In 2014, Fistula Foundation was awarded funding to pilot the first fistula treatment network in Kenya, marking the first time we were able to invest deeply across a single country to transform the landscape of care.
The Challenge
Before 2014, only two hospitals in the entire country provided fistula care on a regular basis, and many women were going untreated.
What’s more, with little community understanding of fistula and its causes, suffering woman often faced harsh discrimination and did not even know they had a treatable condition.
The Solution
To address this challenge, Fistula Foundation worked with Kenya’s Ministry of Health to build a network of fistula hospitals.
Each hospital was staffed by well-trained surgeons and nurses, sharing the resources and best practices needed to provide free, year-round fistula care. We also developed a robust community outreach program and media campaign to spread the word about fistula and identify untreated women.
Communiqué Awards judgesThe Action on Fistula work was… extremely bold, ambitious and impressive… [They] stepped in to address an unmet need, demonstrating a tremendous improvement year on year for this massive and stigmatised disease.”
The Results
In its first three years, our pilot in Kenya delivered extraordinary results.
Our partners treated more than 2,400 women, more than doubling their target surgery numbers. Based on our success in Kenya, we brought our network model to Zambia in 2017, where it has met with similar success.
Learn more about our plan to end fistula
Action on Fistula News
Field Notes: Baringo, Kenya
