Childbirth Is Killing Thousands of Women and the Church Cannot Stay Silent

Thousands of Women Suffer Preventable Childbirth Injuries While the World Looks Away

An estimated 36,000 women in Ethiopia alone are living with obstetric fistula, a devastating childbirth injury that is entirely preventable with proper medical care. On International Women's Day 2026, World Help President Noel Yeatts brought renewed attention to this crisis through the story of one woman named Awawu.

Awawu, an Ethiopian woman, endured four days of obstructed labor that ended in a stillbirth. The prolonged labor cut off blood flow and caused obstetric fistula, leaving her with chronic incontinence and social exile. Her community told her she was "less worthy" and believed her condition was divine punishment.

Obstetric fistula occurs when prolonged, obstructed labor destroys tissue between a woman's birth canal and bladder or rectum. The condition results from early marriage, malnutrition, and lack of access to emergency obstetric care. Without surgery, women live with permanent incontinence, leading to rejection by their families and communities.

Childbirth should be a moment of joy, but for thousands of women like Awawu, it is the beginning of a nightmare.

Noel Yeatts, President of World Help, wrote those words to highlight how maternal healthcare remains an afterthought across much of the developing world.

With fewer than 30% of births in Ethiopia attended by a medical professional, women face extreme risk. Over 3,000 new cases of obstetric fistula occur each year in Ethiopia alone, yet only 1,200 women receive treatment annually.

Awawu eventually received surgical repair, counseling, and spiritual support through a World Help partner program. She has since become a Safe Motherhood Ambassador, traveling through her community to educate women about fistula prevention and the availability of treatment.

Preventable Childbirth Injuries Leave Thousands of Ethiopian Women in Crisis

Ethiopia set an ambitious goal to eliminate obstetric fistula by 2025, but the country fell far short. UNFPA has deployed over 212 midwives to deliver emergency obstetric care across understaffed facilities and is supporting fistula repair centers at university hospitals in Assela, Gondar, and Jimma.

The global community has recognized the crisis. A Johns Hopkins study in 2026 documented a decline in global obstetric fistula rates, but advocates warn that progress remains uneven, with sub Saharan Africa bearing the heaviest burden.

The Crusader's Opinion

Every year, thousands of women in the developing world suffer injuries during childbirth that would be completely preventable with basic medical care that we take for granted in the West. These women are not statistics. They are mothers, daughters, and sisters in Christ who are cast out by their communities and told they are cursed by God for something that is not their fault. The Church must not be silent on this. When we talk about the sanctity of life, that includes the mother's life too. Christian organizations like World Help are doing the work on the ground, but they cannot do it alone. If the global Church mobilized the way it should, obstetric fistula would be history within a decade.

Take Action

• Donate to World Help to support maternal healthcare programs and fistula repair surgeries in Ethiopia and across the developing world.
• Support the Fistula Foundation, which funds life changing surgeries for women suffering from obstetric fistula in over 30 countries.
• Give to The Shepherd's Shield to support Christians in crisis around the world.
• Learn about and support Hamlin Fistula UK, which has been providing fistula treatment in Ethiopia since 1974.
• Share this story with your church community and ask your pastor to include maternal healthcare in missionary and outreach discussions.
• Pray for women like Awawu who are suffering in silence, and for the medical professionals and ministries working to bring them healing.