Dr. Royd Nonde Sails Away for Surgery in Zambia
Going the last mile for fistula patients means that our partners use all means of transportation—land, boat, and air—to find women in need and provide them with access to life-transforming care.
In late January, Dr. Royd Nonde, a partner surgeon from Mansa General Hospital in Zambia, traveled by boat with Nurse Mary Zulu to Chilubi Island for a five-day surgical outreach effort.
Traveling to the Island on the Lake that Meets the Sky
Chilubi Island is the largest inhabited island in Zambia, located in Lake Bangweulu (which means “the lake that meets the sky”). The island has a distinctive zig-zag shape, and is only accessible by boat, ferry, or air. Due to its remote location, residents of Chilubi Island face unique healthcare challenges and rely on government services, missionary hospitals, and outreach programs to access medical care. Sadly, for women on the island, fistula care is non-existent or inadequate, so they must be brought to the mainland for life-transforming surgery.
After several car rides and a six hour boat ride, Dr. Royd and Nurse Mary reached Chilubi Island and began their screening of prospective fistula patients. Each day of the outreach effort, they traveled to different locations around the island, even traversing some waters by paddle canoe, to find women in need of care.
During their journey, they visited several rural health centers, where women suspected of having fistula had been mobilized for screening. They met many patients, including Exildah and Priscah—two women who had each suffered with fistula for more than 25 years.
Without the work of Dr. Royd and team, and support from people like you, these women might have suffered with this treatable condition for the rest of their lives. But thanks to this outreach effort, they didn’t have to.
Returning Hope to Exildah
“I have had this problem since my last delivery, 26 years ago. I lost my child, and eventually my dignity because I always smelled of urine. But now, I am very hopeful. … Thank you to the doctors who operated on me, and Fistula Foundation—I am very grateful.”—Exildah, a fistula survivor in Zambia
Restoring Happiness for Priscah
“I am very grateful to Fistula Foundation for this opportunity to have this life-changing operation. May God continue to bless you. I have suffered with this issue of urine since 1991. … But now after this operation, I am dry, and very happy!!!”—Priscah, a fistula survivor in Zambia
In total, the team screened 30 patients during the outreach effort, and confirmed that 18 patients had fistula or perineal tears (a childbirth injury similar to fistula). Dr. Royd and Nurse Mary brought 12 of these women back to Mansa General Hospital for treatment, and made plans to operate on the six remaining women in April, when they have help from the senior surgeon.
Dr. Royd believes outreach efforts like this one deliver profound insights beyond what could be learned or perfected in the operating room of Mansa General.
“Getting involved in childbirth campaigns in Chilubi Island helps me appreciate the places people come from, the struggles they go through to find emergency obstetric services and hence what predisposes them to childbirth injuries,” said Dr. Royd.
He is grateful to donors like you who support this work, because it makes a lasting difference in women’s lives.
“Patients who suffer these injuries are fetched and helped and sent back to their communities reformed—not just physically, but mentally and emotionally,” said Dr. Royd.
By land, boat, or air, our partners are going beyond the call to reach women with childbirth injuries and provide them with the life-transforming healing that all mothers deserve—no matter where they live.
Published March 19, 2026
Read more stories of surgeons going beyond the call of duty on our blog, and learn how your support makes missions like this possible. | ||
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