Give Women Recovering from Fistula a Bright Future

Today, I want to introduce you to Nurse Theresa, a woman who embodies the strength and resilience that we see in so many of the women and girls that we serve.

Nurse Theresa has been a nurse for over 20 years, and is the head of the Neonatal Clinic at Mwananyamala Hospital, one of the 23 facilities supported by our partner CCBRT’s Maternal Health Capacity Building Program (MHCB). In 2018, Nurse Theresa attended a week-long breastfeeding training organized and led by CCBRT. In the training, she learned about the importance of breastfeeding, how to help babies breastfeed early, and potential challenges with  breastfeeding. 

Nurse Theresa shared that the training was very beneficial, and that she learned a lot in only five days. She returned to work to lead on-the-job training on breastfeeding for other nurses in the ward. Nurses at Mwananyamala Hospital had identified that supporting early breastfeeding and communicating about the importance of breastfeeding had been challenges in the Neonatal Clinic. Following the CCBRT-led training, Nurse Theresa and her fellow nurses were better equipped and more confident, providing continuous breastfeeding support for new mothers and helping set the stage for a healthy start for both mom and baby. 

Nurse Theresa regularly contacts CCBRT’s MHCB staff when she has questions, and they often check in with her. She is thankful that she could attend the training, and that she was able to share what she learned as  a Trainer for her colleagues. She looks forward to attending future CCBRT training on other topics such as low birth weight babies, and kangaroo mother care. 

Your support makes it possible for us to empower women like Nurse Theresa with the knowledge and tools they need to continue to raise the quality of maternal and newborn healthcare and in turn, to prevent more women from developing obstetric fistula. From March 6th-13th, we will be celebrating the strength and resilience of the girls and women we serve in Tanzania as part of GlobalGiving’s Girl Fund Campaign. We need your help. Stay tuned for more details on the Girl Fund Campaign later this week!  

With gratitude,
Abbey Kocan
Executive Director

Dear Friends,

On Giving Tuesday, our team called you to action in support of the people we serve. Watch this video to see what YOUR generosity means for women like Angela, in her own words. 

“They operated on me four times, but I did not recover. That’s when I gave up, I thought I would never recover from fistula. I lost hope...When I reached CCBRT, I was no longer the only one suffering from fistula. I met many other women like me. CCBRT has transformed my life. Right now I am learning how to be a seamstress at Mabinti,” Angela told us. 

On Giving Tuesday our community mobilized over $14,000. We are on our way to reaching our goal of $50,000 by year end. With $50,000 we can give 100 women like Angela the gift of a clean, respectful, safe delivery at CCBRT’s new maternity and newborn hospital. 

If you didn't get the chance to give on Tuesday, good news! GlobalGiving has just launched a second round of prize funds, giving you another chance to amplify your impact. From now until December 31st, GlobalGiving will continue to award cash prizes to the organizations that raise the most funds, and also to those who mobilize the most donors. It’s not too late to play your part and unlock the potential to change lives this holiday season. Make your gift today. 

Thank you so much for your support. Wishing you a happy start to the holiday season.

With gratitude,

Abbey Kocan, Executive Director

P.S. Don't forget to spread the word to your friends and family. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram and share the posts that inspire you this giving season!

Dear Friend, 

As a valued supporter of our GlobalGiving project “Give Women Recovering from Fistula a Bright Future”, I wanted to reach out to invite you to a special milestone event celebrating Kupona Foundation’s 10th Anniversary on Thursday, October 10th in New York City. 

Since its founding in 2009, the Kupona community has helped its Tanzanian partner CCBRT provide over 100,000 life-changing surgeries for children and adults living with disabilities like cleft lip/palate, obstetric fistula and cataracts, and has helped improve a mother’s chance of survival by 40% in the Dar es Salaam region of Tanzania. We are so grateful for your support, and hope that you will also feel pride in these accomplishments.

You’re invited! We are celebrating Kupona’s 10th Anniversary at The Penn Club of New York, where we’ll be joined by special guests Brenda Msangi, CEO of CCBRT and Dr. Brenda D’mello, who leads CCBRT's Maternal Health Capacity Building Program. Together, these two inspiring leaders have spent nearly 20 years at CCBRT, serving the Tanzanian community and bringing endless energy and commitment to their work in program design, management and strategic partnership development. You are invited to join us to meet the Kupona team, Brenda and Dr. Brenda as we share our vision for the future and celebrate a decade of changing and saving lives for the communities we serve. 

Please visit Kupona’s event page to RSVP and read about the event. I hope that you will be able to join us for this important milestone celebration. 

All the best,
Abbey Kocan 

Dear Friends,

Kupona Foundation’s 2018 Annual Report is now available! 

Thanks to your support, our partner CCBRT performed more than 8,900 surgeries in 2018, including providing comprehensive treatment for over 700 women and girls living with obstetric fistula. 

For patients like Hilda, a surgery successfully repairing her obstetric fistula means she is able to play with her children, earn a living, and raise awareness about fistula in her community. 

The birth injury of obstetric fistula is not only a physical injury. We believe in providing comprehensive, holistic care for women recovering from fistula. With a dedicated Holistic Care Coordinator, women recovering from fistula spend time together learning English and learning how to raise awareness about fistula symptoms and treatment in their communities. “I was so happy to spend time with the other women here. Before this, I thought and felt I was alone,” said Hilda. She returned to CCBRT in 2018 as a fistula ambassador. Hilda is one of the thousands of individuals across Tanzania trained by CCBRT to identify and refer women with fistula for treatment. During her visit, she shared her experience and inspirational story with the women waiting for surgery or recovering, and encouraged them to make use of the resources available to them for “life after fistula.” 

You can read the rest of Hilda’s story, and other stories of lives changed through your support by accessing our 2018 Annual Report. 

Thank you for your partnership in 2018, and for your continued generosity as we work to change the status quo for Tanzanian women. 

Are you feeling inspired? GlobalGiving’s Little by Little campaign is underway this week.Beginning at 9:00 am ET on Monday, August 12th and until 11:59 pm ET on Friday August 16th, donations up to $50 will be matched at 60%.Please consider sharing this Project Report via email or social media with a note about the matching funds and why you give to support women like Hilda. 

With gratitude,
Abbey Kocan

Executive Director, Kupona Foundation

Today is Bonus Day! Starting at 9:00 a.m. ET your gift of $100 to $1,000 will be matched up to 50% through midnight tonight or until matching funds run out.  Watch this video to hear why Betsy gives to Kupona Foundation. 

“When I visited CCBRT I was impressed that not only do they provide [obstetric fistula] surgical repairs for free, but they are really thinking about an approach that eliminates the barriers to treatment.”

From providing free hospital transportation for women with fistula to creating income generating opportunities post-surgery, Kupona’s local partner in Tanzania, CCBRT, fights to remove all barriers to treatment and recovery. Betsy says it best, “I love this soup to nuts approach to care. It’s innovative, and quite effective.” We believe everyone has a right to high quality healthcare.

Your gift of $100 to $1,000 today -- matched by GlobalGiving -- helps us provide holistic care for more women living with fistula. Please join Betsy in making your gift go further. 

Thank you so much for your support.

With gratitude,
Abbey Kocan

Executive Director, Kupona Foundation