Why We Work in Nepal
Nepal is a mountainous, landlocked country situated in the Himalayan Mountains between China and India. Acute poverty is widespread, and maternal healthcare and emergency obstetric services remain in short supply. Only 58% of births are attended by a skilled provider.
Not surprisingly, obstetric fistula persists in the country—particularly in rural areas of Nepal where poor nutrition, child marriage and early childbearing all increase a woman’s risk for obstructed labor and injury. A 2011 UNFPA study estimates there are 4,000–5,000 women living with fistula, and 200–400 new cases each year.
Many victims, and even health workers, are not aware that fistula is a medical condition that can be treated. Nepal’s harsh geography and travel conditions further compound the challenge of accessing treatment. Those who do travel to Kathmandu or India often find their funds are insufficient to pay for surgery.
What You Help Us Do
We are investing in the following areas to build Nepal’s in-country medical services and provide life-transforming surgery to as many women as possible:
Meet Our Partners
Working closely with Nepal’s Department of Health and the Family Health Division, Fistula Foundation is currently partnering with International Nepal Fellowship and Public Health Concern Trust Nepal and to deliver fistula treatment to women in Nepal.
The Foundation also stepped up to repair Kathmandu Model Hospital’s operating theater following the devastating earthquake in 2015.
International Nepal Fellowship
International Nepal Fellowship (INF) focuses on three main areas in its work on fistula: surveillance, prevention, and treatment of obstetric fistula in remote areas of Western Nepal. There are currently no other organizations working on this issue in Western Nepal, nor are there any hospitals in the region that are able to surgically treat fistula. While INF hopes a dedicated fistula treatment center will one day be established there, surgeries are currently conducted only via periodic medical clinics at the regional government hospital in Surkhet.
Public Health Concern Trust Nepal
Public Health Concern Trust Nepal is a non-profit health organization in Nepal that runs Kathmandu Model Hospital and Kirtipur Hospital in Kathmandu. Each of these hospitals has a fistula ward with five beds, and between the two they have several fistula care nurses and three fistula surgeons. While the hospitals currently have the capacity to perform repair surgeries, they have lacked the resources and proper equipment to offer surgeries routinely and at no cost to patients.
Fistula Free Nepal
Fistula Free Nepal (FFN) works in Eastern Nepal and focuses on raising awareness, screening and treatment. Using a variety of techniques such as TV, radio, printed materials and community outreach, FFN seeks to raise awareness about fistula in rural areas and refer identified patients to appointed local health workers. These health workers are trained to screen and identify fistula patients and refer them to B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences for treatment.
International Nepal Fellowship
- Pending Grant for FY2019
- $103,367 in FY2018
- $56,120 in FY2017
- $47,323 in FY2016
- $55,351 in FY2015
- $50,093 in FY2014
- $58,608 in FY2013
- $49,500 in FY2012
PHeCT/Kathmandu Model Hospital & Kirtipur Hospital
- Pending Grant for FY2019
- $83,875 in FY2018
- $79,750 in FY2016
- $249,209 in FY2015
- $50,000 in FY2014
PHCT CBRHCC
- Pending Grant for FY2019
- $25,000 in FY2018
- $25,000 in FY2016
- $25,000 in FY2015
Fistula Free Nepal
- $100,000 in FY2016
- $50,000 in FY2013
