Worldwide Fistula Fund Works to Restore Dignity to Injured Women: Rahel Nardos

I became familiar with the terrible childbirth injuries that women in Ethiopia encounter, especially those in rural communities, says Dr. Rahel Nardos.

By Shannan Younger (Make It Better) |

When Rahel Nardos was growing up in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, her mother had her brother wait in line for a half a day so that an ill sibling could see a physician. Nardos was aware that the availability of medical care was an issue in her country, but notes that they lived in the country’s capital. She was unaware, however, of the extent of the scarcity of medical care for those in more remote areas.

Rahel Nardos learned about the devastating effects of the lack of care first-hand for those in remote areas of the country, especially for women giving birth, when she returned to Ethiopia to care for obstetric fistula patients after having earned her medical degree in the United States and completed her residency in obstetrics-gynecology.

“I became familiar with the terrible childbirth injuries that women in Ethiopia encounter, especially those in rural communities,” she explains. That work led to her involvement within the Worldwide Fistula Fund (WFF). She is now lead urogynecologist at Kaiser Permanente NW and director of global health for the department of OB-GYN at Oregon Health & Science University as well as a WFF board member. Rahel Nardos will speak at the WFF’s second annual fundraiser, An Evening to Restore Dignity on May 18 at the Cava Room above Moe’s Cantina in Chicago. The event will feature live music, raffle drawings throughout the evening and authentic margaritas and Mexican cuisine, all to draw attention to International Day to End Fistula.

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