The Worldwide Fistula Fund (an Illinois not-for-profit corporation) is a public charity organized for the purpose of supporting international medical education and research on the problem of obstetrical trauma in the developing world. The Worldwide Fistula Fund is a tax-exempt charity under section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code. The Worldwide Fistula Fund was originally organized as The Worldwide Fund for Mothers Injured in Childbirth in 1995, and was subsequently reorganized under its new name as the Worldwide Fistula Fund in 2003.
The most serious form of childbirth trauma in developing countries is obstructed labor, which in turn leads to the development of obstetric fistulas. Obstructed labor occurs when the mother’s pelvis is too small to permit the fetus to pass through during childbirth. This problem cannot be resolved without a surgical operation (Cesarean section), which is unavailable in many parts of the world, especially in Africa. Because most pregnant women in these countries cannot get emergency obstetric care, they may be in labor for days, only to a deliver a stillborn infant at the end of their travail.
Prolonged obstructed labor results in severe damage to the soft tissues of the mother’s pelvis from the unrelenting pressure of the fetal head which has been impacted against them during labor. This process cuts off the blood supply to large parts of the mother’s vagina, bladder and rectum and results in the death of these tissues. This in turn creates large holes (fistulas) between these organs and leads to constant, uncontrollable loss of urine and stool through the vagina.
Unless they can get surgery, women with fistulas are doomed to a lifetime of nearly unendurable misery.
Mission Statement
Our enduring mission is to promote excellent, ethical, comprehensive care for women with obstetric fistulas.Our strategy is to band together and support a network of committed individuals with fistula expertise who share this common ideal.
To this end, we will:- Support the direct provision of high-quality clinical care for women with obstetric fistulas,
- Promote excellent training for fistula surgeons incorporating these values,
- Advocate relentlessly for the unmet needs of women suffering from fistula, and
- Encourage scientifically valid research in fistula treatment and prevention.
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Contributions to the work of the Worldwide Fistula Fund are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Learn about our past activities on the History Page.
Board of Directors
L. Lewis Wall, M.D., D.Phil, Founder, President, and Managing Director of the Worldwide Fistula Fund.
Dr. Lewis Wall is Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Director of the Division of Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO. He also holds a joint appointment as Professor on Anthropology at Washington University. Dr. Wall has carried out anthropological field research on traditional medicine in West Africa and has been active for many years in developing clinical and scientific projects related to maternal birth trauma in the region.
Steven D. Arrowsmith, MD, Vice-President for International Program Development.
Dr. Arrowsmith is a board-certified urologic surgeon now working full-time as a consultant in the field of obstetric fistula surgery. A former missionary surgeon, he organized and founded the vesicovaginal fistula center at Evangel Hospital in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria. Thereafter he served as Associate Medical Director of the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital in Ethiopia for three years, prior to returning to the United States. In addition to his work with the Worldwide Fistula Fund, Dr. Arrowsmith serves as the Vesicovaginal Fistula Program Coordinator for Mercy Ships, an international charitable medical organization headquartered in Tyler, Texas. He is also a fistula consultant to EngenderHealth and other international medical organizations.
Leonard A. Wall, MD
Practiced obstetrics and gynecology at St. Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City, MO, for 33 years prior to his retirement. He has maintained an active interest in fistula work for many years and has traveled to Africa as a volunteer.
John F. Adams
A graduate of Princeton, Oxford, and the University of Chicago. He is currently a partner in the law firm of Schiff Hardin LLP in Chicago
Rita Steele, PhD
Rita is a clinical psychologist and photographer with a keen interest in international women’s issues. She has traveled extensively in Niger and serves on the board of several philanthropic organizations. She is married to the award-winning author and columnist Shelby Steele.
Benson F. Smith
An independent business consultant. Formerly the Chief Operating Officer of the C.R. Bard Corporation, he has served on the Board of Directors of the National Association for Continence for many years.
Joshua Bogunjoko, MD
Dr. Bogunjoko trained in fistula surgery in Nigeria and went on to live an d practice in rural Niger. He currently serves as Deputy International Director for Europe/West Africa with SIM International, one of the world's largest mission organizations. SIM is a major partner in our WFF Fistula Center project.
Helen Wall
A graduate of Lanchester Polytechnic (Coventry, UK) and the University of Kansas, Helen Wall has served as a mission volunteer in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire).
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