Over the course of the visit, Natalie stressed her passion for dealing with fistula for two simple reasons: It destroys the lives of countless mothers, young and old, and it can be addressed with simple care. As she told audiences across DC and the world, Fistula is a tragedy we can do something about. We can act.
Virgin Unite has been leading this fight ever since Richard Branson learned about fistula. For those who are not familiar, fistula is devastating injury that develops during prolonged, obstructive labor in women who have no access to immediate medical assistance. The baby gets stuck, and in most cases, dies. If the mother survives, she is severely injured and likely to be crippled and incontinent for life. Ensuring women have basic care during childbirth and helping them obtain treatment if things go wrong could virtually eliminate fistula.
We are very proud of the work of Natalie and our Virgin Unite team in the fight to end fistula.