THE ORGANIZATION WILL SUPPORT AFRICAN-LED PARTNERS TREATING AND PREVENTING OBSTETRIC FISTULA ACROSS FIVE COUNTRIES

BEND, Ore., Oct. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Worldwide Fistula Fund and Terrewode Women's Fund have merged to form Maternal Dignity Project, a nonprofit supporting African-led organizations working to treat and prevent obstetric fistula.

Obstetric fistula is a childbirth injury that occurs when a woman in labor cannot get an emergency Cesarean section in time. An estimated 500,000 women are living with the injury worldwide. It is both preventable and treatable, yet many women live with it for years without ever being told that repair is possible.

The merged organization supports partners in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Kenya, Niger and Uganda, including ARENA Medical Center, founded by Dr. Itengre Ouedraogo as Burkina Faso's first dedicated fistula center; Let's End Fistula Initiative in Kenya, founded by survivor and advocate Sarah Omega; and TERREWODE in Uganda, known internationally for its work supporting women after surgery and building Uganda's only dedicated fistula hospital.

"Every woman with fistula today is living with something we already know how to prevent and repair," said Bonnie Ruder, executive director of Maternal Dignity Project. "That is the part I cannot accept. Our partners have spent years proving what works, often with too little funding and largely on their own. Together we can put more behind them and help them end fistula for good."

The two former organizations funded overlapping work for years and shared a commitment to supporting leaders working in their own communities.

Maternal Dignity Project plans to expand its prevention work. As more women give birth in health facilities, the causes of fistula are shifting, with a growing share of injuries linked to C-sections performed by providers who lack adequate training and resources. Several partners are currently researching this shift.

The expertise to end fistula already exists, and it sits with the clinicians, survivors, and support groups who have been doing this work for decades. Maternal Dignity Project was formed to back them until no woman anywhere experiences fistula.

About Maternal Dignity Project
Maternal Dignity Project is a U.S.-based nonprofit with deep, longstanding partnerships with African-led organizations preventing and treating obstetric fistula and related childbirth injuries.

Contact
Dori Valerio
dori@minervastrategies.com 
+1 (631) 334-5672

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SOURCE Maternal Dignity Project