In remote areas where health facilities are scarce, trained Traditional Birth Attendants bridge the gap between home and hospital. They provide basic antenatal checks, recognise danger signs, encourage facility-based delivery where possible and help women reach skilled care before labour becomes life-threatening.

Changing outcomes means changing beliefs. Community workshops, pregnant women's conferences, school outreach and radio messages promote the importance of antenatal care and break down taboos behind fistula. Over time, this builds demand for safer choices for mothers and babies.

Former fistula patients are trained as Safe Motherhood Ambassadors, drawing on their lived experience to identify hidden cases and connect women with treatment. They also teach about safe pregnancy and childbirth, speak at pregnant women’s conferences and community gatherings, and help break the silence and stigma surrounding fistula.

Specialist hospitals provide free, high-quality surgery for women living with obstetric fistula, often after years in isolation. Treatment includes transport, surgery and comprehensive pre- and post-operative care, along with counselling and basic physiotherapy, so women can heal physically and begin to rebuild their confidence.

To ensure women can access expert care into the future, Ethiopian surgeons, doctors and nurses are trained in fistula repair and safe obstetric practice. Mentoring from senior surgeons and hands-on training in dedicated fistula theatres build a growing workforce able to diagnose complications early and treat them effectively.

Healing from fistula is more than a successful operation. Rehabilitation programs offer literacy lessons, vocational training and counselling. These pathways equip women with the skills to earn an income and rejoin their communities with dignity and renewed independence.