Dear AFFCI Supporters:

This year will go down as the watershed year for AFFCI. At the beginning of 2003, we were faced with high unemployment, lack of capital spending and a pending war in Iraq. The stock market looked like it might have a record-breaking fourth year of negative returns. Our Board was hoping for slow progress towards our long-term goals.

Our world - and that of Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital - changed forever on May 16th when Nicholas Kristof wrote his incredible op-ed in The New York Times that virtually all our friends and donors have read. In the ensuing six months, AFFCI donors have contributed over $550,000 and the scourge of obstetric fistula is no longer an unknown problem.

We now have over 3,000 new donors who have voted with their checkbooks to make a difference in the lives of some of the world's poorest, most devastated young women. Dr. Hamlin and her work have been discussed in the pages of Elle and Ms. magazines, and a major article will soon be published in Marie Claire.

AFFCI is now working with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), USAID, the World Bank as well as with other nonprofits including MaterCare International and US Doctors for Africa. We are pleased to be the only US-based nonprofit dedicated exclusively to the problem of obstetric fistula and the support of Fistula Hospital.

Our Board is determined to shepherd the money you have entrusted to us, and to assure that the work of Fistula Hospital helps as many people as possible. Please feel free to call, e-mail, or write at any time with any questions or comments.

Sincerely,

Ric Haas
Founder & President
AFFCI

Tesfaye Society Members Leave a Legacy of Hope

“Tesfaye” means “my hope” in Amharic, and there can be no greater legacy than to help those filled with despair to find hope in their lives again. As a way to recognize those who include AFFCI in their wills, we're pleased to announce the creation of The Tesfaye Society.

And a Rousing Time Was Had By All Click here for more pictures of AFFCI's gala dinner honoring Dr. Cathering Hamlin.

Society members will be recognized in a permanent plaque at Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital, and will soon be listed in our published materials. For information about how to leave a legacy that can help so many regain hope and dignity, please call our office at 1-866-756-3700, and ask for Ric Haas.

AFFCI Sponsors Medical Shipment

Early in December, a shipment of over $200,000 in needed medical supplies and equipment will arrive in Addis Ababa, destined for the hospital. AFFCI paid for shipping the goods, which were donated by major companies, and Direct Relief International collected the goods and arranged for the shipment. This strategic relationship with DRI provides support for the hospital while limiting the cash current outlay by AFFCI. We are planning another shipment in 2004.

Wossena Gets Her Life Back

When Wossena arrived at the Fistula Hospital, she was only 17 - maybe younger - desperately thin and weak. She had been married three years before, and became pregnant 18 months later. When the time came for her to have the baby, she spent three days in labor in her small hut with her mother; on the fourth day, she sought help. Fortunately, she lived close to a town called Desse, to the north of Addis Ababa, a fact that probably saved her life.

Wossena crochets a shawl while recovering from her surgery.

With the help of forceps, she delivered a stillborn child, but was already so weak that she slipped into a coma. The Desse hospital kept her barely alive and she was carried home three weeks later. It was three more months before she could walk. During that time, her husband discovered the offensive nature of her affliction and left her.

The Desse hospital had told Wossena and her mother about Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital, and when she was finally strong enough, they made the journey together to Addis Ababa. When she arrived, it was evident that her birth canal was nearly destroyed, only half of her bladder remained, and there was a large fistula into her rectum. She underwent a lengthy operation and is almost completely healed, and is looking forward to a new life.

This Year, Give a Young Lady Her Life Back for the Holidays

Having trouble finding gifts for friends and family this year? How about giving a new lease on life to a girl like Wossena in their name? For a minimum of $20 per person, we'll send a personalized announcement to everyone on your list, telling them that you made a gift in their name to help the women and girls at Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital. Along with the announcement, we'll include a brief description of the work of Fistula Hospital and the mission of AFFCI. To be sure that your gift announcements arrive before the holidays, please call 1-866-756-3700 with your donation and gift information before December 15th.

Dr. Hamlin is Lauded by American Surgeons

Dr. Hamlin after receiving honorary fellowship

Hospital co-founder Dr. Catherine Hamlin was inducted as an Honorary Fellow of the American College of Surgeons during their annual Clinical Congress in Chicago in October. The induction was part of the convocation ceremony, and was attended by several thousand people. Surgeons from all over the world, who had recently completed their surgery residencies, were inducted as fellows in the College, along with four other honorary inductees. After being introduced by her sponsor, Dr. Maurice Webb, hundreds of young surgeons rose to their feet and cheered, making Dr. Hamlin the first Honorary Fellow ever to receive a standing ovation at this event. The next day, AFFCI and Johnson & Johnson co-sponsored a reception in Dr. Hamlin's honor, during which Mr. Denis Robson, General Manager of the Profession Export Division of Ethicon Ltd. UK (a J&J company) announced his company's intent to provide a significant grant to Fistula Hospital to support expansion of its outreach and prevention efforts.

Bringing Fistula Repair to the World

Dr. Andrew Browning

Twice this year, Fistula Hospital surgeon Dr Andrew Browning has gone to Uganda to mend fistulas. On the first trip, he and British surgeon Dr. Brian Hancock operated on 20 women and trained local nursing staff. On the second trip, he accompanied top British urogynecologist Dr. Ash K. Monga to Lira in Central Uganda. Dr. Browning also went with fistula surgeon Mamite Gashe to Togo in West Africa to perform fistula surgeries from the Mercy Ship Ananstasis. While there, they met a woman who had her fistula for seven years, and thought she was the only woman in the world with her condition!

Fistula Hospital Ramps Up Its Outreach Program

Many fistulas are never repaired because the injured women do not have the means to make the long, arduous trip to Addis Ababa. A program is underway to bring Fistula Hospital to them. Capital costs for two of the five "fistula wards" planned in or near provincial hospitals have been pledged: costs for Bahar Dar have been pledged by the Knights of Malta; and Norwegian Aid has pledged funds to build at Yirgalem. Funds are still needed to build the remaining three sites, and to furnish, stock and maintain all five sites into the future.

May We All Have a Peaceful Year

When countries are torn by war, women are often the first to suffer. Destroyed infrastructure makes it difficult if not impossible for women to obtain emergency obstetric care, increasing the incidence of obstetric fistula. For fistula suffers - and for all of us - may the coming year bring Peace on Earth.

For more about Fistula Hospital and AFFCI, visit our website at www.fistulahospital.org.