If I want to mail a check to the Fistula Foundation, where should I send it?

Please download our printable donation form [PDF] and send it along with your check or money order (made out to "The Fistula Foundation") to:

The Fistula Foundation
1171 Homestead Road, #265
Santa Clara, CA 95050

I don't live in the United States. Will the Fistula Foundation accept my donation?

The Fistula Foundation welcomes donations from all over the world. You can mail your check to us at the address above or donate online. It is cost-effective for us if you send your payment in U.S. dollars, but we can accept virtually any currency. If you live in England, Australia, Sweden, the Netherlands, or Germany, you may wish to make a donation to Fistula Hospital through one of our international Fundraising Partners.

How will my donation be used to help women with fistula?

The Fistula Foundation was established to support women with obstetric fistula by funding treatment and prevention programs throughout Ethiopia.

In 2005 and 2006, the Fistula Foundation furthered its mission by funding, among other things:

• The construction, building and furnishing costs for the new Fistula Hospital in Harrar, Ethiopia, serving fistula victims in an underserved region and providing emergency obstetric care to women at high risk of obstructed labor
• Medications and medical supplies required for fistula care at Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital
• The building of Nurses Quarters near the Bahir Dar Fistula Hospital
• Operating Support of the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital to help fund life-restoring surgery for hundreds of patients
• The construction, building and furnishing costs for Nurses Quarters near the Harrar Fistula Hospital
• The construction, building and furnishing costs for the Nurses Quarters near the Yirgalem Fistula Hospital
• Advanced Medical training for Fistula Hospital Senior Surgeon
• Medical conference for Addis Ababa Hospital Senior Staff
• Advanced Medical training for Fistula Hospital Senior Surgeon
• Computers and Software to help Hospital streamline its financial system
• 4 Wheel Drive Vehicles for use at the Hospital
• Incinerator for the Bahir Dar Fistula Hospital

Individuals interested in donating their time or skills to forwarding the mission of the Fistula Foundation are encouraged to join our Circle of Friends program. Involve friends and family to help increase awareness of fistula and raise money to treat and prevent fistula.

We appreciate your interest in volunteering at the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital. Unfortunately, the hospital cannot accommodate volunteers at their facility in Ethiopia. However, guests are welcome to visit the hospital and see the inspiring work being done there. If you are planning a trip to Ethiopia and wish to visit the hospital, write info@fistulafoundation.org  and we will put you in touch with the right people to schedule your visit.

The dresses given to fistula patients when they leave the hospital are an important part of assuring them a dignified return home. We appreciate your interest in donating clothes or fabric, but we cannot accept them. The dresses for fistula patients are handmade by seamstresses employed at Fistula Hospital. Accepting donated dresses would mean taking work away from local people. In order to help support the local economy, fabric and other sewing supplies are purchased in Addis Ababa. Furthermore, the high costs of shipping combined with the administrative problems created by customs ultimately makes donated dresses more expensive than those made in Ethiopia.

Currently, the hospital's medical supply needs are met either through donations from large medical supply companies or purchases made with donated funds. We are proud of our partnerships with Johnson & Johnson, Direct Relief International, and Kimberly-Clark in the provision of medical supplies to Fistula Hospital.

For a directory of organizations that accept gifts-in-kind, including medical supply donations, visit the Global Hand website. You may also wish to refer to internationally accepted guidelines for donating medical supplies and equipment.