Zimbabwe

With few physicians and even fewer gynecologists, Zimbabwe faces an enormous backlog of obstetric fistula patients.

Why We Work in Zimbabwe

In Zimbabwe, less than one half of births are registered, and only a third of Zimbabwean children have a birth certificate. According to our hospital partners, this indicates that many births are taking place outside of health facilities, and suggests maternal mortality and complication rates are much higher than what is reported.

Rural women bear the heaviest share of the suffering. There are few physicians and even fewer gynecologists in isolated areas, and community awareness about fistula is very low. With so few resources, Zimbabwean women will continue to develop fistula in childbirth— and the country already faces an enormous backlog of fistula patients. There is a tremendous need to build healthcare capacity and help Zimbabwean women who are suffering, many for years on end.

 

What You Help Us Do

We are investing in the following areas to build Zimbabwe’s in-country medical services and provide life-transforming surgery to as many women as possible:

Cost of Fistula Surgeries
Reintegration Support

Meet Our Partners

We identify local surgical teams in Zimbabwe already successfully treating women with fistula—and then work to amplify their efforts. 

Who are our current partners?

Artemedis

  • Location: Mashoko, Mutambara, Masvingo, and Karoi
  • Partner Since: 2019
Who are our past partners?

Women and Health Alliance International (WAHA International)

  • Location: Harare and Chinhoyi
  • Partner In: 2013 – 2017
How much funding have we granted?

 

Below are funding totals since the start of each partnership.

Current Partners

  • Artemedis: $987,833

Past Partners:

  • Women and Health Alliance International (WAHA International): $954,550

News from the Field

Meet Aneni from Zimbabwe  •  April 06, 2018
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When she was only 19 years old, Aneni experienced a wrenching, prolonged labor. She pushed for six days at her home in rural Zimbabwe, until her husband finally managed to...
When she was only 19 years old, Aneni experienced a wrenching, prolonged labor. She pushed for six days at her home in rural Zimbabwe, until her husband finally managed to borrow an ox-drawn carriage to take her to a nearby health clinic. There, doctors immediately recognized the severity of Aneni’s condition, and transferred her to the general hospital for an emergency C-section.
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Meet Maria from Zimbabwe  •  August 05, 2015
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Maria learned about WAHA's fistula treatment program through outreach activities conducted in Zimbabwe. When she arrived at the hospital, staff asked her how long she had been living with fistula....
Maria learned about WAHA's fistula treatment program through outreach activities conducted in Zimbabwe. When she arrived at the hospital, staff asked her how long she had been living with fistula. She answered that she was unsure, but thought it had been over 22 years, which meant Maria had endure leaking urine and incontinence for more than half her life.
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US-Based Fistula Foundation to Launch Zimbabwe Pilot Program  •  September 25, 2014
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An interview with Fistula Foundation CEO Kate Grant was featured on Voice of America Zimbabwe this week. The interview focuses on the physical and social consequences of obstetric fistula and...
An interview with Fistula Foundation CEO Kate Grant was featured on Voice of America Zimbabwe this week. The interview focuses on the physical and social consequences of obstetric fistula and a pilot program in Zimbabwe to help women suffering from fistula get the treatment they need. The Fistula Foundation, an American-based organization, which caters for women with birth complications, is set to launch an obstetric fistula treatment scheme in Zimbabwe, targeting women who find themselves ostracized by families and communities.
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