According to the World Health Organization, for every woman who dies in childbirth, at least 20 others suffer injuries, infection and disability. Obstetric fistula is one of the most common and most devastating of these injuries. An injury that creates an opening between the bladder and birth canal, fistula often leaves affected women incontinent, with some developing nerve damage that affects walking or even standing.
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) estimates that more than 2 million women have untreated fistulas, and approximately 100,000 more develop the condition each year. Obstetric fistula is common in places where extreme poverty and lack of skilled care during delivery leave women and girls vulnerable, particularly in remote areas of developing countries. These women, burdened with incontinence, withdraw in shame, lack confidence and often face social rejection.
“It was the first time I could afford a genuine smile,” says Sarah Omega, 32, of Kenya, recalling the day her fistula was repaired. For 12 years she had lived with humiliation and loneliness as a result of the childbirth injury. Sarah had been in labor for more than 18 hours before she reached a hospital; by then, her baby had died and she was left with fistula. Today she is a passionate advocate for the UNFPA Campaign to End Fistula.
Johnson & Johnson supports UNFPA and, through Direct Relief International, seven hospitals in sub-Saharan Africa that operate high-quality obstetric fistula repair, prevention and rehabilitation programs. These include Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital in Ethiopia, Comprehensive Community Based Rehabilitation in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and other programs in Kenya, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Eritrea and Somaliland—areas of the world with poor maternal health indicators and high rates of fistula.
Learn More:
2010 Contributions Report
Addis Ababa Fistula Foundation
United Nations Population Fund
