Dugasa’s Resilience in the Face of Extraordinary Danger
Finding and supporting women living with fistula demands dedication. In rare circumstances, it also demands extraordinary courage.
Our partners work in under-resourced areas and routinely navigate difficult political and social conditions to deliver high-quality care to women who desperately need it. This past May, one partner’s dedication went way “beyond the call” of normal duty.
Dugasa Beyene, a social worker with our partner Village Health Partnership in Ethiopia, had just transported eight women to the nearest hospital for surgery. On the return trip, his driver chose a shorter, more remote route.
That seemingly small decision nearly cost them their lives.
A Routine Trip Turns Treacherous
After driving down a remote side road for about 30 kilometers, Dugasa and his driver were suddenly ambushed.
“Three armed kidnappers came out of a bush and forced us to go in front of them to a valley full of thorns,” Dugasa said.
“The kidnappers made us walk down the valley for about four kilometers, and tortured us severely to the extent that we could hardly breathe. … They also made us sit in the pouring rain and very cold weather the whole night.”
The attackers robbed Dugasa of all of the personal belongings he had in the car. Hours later—after enduring life-threatening hypothermia, theft, and severe injury—he and the driver were set free.
An Unwavering Commitment
Despite this terrifying ordeal, Dugasa’s resolve to help women never wavered. Even while healing from his traumatic wounds, his first priority was not his personal recovery. He was most concerned about continuing to connect women in rural Ethiopia with the care they need to heal from severe childbirth injuries. In fact, Dugasa and the team at Village Health Partnership were still able to connect 19 women with treatment—ensuring the vast majority of planned surgeries were provided in 2025.
Dugasa’s resilience—to look death in the face and continue on in selfless service to others—is testament to the extraordinary dedication of our partners. This work is difficult, and sometimes, conditions in the field can be dangerous. Yet partners like him are profoundly devoted to the women whose lives are restored through surgery. This work continues thanks to people like him, and with critical support from donors like you.
We’re grateful that Dugasa and his driver are now safe, and healing from their harrowing experience. With Dugasa’s help, we’re ensuring that no woman suffers needlessly from fistula in Ethiopia—no matter how difficult the journey to reach her.
Published January 27, 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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