To offset some of the lack of women’s health care in this part of the world, MHF supports services that help girls and women regain their health, self-respect and the possibility of a hopeful future. Here is a brief description, which demonstrates the HOLISTIC MODEL OF CARE that is the centerpiece of our approach.
PREVENTION is for everyone. When girls of child bearing age and women give birth in hospitals staffed with well-trained doctors and nurses, or clinics equipped with a qualified midwife, the risk of developing an injury like fistula drops to almost zero. The Fund supports midwives in rural areas of Ethiopia, professional training, and programs that can help prevent life-altering tragedies.
TREATMENT is available for free. Every woman deserves the opportunity to live a life free of debilitating childbirth injuries. MHF has helped facilitate surgeries—including transportation to a hospital or clinic from distant villages—that repair fistulas and other birth traumas, and prepare women for a better life. The hospitals we have supported over the last ten years have treated ~ 15,000 women. Take a tour here of the Terrewode Women’s Hospital in Uganda, where after completing a two year design and construction phase in August, 2019 we began providing fistula repair surgery at no cost to patients. TWCH is becoming a global center for fistula treatment, rehabilitation and training.
MEDICAL TRAINING is the ticket. MHF has been committed to training doctors to treat childbirth injuries around the world. We offer training at the hospitals we support, and our doctors travel the world to train obstetricians/gynecologists, urologists, surgeons, physical therapists and nurses who work in areas where obstetric fistula is still a threat to girls’ and women’s health. MHF is incredibly fortunate to have Dr. Fekade Ayenachew as our chief medical trainer. Dr. Fekade is a leading world surgical authority , practitioner and trainer regarding all forms of childbirth injuries. He travels to the centers we support providing compassionate and holistic care.
PATIENT REINTEGRATION is a stepping stone to a new life. Surgical repair of a woman’s birth injury is critical, but it is only the beginning of her healing process. Our programs include a reintegration plan for every woman to ensure she goes home cured of her injury and with a renewed sense of worth. The agenda includes emotional support from staff and peers, literacy and numeracy lessons, crafting and other skills that help each woman re-enter her community with purpose and self-esteem, newly refreshed. Hospital staff—some of them fistula survivors themselves—offer empathy and compassion.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT supports prevention and accessible care. Terrewode has established over 200 community groups composed of ~ 2,000 survivors and their families in many regions of Uganda. These groups educate women and families and identify the risks of fistula or other childbirth injuries. They help arrange transportation to the Terrewode Women’s Hospital (mentioned above) for treatment. In addition to surgical repair, the hospital provides safe C-sections for former patients when needed.