What Is A Fistula Injury

An obstetric fistula is a devastating childbirth injury that most often follows days of obstructed labor. In these cases, a woman may not only lose her baby but also suffer severe internal damage. Prolonged pressure from the baby’s head cuts off blood flow to the birth canal, causing tissue loss and creating a hole between the vagina and the bladder or rectum.

Without surgical repair, she is left incontinent, leaking urine—and sometimes stool—uncontrollably. Many fistula survivors are divorced, abandoned by their families, and isolated from their communities, often left with no way to support themselves.

In high-resource countries like the U.S., access to quality maternal healthcare means fistulas are virtually unheard of. But in Uganda, where there is only one doctor for every 25,000 people, many women give birth without proper medical assistance. In rural areas, the situation is even worse. If labor becomes obstructed, a woman may go for days without help—left with this terrible injury.

Obstetric fistulas can also result from poorly performed C-sections. In Uganda, 52% of obstetric fistulas (Iatrogenic fistulas) are now linked to improperly conducted cesarean deliveries, often due to gaps in surgical training and limited medical resources.

Restoring Health, Dignity, and Hope

Through expanded training, strengthened facilities, and improved access pathways, we are working to substantially increase the number of women who can receive life-changing surgical care each year. Our aim is not simply to fund procedures, but to build lasting capacity that allows thousands more women to restore their health and dignity over time.

By strengthening local training and facilities, we are working to ensure that more women can reach this moment of healing — not just today, but for years to come. Every investment in capacity expands the number of women who can reclaim their health and move forward with dignity.

For women like these pictured here, access to specialized surgical care can mean the difference between years of isolation and a return to family, work, and community life. When care becomes possible, healing restores not only physical health, but confidence, connection, and hope.