Operation Fistula

Who we are

At Operation Fistula we are on a mission to end obstetric fistula for every woman, everywhere.

Obstetric fistula is a childbirth injury that occurs when a woman suffers a prolonged, obstructed labor. Days of unrelieved labor tear holes in the walls that separate her birth canal from her bladder and/or rectum. The injury leaves her suffering with a constant flow of incontinence. The physical and emotional toll of the injury is devastating, not only because of the social stigma and ostracization that results from the injury, but also because obstructed labor often results in a woman having to deliver her baby stillborn.

This injury happens to the world’s most vulnerable women and girls. Those subject to the fiercest burdens of gender inequity. Fistula exacerbates this unjust burden. The world has known how to effectively treat fistula since 1852. The same surgical technique is still 90% effective today and costs a few hundred dollars. However, despite this proven and affordable surgery, it is estimated that globally between one and two million women in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa are currently living with this injury. With 50,000 new cases each year, and only 16,000 women treated annually, most women will never know a cure. Operation Fistula is working to put an end to this injustice.

We have developed an innovative funding model that both effectively funds and incentivizes treatment. We have also designed a data collection and visualization tool – the Global Obstetric Fistula Automated Registry (GOFAR) - that harnesses the power of cutting-edge business intelligence technologies to enable improved coordination and collaboration across the sector. Finally, we are working to extensively map gender inequality, so that we can spur advocacy, action, and collective impact to end the gender inequality that perpetuates this injustice. We are at an exciting stage of growth, development, and scale. Join us!