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HOPE in Bangladesh

Since 2010, Fistula Foundation has been proud to partner with HOPE Foundation for Women and Children.

Their bustling hospital is located in Cox’s Bazar, a small city near the border with Myanmar. HOPE is a lifeline to impoverished women in the area—and to the recent influx of Rohingya refugees, fleeing intense persecution in Myanmar.

Check out the slideshow below of the work you can make possible in Bangladesh.

 

HOPE Hospital has been on the front lines of the Rohingya refugee crisis. They were the first NGO responder, mobilizing within 24 hours. “This was like war,” said Rakibul Hoque, HOPE Hospital’s coordinator. Above, the first map of the refugee camps, created by HOPE’s response team—there were no roads before the crisis.
HOPE’s team has been hard at work in the refugee camps, triaging at every opportunity. They provide much-needed care to women in a desperate situation. Above, a makeshift structure for obstetric care, in a camp near the border with Myanmar.
Amidst all of the tragedy in her life, Rehana felt that she had no reason to hope. Thankfully, she made it to a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh, and was referred to HOPE Hospital. Her fistula can now be healed by HOPE’s compassionate medical team.
The matron of the fistula ward cheerfully encourages a fistula patient during morning rounds.
A Rohingya fistula patient named Dilder (right) smiles with Beauty Sharma (left), a midwife at HOPE Hospital. HOPE’s team of compassionate professionals make sure each woman receives high-quality care.
In 2009, HOPE Hospital opened as a one-room outpatient clinic. Now, it is a busy, 24-hour, 40 bed facility. Its mission is to serve the impoverished women and children in the Cox’s Bazar area.
Rohingya refugees and local Bangladeshi women heal side-by-side in the fistula ward at HOPE Hospital, without fear of discrimination or violence.
Seonara Begum is a local Bangladeshi woman awaiting fistula surgery at HOPE Hospital. Five years ago, a traumatic home delivery left her with a terrible fistula, and she has been seeking help ever since. Seonara was referred to HOPE from another hospital, and is ready to finally be healed.
Dr. Iftikher Mahmood (right), founder of HOPE Hospital, with Dr. Nirnmoy Biswas (left), lead fistula surgeon.
Lead fistula surgeon Dr. Nrinmoy Biswas gently reassures an anxious patient moments before her surgery.
Dr. Famhida Akter, HOPE’s newly-certified fistula surgeon, performs a life-changing procedure at the hospital in Cox’s Bazar.
A sprawling refugee camp outside Cox’s Bazar, spreading as far as the eye can see.