As the world prepares to mark the International Day to End Obstetric Fistula on May 23, a powerful partnership between Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) Canada and world-renowned missionary surgeon Dr. Stephen Foster is proving that specialized aviation is a critical link in solving a maternal health crisis in Angola. Together, they are launching a high-impact initiative to bring help, hope, and healing to women suffering in isolation due to preventable childbirth injuries.
A Social Death Sentence
For women like Minga, an obstetric fistula is more than a medical condition; it is a social death sentence. And the sad part is, it is largely preventable. Minga endured a week of obstructed labour after her family refused to pay for transport to a hospital 30 kilometers away for a C-section. By the time she reached help, Minga was unconscious, her baby had died, and she was left with a ruptured uterus and nerve damage that temporarily prevented her from walking.
“Fistula is a devastating physical injury and social devastation. These women lose their families and dignity,” said Dr. Stephen Foster. “Without the flights that MAF provide, the hundreds of women we serve in remote areas would have no hope for healing. MAF is the critical backbone of our logistics, providing specialized medical supplies and turning a dangerous, three-day journey through the bush into a one-hour flight of hope.”
The Power of One
While the need is vast, with an estimated 20,000 women in Angola awaiting fistula repair, Dr. Foster’s partnership with MAF focuses on the power of one. The power that one woman’s successful surgery can have on an entire community, when they return home as living witnesses, breaking down deep-seated cultural skepticism and encouraging others to come out of the shadows. For Minga, the journey toward restoration began when she heard of another woman who had been cured at Dr. Foster’s medical centre. And, after years of isolation, Minga finally received surgery.
“For the women we serve, restoration transcends physical healing; it is a reclamation of their worth in a society that has often told them they have none,” said Robin Grimstead, Partnership Manager for MAF Canada. “For many, the transformation begins the moment they experience compassionate care they’ve been denied. When we welcome a woman like Minga into our aircraft, we are beginning the process of restoring her dignity, identity, and place in her family.”
Bridging the Gap: By the Numbers
The Reality
- In many parts of rural Angola, many girls often become pregnant before their bodies are fully developed to deliver a child safely.
- The stakes are tragically high; in a country rebuilding its healthcare infrastructure, nearly ten per cent of births in underserved areas end in the loss of both mother and child.
- Without access to a $300 C-section, a cost-prohibitive procedure for many families, prolonged and obstructed labour can lead to fistula or death.
- Beyond physical pain, a fistula leads to social death. These women are frequently abandoned by their husbands, rejected by their families, and cast out of their communities.
