The work of the Village Health Partnership (VHP) in Ethiopia is a mission of profound dedication. No one embodies this spirit morefully than Dugasa Beyene, one of our key partners on the ground. His unwavering commitment to the Screen Transport and Treat Program (STTP) for severe gynecologic complications of childbirth continues despite facing extraordinary personal danger. From the town of Dembi Dollo, Dugasa recently shared a candid account with VHP founder and president, Dr. Migs Muldrow, detailing a harrowing experience that sheds light on the very real risks individuals take to bring essential healthcare to the most remote and underserved women in Ethiopia.  A Journey of Peril and Purpose In May 2025, after transporting eight women, one with Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP) and seven severely injured with obstetric fistula, to the renowned Hamlin Fistula Hospital in Addis Ababa, Dugasa and his driver were brutally ambushed. While taking a shorter, remote route to Horo Guduru Wollega Zone, they were stopped by armed men. Dugasa recounted the terrifying encounter: “After we had left the highway… and drove for about 30 Km, three gunned kidnappers came out of a bush and pointed their guns at us and forced us to go in front of them to a valley full of thorns. The valley was so steep that it was hard to go down the valley.” The subsequent hours were an ordeal of violence, exposure, and life threatening conditions. The immediate physical trauma was compounded by the weather and isolation: “After kidnappers made us walk down the valley for about four km, they tortured us severely to the extent that we could hardly breathe… They also made us sit in pouring rain and very cold weather the whole night.” Exposure to cold, wet conditions puts a person at severe risk for life-threatening hypothermia. Yet, even while facing severe injury, Dugasa also endured a personal theft: “Others up the valley… stole everything we had had in the car. I was robbed personally of my luggage, laptop, two external data storage apparatuses, my camera and smart phone.” After being released in the late afternoon of the following day, Dugasa was left in a great deal of pain from the trauma: “I still feel pain on my left side my back. Ithink one of the bones streaming from the spinal cord got hurt from the torture. I had a checkup with ultrasound, but the result did not show any broken bone.” With staggering perspective on his ordeal, Dugasa concluded: “Anyhow, we are fortunate that the kidnappers did not kill us, though we lost all our belongings.” The Mission Continues What is truly remarkable is what happened next. Even while dealing with the trauma of his ordeal, Dugasa immediately returned to his critical work, exemplifying his passion. His first priority was not his personal recovery, but the implementation of the STTP 2025 program. He reported the program’s success: Pelvic Organ Prolapse: To date this year, 213 patients with pelvic organ prolapse (POP) have received treatment at Aira General Hospital and 14 women with POP have been treated at Dembi Dollo University Hospital. Fistula Patients: Dugasa is determined to meet 2025 treatment goals, noting, “we are lagging behind with the treatment of obstetric fistula patients. Only 4 women with fistula have been treated so far at Aira General Hospital. “I hope we could manage treating 21 more as soon as possible.” Hamlin Referrals: Dugasa and his team have successfully transported 25 patients (11 severely injured fistula patients that can’t be treated at Aira General Hospital and 14 POP patients) to Hamlin Fistula Hospital, and are hoping to transport 86 more women with POP “before October this year.” Dugasa’s dedication—to literally put his life on the line to uphold the mission—is a powerful reminder of the urgency and danger inherent in delivering healthcare in some parts of the world. His story is not just one of survival; it is one of profound commitment to the women whose lives are restored through his tireless efforts and the support of VHP. How You Can Help The challenges faced by our partners, from securing funds to ensuring their personal safety, are constant. Your donations are essential to ensure that Dugasa and our partners on the ground and in the community can continue this lifesaving work, providing vulnerable women with the treatment they desperately need. Donate now to help us continue making motherhood safer in rural Ethiopia! |
