Worldwide Fistula Fund (WFF) and the SIM Danja hospital near Maradi, Niger partnered to build the Danja Fistula Center, a surgical clinic to meet the incredible need for fistula surgery in this region of West Africa. Fistula occurs through childbirth injuries and is ruining the lives of women all over Africa. The mission of WFF is to promote excellent, ethical whole-person care for women with obstetric fistulas in a Christian environment.

The Center is set up on the same rural property as a previous SIM hospital that specializes in leprosy care. It  includes a surgical center with an operating room and patient ward, a simple patient hostel, staff housing, and a guesthouse for short-term volunteers. The previously existing SIM hospital was uniquely suited to complement this vision since they have provided long-term care, rehabilitation, and social reintegration services to leprosy patients for the past 50 years. The needs of leprosy patients overlap significantly with those of women with fistula and it is easy to adapt those programs of rehabilitation and ministry to the fistula patient population.

EMI Canada worked with these organizations to further define their vision in terms of buildings and infrastructure for this facility. The EMI team investigated and surveyed the site. That assisted the team in preparing a site master plan and the design of site access as well as the water / wastewater infrastructure. We prepared building concepts and floor plans for the clinic and out buildings and provide detailed structural and infrastructure design. The EMI team drew on previous EMI experience from a design of a fistula clinic in Nigeria several years ago.

To learn more visit Worldwide Fistula Fund.