Worldwide Fistula Fund and Terrewode Merge as Maternal Dignity Project

The merger brings together a network of partners across Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Kenya, Niger, and Uganda. These include the ARENA Medical Center, founded by Dr. Itengre Ouedraogo, the Let’s End Fistula Initiative led by survivor Sarah Omega, and Uganda’s TERREWODE, which operates the country’s only dedicated fistula hospital. By pooling expertise and funding, the organization seeks to scale local solutions that have often operated with limited financial backing.

Executive director Bonnie Ruder emphasizes that because the condition is both preventable and treatable, the current scale of the crisis is unacceptable. Beyond surgery, the project is pivoting to address evolving risks, such as fistula injuries resulting from inadequately equipped or poorly trained medical providers performing C-sections. Research is already underway among their partners to address these shifting causes. The project aims to provide the necessary support to local clinicians and survivors until the condition is entirely eradicated.