Putting Dignity at the Centre of Fistula Care
The waiting starts long befor surgery. Waiting for referral, waiting for funds, waiting for place to rest.
For many women living with obstetric fistula, this waiting stretches into months, sometimes years. Too often, it means returning home to isolation and shame, or lying in crowded hospital corridors with no privacy, no certainty, and little comfort. “You feel forgotten. It feels like life has stopped,” Jemila, a survivor I spoke to, said.
In Yendi, that story is beginning to change. The newly established Obstetric Fistula Holding Home offers women something many have not known since the day their lives were altered by childbirth: a safe place to pause, to breathe, and to heal. Here, women awaiting fistula repair surgery can rest, receive counseling, and prepare physically and emotionally for treatment. After surgery, they are given time to recover fully before returning to their communities. Healing needs space, not just surgery.
This matters deeply in Ghana’s Northern Region, where access to specialised maternal health services has long been limited. For many women, care has been too far, too delayed, or too costly. The decision to locate the holding home in Yendi was intentional, bringing services closer to women from rural and hard-to-reach communities who would otherwise struggle to complete the long journey from diagnosis to recovery. When care is closer, hope feels closer too.
The holding home was made possible through a partnership between UNFPA and Qatar Charity, with the support of the Government of Ghana through the Ministry of Health. Qatar Charity played a central role in funding the construction and furnishing of the facility to meet the needs of women at one of the most vulnerable moments of their lives. The partnership reflects a shared commitment to care, compassion, and respect, grounded in the belief that access to quality healthcare is a fundamental human right.
For women like Jemila, a fistula survivor, the holding home represents reassurance. She believes it will spare others the loneliness she once endured by reducing delays in care, improving surgical outcomes, and protecting women from stigma through discreet and respectful accommodation. “No woman should suffer in silence,” she said quietly. Seeing the holding home come to life fills her with hope for those still waiting.
The commissioning of the Yendi Fistula Holding Home highlights the strength of partnership in confronting a deeply rooted maternal health challenge. Welcomed by the Government of Ghana, the facility aligns with national health priorities and supports universal health coverage by ensuring that women affected by obstetric fistula can access essential services without financial hardship.
Beyond the facility itself, the holding home forms part of a wider national effort to end obstetric fistula and address the harmful practices and systemic barriers that allow it to persist. Through the Partnership to End Obstetric Fistula in Ghana (PEFIG), eighteen partners have mobilised resources to strengthen prevention, improve case identification, and expand access to life-changing surgery. In 2024 alone, 168 women received fistula repairs. These numbers represent lives reclaimed.
UNFPA’s work extends beyond surgery to prevention, action on early marriage, improved access to skilled maternal care, and efforts to reduce delays in emergency obstetric services. Updated national data is also being generated to guide programmes and ensure women most in need are reached.
For every woman who walks through the doors of the Yendi Fistula Holding Home, the message is clear: she is seen, her condition is treatable, and her dignity is non-negotiable. As Ghana works towards eliminating obstetric fistula by 2030, this holding home stands as a quiet promise that waiting for care no longer has to mean waiting without hope. “This place tells women they matter,” one health worker said.
