of strategic and informational needs. During her tenure as District Development Facilitator with the NGO Africare Zambia, she learned about obstetric fistula and took up an active role in mobilizing suffering women, successfully referring 200 women for life-transforming surgery.

She has always believed that local community participation is an important way to achieve sustainable development, particularly in the fight against obstetric fistula. Bwalya holds a bachelor’s degree in social work from Mulungushi University in Kabwe, Zambia.

Victor D.  Chibale is a motor vehicle driver in Fistula Foundation’s Zambia office. He provides reliable and safe transportation to Fistula Foundation staff and relevant officials, and delivers mail, documents, and any other Fistula Foundation cargo. He also ensures that all licenses and documents for Fistula Foundation vehicles are valid.

Victor has a class C driver’s license, a certificate in Defensive Driving from the National Institute for Productivity in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and more than 20 years of driving experience. Before joining the Foundation, he worked for Tanzania Zambia Railways Authority (TAZARA) for 17 years. Victor also has an International Certificate in Transport and Logistics and is currently studying for a diploma in the same field.

Martin Chiyana works as a Program Officer in Fistula Foundation’s Zambia office. He is stationed in Nchelenge District to cover programs in Luapula Province and some parts of Northern Zambia. Martin works with the Ministry of Health, assists in training and supervising Community Health Volunteers and Safe Motherhood Action Group Members (SMAGs), and holds sensitization meetings for local community leaders to spread awareness about fistula and treatment options.

Martin holds an Advanced Diploma in Computer Science and Information Processing from the Association of Business Managers and Administrators, a certificate in Monitoring and Evaluation from the University of Michigan, and a certificate in teaching methodology from Technical Vocation Teachers College Zambia.

Before joining the Foundation, he worked as a Monitoring and Evaluation Research Assistant on a maternal and child health project at Africare for three years. He also worked as an Engineering IT Planner at Mopani Copper Mines for 2 years and as a Network Benchmarking Engineer at Airtel Zambia and Nutek India for a year.

Martin has a heart for suffering and isolated women and believes there is a better tomorrow for these marginalized communities.

Kalumba Kaputa is a Program Officer at Fistula Foundation’s Zambia office. He collaborates with the Ministry of Health and local grassroots organizations, screening potential fistula patients and referring them to treatment centers for care in Zambia’s Luapula Province.

Prior to joining Fistula Foundation, Kalumba worked for 8 years as a Clinical Officer for the Zambian Ministry of Health, serving as a frontline health provider at Chilonga Mission General Hospital. He has also served in roles at the Mpepo Rural Health Centre and the Mpika District Health Office. Kalumba holds a diploma in Basic Clinical Medical Sciences in Mental Health and Psychiatry from the University of Zambia School of Medicine in Association with Chainama College of Health Sciences.

Kalumba strongly feels that unity and team work are essential for any organization to achieve its key objectives, especially in the fight against obstetric fistula.

Thomas Huntington has developed several mobile applications, including Nightstand Central, an alarm clock app. He is currently a student at Indiana University, where he has contributed to colorectal and ovarian cancer research, and he aspires to become a physician. Thomas also volunteers at a nursing home and a homeless shelter in Bloomington, Indiana. Previously, he studied violin performance at the Colburn Conservatory of Music and earned a bachelor’s degree in neural science at New York University.

Ling Yang Lew serves as senior legal counsel at Apple. She previously worked at the County of Santa Clara, where she served as an advice attorney to the County’s health and hospital system, which provides safety-net health services. Prior to law school, Ling worked in health economics research. Ling is a graduate of Stanford Law School and Duke University.

Steve Saunders is the founder of Saunders & Associates, where his practice focuses on estate planning and probate work. He has done extensive charitable planning with family foundations and community foundations. Steve has a law degree from the University of Texas School of Law, and he is board certified in estate planning and probate law. He is also a Fellow of the American College of Trusts and Estates Counsel. From 2008 to 2015, he served on the Fistula Foundation board, and in that role he helped develop a strategic plan for the organization when it adopted its global mission

Vanessa Taylor is a screenwriter who has worked in both television, (most recently on “Game of Thrones”), and film. Her feature work includes “Hope Springs,” “Divergent,” “Hillbilly Elegy,” and “The Shape of Water,” for which she received an Oscar nomination. Vanessa has also served as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for the California dependency court.

Dr. Steve Arrowsmith has been working with Fistula Foundation for many years, but has recently become an official member of the staff. Currently based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Steve has treated fistula throughout Africa and Asia for nearly 30 years and is an esteemed mentor and trainer for new fistula surgeons. He received his undergraduate degree from Miami University, his M.D. degree from the Medical College of Ohio, and he is a Urologist by surgical training. Steve says his inspiration comes from the women he helps, starting with his first fistula surgery, and it has continued unabated.