 How One Program is Transforming Women’s Health In Western Ethiopia Our quiet efforts have now garnered loud applause! This year, our dedicated partners swiftly achieved remarkable success by screening, transporting, and surgically healing 275 women dealing with the gynecological consequences of childbirth—with 250 overcoming significant pelvic organ prolapse (POP), and another 25 successfully treated for fistula with our Screen Transport and Treat Program. In under half a year, we hit our annual treatment milestone. During recent years, our program’s efforts have been focused in the Kelem Wollega and West Wollega Zones of western Ethiopia. Despite the challenges posed by ongoing military conflict, we have succeeded not only in assisting women in distress, but also in establishing healthcare systems in remote areas by overcoming obstacles to accessing and obtaining medical services. When women return home after successful and transformative medical treatment, they often turn into vocal advocates of the healthcare system; prompting peers to embrace medical services like birth control and skilled assistance with delivery, ensuring they sidestep potential health hurdles that lead to POP and fistula…and even death. These survivors share tales of triumph that illuminate a path to care and recovery for others. The consequence is a groundswell of women asserting their right to receive support and access to medical care. By facilitating the transport of women requiring care, we have proven that accessing distant health facilities is achievable. We have partnered with Aira General Hospital and the Dembi Dollo Regional Hospital to provide the necessary medical care to surgically treat women with POP or fistula. As a result of our initiative, these medical facilities have now become centers of excellence for women’s healthcare in western Ethiopia. Moving ahead, our Screen Transport and Treat Program will concentrate on expanding to remote western regions of Ethiopia. We aim to collaborate with local partners and Ethiopian Government authorities to communicate that treatment is accessible and possible. As we execute the program, our objective remains to offer women the hope of accessing healthcare, addressing both gynecological complications and maternal fetal death in childbirth. Village Health Partnership works with the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus Development and Social Service Committee Western Wollega Bethel Synod Branch Office, alongside medical practitioners at Aira General Hospital and Dembi Dollo Regional Hospital. The STT Program is supported by generous donations from individuals and the Fistula Foundation, Tropical Health Alliance Foundation, Wallace Genetic Foundation, Flahive Foundation, the Eugene and Florence Armstrong Family Foundation and the First Presbyterian Church of Santa Fe. We welcome your support too!  Together, we can weave a safer future for mothers in rural Ethiopia. Every dollar brings us closer to achieving our goals. |
