Local Partner in Focus: Working Together to End Obstetric Fistulas

“These women have endured the most difficult time of their lives. And they find the strength to carry on. We can learn a great deal from them.” When Meselech Seyoum, Country Director of Healing Hands of Joy, speaks about women who have recovered from obstetric fistulas, it becomes clear how compassion and a keen eye for people's potential come together in this work.
 

Healing Hands of Joy knows how to put this potential to good use. The organisation's vision is an Ethiopia where no woman suffers from an obstetric fistula. To achieve this, it focuses on three key pillars: prevention, identification and reintegration – with affected women themselves playing a central role. In their villages, they talk to women about the importance of proper antenatal care and encourage them and their families to make the health of expectant mothers a priority.

In Ethiopia, around one in two women still gives birth at home. The reasons range from a lack of awareness of the risks associated with pregnancy and childbirth to limited access to healthcare. When women who have recovered from obstetric fistulas share their own experiences of suffering, their stories can be a powerful wake-up call. Their openness also helps reach other women affected by fistulas – women who often live in isolation and extreme poverty for years. Through their commitment, these women, known as “Safe Motherhood Ambassadors” by Healing Hands of Joy, not only carry out vital prevention work. They also regain self-confidence and social recognition – something many of them had lost along the way.

Today, around 3,000 women who have recovered from obstetric fistulas volunteer with Healing Hands of Joy, reaching thousands of pregnant women every year. The organisation prepares its ambassadors for their role through training and informational materials. Healing Hands of Joy also runs awareness campaigns in markets and on the radio, and trains key community members, such as midwives and religious leaders, through workshops. The organisation operates in 44 rural districts across Ethiopia and employs around 70 local staff members on a full-time basis. Since 2025, it has been implementing a project together with Women’s Hope in the Wolayita Zone, with the aim of eliminating obstetric fistulas in the long term and sustainably strengthening the healthcare system. This work is urgently needed: every year, only a fraction of the women affected across the country receive the medical care they so desperately need.