Campaign 2013:We’re NOT STOPPINGWe’ve got strong momentum. But manywomen need care and we need your help!Last year you helped The Fistula Foundation achieve what felt likea minor miracle. We raised more money than ever before, and this year because of you wewere able to double the number of surgeries provided over what we were able to provide in2010. But, we are far from being done! Hundreds of thousands of women are sufferingneedlessly for want of surgery to restore their health. We are in business to change that horriblereality. We have more projects at more hospitals ready to go than ever before, but that need isfar greater than the funds we have available to support this life-transforming treatment. That’swhere you come in. That’s where you’ve always come in.

The Fistula Foundation takes no government money. We have only fourfull-time staff. Funds you donate to us go directly to helping women gettreatment. It’s that simple. Everything we are able to do is because ofyou. We’re ruthlessly thrifty because we want to get funds out to the fieldwhere women get the care that can give them back their health and lives.

This year we’re hoping for another miracle. 2012 isn’t over yet. Before December 31st, can wecount on you to make your charitable donation to The Fistula Foundation? You have thepower to help us change lives. Staggering numbers of women with untreated fistula are stillwaiting for an inexpensive operation that will dramatically change their lives. The FistulaFoundation has not forgotten them. And we know you haven’t either.

Page 2 | One Woman’s Story

Johnson & Johnson Commits $250, 000 to Fistula Treatment

Page 3 | Supporter Spotlight: Jennifer Stover, Crowdsourcing Funds for Women with Fistula

Postcards from the Road

Page 4 | Holiday Gift Ideas

Page 6 | The Muslim Mother Teresa

Page 7 | Charity Watch Gives The Fistula Foundation an “A”

Your Donations at Work

IN THIS ISSUE

TransformationsNews from The Fistula Foundation, Winter 2012

For the seventh consecutive year in a row, The FistulaFoundation has received the highest rating availablefrom Charity Navigator, America’s premier charityevaluator – putting us in the top 2% of all charities

continued on page 8

7 Years in a Row: 4 Stars from Charity Navigator

2012 isn’t over yet. Before December 31st, can we count on you to make your charitable

donation to the Fistula Foundation?

The Fistula Foundation1900 The Alameda, Suite 500San Jose, CA 95126-1427Ph: 408-249-9596Fax: 408-244-7328info@fistulafoundation.orgwww.fistulafoundation.orgTax ID: 77-0547201Facebook.com/TheFistulaFoundation@Fistula_Fdtn

© Paula Allen / V-Day

Gul lives in Afghanistan. At 13 years old, her fatherarranged for her to marry an older man who hadanother wife, and after one year of marriage, Gul became pregnant.

When she went into labor, it lasted for two days. There were no clinics or doctors whereshe lived and Gul’s husband became worried. He took her to her father’s house, where Gul’sfather killed a sheep and placed the sheepskin on her as part of a traditional treat ment usedin her area. After three days of wearing the sheepskin, Gul delivered a stillborn baby.

After delivery, Gul was unable to control her urine. At first, she thought her fistula was an illness that she would recover from.The first wife was happy about Gul’s problem because this would keep Gul away from their husband . Over time, the other wifebecame upset when she realized that without Gul’s help she would have to tend to the housework, almond trees, cows and oxenall by herself.

Gul suffered with her fistula for a few years before her husband took her to Kabul for treatment, then to Pakistan, and thenback to Kabul. None of the surgeries she received healed her. Over this period of time, Gul had eight pregnancies. Six of herchildren are alive today.

Gul leaked for 12 years before receiving treatment from CURE Hospital in Kabul, a Fistula Foundation grantee partner. Aneighbor had gone through successful fistula repair surgery at CURE and urged Gul to go. Her husband took her immediately.

After a four day journey by bus, Gul and her husband arrived at the hospital. Scar tissue from the previous surgeries made Gul’soperation very complicated, but eventually she was healed. When she was released from the hospital to return home with herhusband, Gul’s doctors reported that she told them, “I am dry and I am happy! I hope you can find more sponsors so that youcan continue to help more women with this problem.”

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Turkmenistan

Uzbekistan

Taj.

Pakistan

Iran

India

AfghanistanKabul

One Woman’s StoryGul From Afghanistan

Did you miss “Half the Sky” when it aired on PBS? The entire four hour film can be ordered on Amazon.com for $26.96.

Johnson & Johnson Commits $250,000 to The Fistula FoundationTreatment to be funded through Half the Sky Movement: The Game

Today’s social media world allows unique opportunities to use gaming to effect change and better understand the moralobligation to support and empower women worldwide. Building on the success of the U.S. television premiere of thedocumentary “Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide,” a new Facebook game will debut inearly 2013 that will continue to raise awareness of issues impacting women in the developing world. More importantly, it willempower players to help women in the real-world through actions they take in the game.

In the game, player actions and virtual items are tied to matching donations from sponsors that extend to the real world: buildingschools, donating livestock to farmers, or providing treatment to women suffering from obstetric fistula. Beyond monetary

continued on page 8

©iStockphoto.com/luxG4

Supporter Spotlight:Crowdsourcing Funds for Women with Fistula

Inspired by “Half the Sky,” Jennifer Stover of Cranberry, PA started a letter writing campaign to raise$450 to help one woman receive fistula treatment. Adding an online component hhelped to nearly tripleher goal – and she’s going to continue her campaign through the end of the year. Here are her tips onrunning your own successful fundraising campaign to help women receive the surgeries they need.

What inspired your letter-writing campaign? I learned about The Fistula Foundation about eight years ago on The OprahWinfrey Show while pregnant with my daughter, and it really struck a chord with me. My mom had a very difficult labor withme, and if the dice had been rolled another way and she’d been giving birth in, say, a remote corner of Somalia, it’s possibleneither she nor I would have survived. I later read the book, Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for WomenWorldwide, and when the documentary came out, I knew I had to do something to help at least one woman receive treatment.

You’ve already raised nearly three times your goal. Why do you think you’ve had so much success? Soliciting donations isdefinitely something that’s outside of my comfort zone, but personal follow-up really helped. I followed up with friends andfamily individually and e-mailed the donation link. I also posted notes on their Facebook walls, along with the link. This was alot more successful than just sending a letter alone. I think people donated through my online Crowdrise fundraising pagebecause it’s really easy to follow a link and pay with a credit card in just a click.

What’s next for your campaign? I’ve been very, very moved by how generous people have been. So I think this is somethingI’ll continue to do, and I’ll keep my Crowdrise fundraising page up for a while. For me, it’s about the idea that in the modernworld we live in today, so many women go without maternal care and it’s not even an issue that most people are discussing –but it’s really important to discuss. I wish that I was a millionaire and that all of my friends were wealthy and could go to galasand write large checks. But just because we’re not doesn’t mean we can’t all pool our money together to help someone.

You can check out Jennifer’s online campaign and make your own contribution athttp://www.crowdrise.com/TeamTheFistulaFoundation/fundraiser/jenniferstover

Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, D.C.On September 27, Kate discussed the foundation’sapproach to tackling the global problem of obstetricfistula on a panel with partner surgeon Dr. LauriRomanzi and representatives from the United NationsPopulation Fund and EngenderHealth.

Half the Sky, San Francisco and New York CityOn September 18 in SanFrancisco, more than 200people attended a “Half the Sky” screening event hosted byCommunity Cinema, the education and civic engagement armof PBS Independent Lens. Kate spoke on a panel after the filmscreening. On September 24, The Fistula Foundation attendedthe Mashable and UN Foundation’s Social Good Summit inNew York City where journalist Nick Kristof announced beforea worldwide audience an exciting new $250,000 commitment tofistula treatment from Johnson & Johnson, part of a game thatwill debut on Facebook in early 2013.

Postcards from the RoadFistula Foundation CEO Kate Grant has been traveling the country talkingabout obstetric fistula. Here are a few places you may have spotted her lately:

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To make your donation, complete and return the enclosed form Or, simply give us a call toll free at 866-756-3700 (408-249-9596

This Holiday Season, change one woman’s li In thanks for your donation, we can se

4 |

The Fistula Foundation • 1900 The Alameda, Suite 500, San Jose, CA 95126 U.S.A. • Tax ID: 77-0547201 • Phone: 408-2

If you would like your gift to arrive byDecember 24, please place your orderwith us by phone or online no laterthan Friday, December 14.

In thanks for your donation of $65 or more, to expressour gratitude for supporting the work of the Foundation,we proudly offer these silver-plated Dignity Earrings,pre sented in an attractive gift box. Custom-designed tomatch with the DignityNecklace, your Dignity Earringscan be worn together as a set orseparately. Our new DignityEarrings are a lovely andsophisticated choice and make amemorable gift as well.

In thanks for your donation of $95 or more, we aredelighted to offer you a choicefrom one of two impeccablystyled, custom-designed 100%silk Dignity Scarves featuringan exquisite floral design incheerful hues and a discreetsignature in the bottom corner“The Fistula Foundation fromdespair to dignity.” A full 3feet by 3 feet square, thisversatile accessory can be wornas a shawl, knotted around theneck or tucked over or underyour favorite sweater or jacket.Your Dignity Scarf is presentedin a gift box matching the scarfitself – perfect for gift-giving!

Dignity Earrings: $65

Dignity Scarves: $95

In thanks for your donation of $150 or more, weproudly offer you this silver-plated Dignity Necklace,presented in a lush black velvet jewelry box. Thiscustom-designed necklaceincorporates a single culturedpearl, the universal symbol ofhealth and purity, into adrop pendant. A versatilechoice, your DignityNecklace will be perfectworn on special occasionsand casually elegant whenpaired with your favorite jeans.

The silver-plated Dignity Bracelet incorporates theFistula Foundation logo and the word Dignity inEnglish on one side and in Amharic, the most commonlanguage in Ethiopia, on the other side of the centralbead. In thanks for your donation of $125 or more,your Dignity Bracelet is presented in a special gift box.

Dignity Necklace: $150 Dignity Bracelet: $125

m by mail. Donate online anytime at www.fistulafoundation.org. outside the US) Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific time.

| 5

life forever, and share that experience with someone special in your life. send a personalized card or gift to you or another person for you.

249-9596 | 866-756-3700 (toll free) • Fax: 408-244-7328 • Email: info@fistulafoundation.org • www.fistulafoundation.org

This Holiday Season, change one woman’s life forever by presenting a friend or loved one with a Love-A-Sister tribute gift, which helps pay for one woman’s free, safe fistula surgery.

You may choose to fully sponsor one woman’s surgery by making a one-timedonation of $450 or a monthly donation of $37.50 for 12 months. In thanks, weproudly offer you this personalized certificate celebrating that this life-changingdonation has been made in your name or in honor of someone you love.

To thank you for your donation of $10 or more, we will mail a personalized Holiday Tribute Card to you or to someone special in your life. Your Holiday Tribute Card can be personalized to feature the handwritten name of your honoree and your name as well – a thoughtful added personal touch!

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Holiday Tribute Card : $10

Love-A-Sister Tribute Gifts

Dear

As a special tribute this Holiday Season,made a contribution to the Fistula Foundation in your honor.This generous gift will be used by the Fistula Foundation to treat and prevent obstetric

fistula, a debilitating childbirth injury caused by prolonged, obstructed labor. Every year

100,000 women across the developing world are devastated by obstetric fistula.

On behalf of the women seeking treatment and all of us working to support their care,

we wish you a Happy Holiday!Sincerely,The Fistula Foundation

Happy Holidays

Beads of Hope necklaces and bracelets are handmade by women living in Uganda. Proceeds fromthese items will be used to heal women suffering from obstetric fistula, funding treatment at

Fistula Foundation grantee partner sites throughout Africa and Asia.Each item is shipped in a colorful, handmade bag sewn by women inthe Democratic Republic of Congo who are recovering from orwaiting for fistula or prolapse repair surgery, providedby Fistula Foundation partner HEAL Africa.

Beads of Hope Bracelet, $20Beads of Hope Necklace, $30(approximately 21”)

New! Beads of Hope and HEALing Bags: $20 - $30

6 |

THE HUFFINGTON POSTFistula Foundation Chief Executive Officer Kate Grant wrote this article exclusively for the Huffington Post, published on 10/01/2012

I hope I live to see the day where ahumanitarian hero is referred to as theChristian Edna Adan.

Who's Edna Adan? The short answer:she's a nurse-midwife, founder of ahospital bearing her name, who'ssaving and changing the lives of tens ofthousands of people in Somaliland — aplace not even recognized as a country.She's also a Muslim.

Edna is as tough as General Petraeus,as compassionate as the Pope, astireless as Michael Phelps, as beautifulat 75 as Tina Turner, and has a "get-it-done-no-excuses" work ethic to rivalBill Gates. I would not want to be onEdna's bad side.

I had the pleasure of spending a weekwith her last month in Somaliland.Here's one reason I think she's extra -ordinary. After retiring as a seniorUnited Nations diplomat where she'dchampioned women's and children'shealth, she could have chosen to have acushy life in London or Paris or NewYork. That's what most people do. Butnot Edna. Far from it. Instead shecashed in her pension, sold herMercedes, her jewelry and even herdishwasher — a true sacrifice, if youask me — to build her dream: a hospitalin her home town of Hargeisa toprovide safe deliveries for women whowere far too often dying in childbirth.Somaliland has one of the world'shighest birth rates per woman and thehighest maternal mortality rates. It tookher the better part of a decade; much ofthat time she lived in the building as itwas slowly being built.

As I said, Somaliland is not a "realcountry," meaning it's not recognizedby the UN or really much of anyone.It's a breakaway region north ofSomalia that emerged from a vastlydestructive civil war with Somalia of

Black Hawk Down infamy, to becomea growing, if not quite yet prosperous,republic.

But here's the other thing, Hargeisa —particularly 10 years ago when Ednaopened her hospital — was no Paris,not even Nairobi, not even close. Yousee Hargeisa was practically leveledhouse by house by the murderousSomali dictator Siad Barre and his madhenchman. Think Dresden 1945, butwith no infrastructure to rebuild on.

When Edna said she wanted to build ahospital people thought she was nuts.Some said so to her face, others behindher back. But, she barreled forward.Today, her hospital is one of the largestbuildings in Hargeisa. Its medicalreputation is so stellar, it's become the'go to' facility for UN and otherdevelop ment workers. Edna runs train -ing programs, not just for midwivesand nurses, but also for lab techs andpharmacists and soon, anesthetists,creating the human resource capacity inhealth Somaliland needs. She has aloyal group of supporters — Friends ofEdna — to provide wind beneath herpowerful wings and help raise the fundsshe needs.

Edna was the victim at seven of FGM,outlived a physically abusive husband,faced down war-lords and livedthrough two disastrous wars — thesecond of which killed 250,000 peoplein a country of 3.5 million. That oldexpression — that which doesn't killyou makes you stronger — could beEdna's motto. She's turned horrendousloss and adversity into power andresolve.

Our organization, The FistulaFoundation, funded a new operatingtheater and supports her work to treatthe devastating childbirth injuryobstetric fistula. That is part of why I

visited. But Edna's Hospital does vastlymore than treat fistula; her hospital hasdelivered over 12,000 babies in the lastdecade and treats a range of devastatingproblems from cleft palates to spinabifida.

Seeing Edna in action reinforces what Ithink most of us already know: noreligion has a monopoly oncompassion. Our organization supportshospitals regardless of faith and I seethe same caring in the eyes of Muslims,as I do in Christians — tireless peopledoing what good people of every faithdo — look after their brothers andsisters. I have a large photo above myPC as I type this; it's of a dedicatedCongolese Surgeon, who is Christian,in his white medical coat . He is smilingbrightly with a big pin on his coatpocket from Jewish World Watchsaying "Do Not Stand Idly By." For methat shot captures the heart of 'we're allin it together' compassion.

I don't know any Norwegians on theNobel Prize Committee, but if I did, Iwould humbly suggest they honorEdna, one of the finest human beingsGod has created, with their gloriousPeace Prize. In doing so perhaps they'dalso help more people see that theworld is full of humanitarians of allfaiths — even if there's only oneincomparable Edna Adan.

The Muslim Mother Teresa

Edna Adan

The Dr. Abbo Teaching Hospital in Khartoum, Sudan, is one of theoldest fistula service providers on the African continent, havingprovided care to women for more than 40 years. However, withshortages in supplies and qualified staff, the medical team hadonly been able to treat a fraction of fistula patient cases and thebacklog of untreated patients grew larger every year. To reversethis trend, The Fistula Foundation partnered with our long-termpartner, WAHA International (WAHA), to increase and ensure highquality fistula treatment for women in Sudan.

Over the past year, WAHA was able to apply Fistula Foundationdonor gifts toward treatment for more women at the hospital.WAHA trained hospital staff to perform fistula surgery, increasedand refurbished the medical infrastructure and introduced theWAHA patient data collection system.

WAHA’s efforts resulted in the treatment of 280 Sudanese women, all of whom exhibited complex cases of fistula. WAHA plans to treatanother 95 cases of fistula at the hospital in the next three months.

Today, the new Dr. Abbo’s National Fistula & Urogynecology Center isa center of excellence for fistula treatment that is recognized by theInternational Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.

In a report to The Fistula Foundation, WAHA’s Secretary-General, Dr.Sinan Khaddaj, wrote: “Without the grant from The FistulaFoundation, it would not have been possible to expand the qualityand quantity of fistula care.”

YOUR DONATIONS AT WORKHealing Women at Dr. Abbo’s National Fistula & Urogynecology Center in Sudan

EgyptLibya

Chad

Dem. Rep. of the Congo

C.A.R.

Ehtiopia

Erit.

Kenya

Red SeaNorth

Sudan

SouthSudan

Khartoum

Nyala

Kassala

Photo courtesy WAHA International

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Nonprofit watchdog Charity Watch is known for holding themost stringent charity guidelines in the industry. Newsweek hashailed the organization as “the toughest of the bunch” andCharity Watch has been labeled the “pit bull of watchdogs” byNew York Times.

Charity Watch reviews fewer nonprofits than other, better-known charity rating organizations, performing in-depth,rigorous, and time-intensive analyses of state and federalgovernment filings from less than 600 charities out of morethan 1 million charities registered in the United States. TheFistula Foundation is proud to have been among thenonprofits selected for review.

The Fistula Foundation earned an “A” grade for consistentlyspending more than 75% of our budget on programs, forspending $25 or less to raise $100 in public support, for notholding excessive assets in reserve, and for our "open-book"status for disclosure of basic financial information anddocuments to Charity Watch.

“It is truly an honor for The Fistula Foundation to havereceived this ‘A’ grade – putting us in the company of otherinternationally respected organizations such as CARE,OXFAM, Doctors Without Borders, Save the Children andPartners in Health,” said Fistula Foundation CEO Kate Grant.

Charity Watch – the Pit Bull of Watchdogs– Gives The Fistula Foundation an “A”

they rate. The organization highlights charities thatare efficient, ethical and transparent in order toprovide donors the background they need to makeinformed contributions to effective nonprofits.

In a letter to The Fistula Foundation, CharityNavigator President & Chief Executive Officer KenBerger wrote, “We are proud to announce The FistulaFoundation has earned our seventh consecu tive 4-starrating. Receiving four out of a possible four starsindicates that your organization adheres to goodgovernance and other best prac tices that minimizethe chance of unethical activities and consistentlyexecutes its mission in a fiscally responsible way. Only2% of the charities we rate have received at least 7consecutive 4-star evalua tions, indicating that TheFistula Foundation outperforms most other charitiesin America. This ‘exceptional’ designation fromCharity Navigator differentiates The FistulaFoundation from its peers and demonstrates to thepublic it is worthy of their trust.”

Charity Navigator is the largest and most influentialcharity rater in the United States, serving more than3.3 million unique web site visitors, and impactingapproxi mately $10 billion in charitable donationsevery single year.

“Charity Navigator’s own studies have demonstratedthat users who visit their site to research a nonprofitend up giving more than they initially planned todonate before viewing Charity Navigator’sevaluation. The availability of this kind of data iscritical to The Fistula Foundation’s mission ofincreasing the number of women who receive fistulatreatment. To now be in the top 2% of all charities isa testament to our organization’s transparency andefficiency, as well as to the partners we work with inthe field who are providing surgeries to women withfistula who are living lives of misery and isolation,simply for trying to bring a child into the world,”said Fistula Foundation CEO Kate Grant.

To view a copy of the letter that was sent to TheFistula Foundation to notify us of this designation,please visit www.fistulafoundation.org.

4 Stars from Charity Navigator… continued from page 1

If you’d like to host a viewing event of Half the Sky to raise funds in support of The Fistula Foundation, visit our online toolkit at www.fistulafoundation.org/halfthesky/toolkit.html to request a free copy of the 40 minute

DVD version of the film and materials that will help you teach others about fistula at your event.

8 |

contributions, players will be invited to share their good deedswith friends and “recruit” them, volunteer their time, organizegroups, and educate themselves about issues facing women in thedeveloping world.

Long-term Fistula Foundation partner Johnson & Johnson hasgenerously committed up to $250,000 toward the game toprovide fistula treatment to women in the developing world.Their donation will be triggered and given to The FistulaFoundation every time the game is played.

“Johnson & Johnson has done more to help eradicate fistulathan any other corporation in the world.

For the last 10 years they have beena key partner, and their generouscontribution to this innovativegame will help raise awareness of

the problem of obstetric fistula to new audiences, while simultaneously channeling new funds to ourpartners in the field who are providing treatment to women with fistula,” said Fistula Foundation CEO Kate Grant.

The game will launch in early 2013. To stay informed on the official launch date, visit Facebook.com/ HalfTheSkyMovementGame,and “like” the page to receive updates.

Johnson & Johnson Commits $250, 000…continued from page 2

Announcement at the Social Good Summit. L-R: Fistula Foundation’sKate Grant, journalist Nicholas Kristof, Morra Aarons-Mele of TheMission List, Asi Burak and Michelle Byrd of Games for Change