Village Health Partnership

Martha Deressa is a certified nurse-midwife and the Project Manager of our rehabilitation program for women recovering after fistula repair surgery. She is also a passionate advocate for women suffering from childbirth injuries.

She has worked with the Ministry of Health and at Dembi Dollo Hospital. Today, she supports women recovering from fistula injuries through compassionate, community-centered care.

Recovery is not only physical. Many women arrive carrying deep emotional wounds after experiencing shame and isolation.

Martha helps women rebuild confidence, reconnect with community, and begin imagining a future again.

At the center of VHP’s Screen, Transport, and Treat Program is Aira Hospital.

Aira Hospital has become a leading center for women’s health in western Ethiopia. Today, women arrive from some of the most remote and underserved areas to receive care they could not access anywhere else.

At Aira, patients are treated by dedicated medical teams who are committed to restoring health and dignity. When cases are too complex, the system does not stop there. Women are referred to specialized care at the renowned Hamlin Fistula Hospital in Addis Ababa, ensuring they receive the treatment they need.

This is what real access to care looks like. We are not just reaching women, but building an entire system of care that can treat them.

Because every mother deserves a chance to heal.

At first, we had to search for women in need of care.

Now, they are finding us.

In communities across western Ethiopia, women are sharing what they’ve learned. They are telling their neighbors, their sisters, and their friends that treatment and healing are possible.

And when our partners arrive to screen patients, they are no longer met with silence.

They are met with lines of women waiting.

Women who have come forward.
Women who are asking for help.
Women who now know they are not alone.

This is how change begins: not just by reaching women, but by building trust and creating a system where women know care exists and feel empowered to seek it.