With assistance from Direct Relief, 102 women were able to receive life-changing obstetric fistula treatment at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre, Malawi, during the Fistula Repair Camp that took place in May, coordinated by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)-Malawi.

Obstetric fistula is a hole in the birth canal that results from prolonged and obstructed labor when women do not have access to a skilled birth attendant and emergency obstetric care. The injury is largely treatable by surgery and can dramatically improve the health and lives of women affected.

The supplies shipped to the camp included sutures, catheters, urine bags, syringes, spinal needles, and other equipment. By providing the camp with the necessary materials to successfully treat over 100 women the hospital (80 of whom were operated on), organizers were able to spend their limited resources on providing food and other supplies for their recovering patients.

Grace Hiwa, coordinator of UNFPA’s Malawi program, said, “I am so grateful [for Direct Relief’s] collaboration with UNFPA as we are reaching more women.”

In addition to providing supplies for the camp, Direct Relief also supports the fistula repair services provided at the Bwaila Fistula Center in Lilongwe, Malawi, as well as dozens more facilities throughout sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia.

Help more women access this life-changing treatment. Click here to support Direct Relief’s maternal and child health programs.

Related posts: Updated Global Fistula Map, Expanded Efforts to Overcome Barriers to Care