INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR WOMEN AND DEVELOPMENT INC
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Mission Statement
Our goal is to partner with Rwandan maternal and child health experts in establishing a comprehensive, contextually appropriate model for the delivery of quality women and children's health care within the existing health system. We strive: 1. To provide free screening, treatment, and care to women and girls suffering from obstetric fistula, gynecologic, and pelvic floor disorders while upholding the highest ethical standards. 2. To provide free treatment and care for children with genitourinary disorders. 3. To strengthen Rwandan human resources for health by training local surgeons, nurses, and other allied health workers in the treatment and post-operative care of surgical patients. 4. To promote community outreach initiatives aimed at raising awareness about women and children’s health.
About This Cause
OUR STORY I never planned to develop a program to provide free treatment for women with obstetric fistula. In fact, before founding IOWD in 2003, I did not know what obstetric fistula was. I was working for the US State Department as an English teacher at the American Cultural Center in Niamey, Niger. While there, I learned about a group of about 80 women – all suffering from obstetric fistula, but lacking access to treatment – who lived in a courtyard at the National Hospital. Some had lived there for 20 years! Upon returning home, to New York, I asked my own gynecologist about the problem. I also conducted my own research and knew I had to do something. It was unfathomable to me that women could be living like this in today’s world! I met women and children who were ostracized and living in shame; they were hidden because of their injuries. I just could not walk away. The rest is history. Today, IOWD has evolved from an organization that treats only women with obstetric fistula to an organization that has a multifaceted program structure which includes a cervical cancer screening program, a hands-on Cesarean Section teaching program, a surgical pediatric urology program, and a general pediatric program. We have a rotating group of more than 150 committed maternal and child health professionals who volunteer their time and expertise to treat women and children who would otherwise receive no care for their illness. Together with our partners in Rwanda, where our operations are based, we have examined close to 4,000 women and children. More than 2,200 have received surgery that has restored their well-being and allowed them to resume normal life. Barbara A. Margolies Founder & Executive Director WHO WE ARE The International Organization for Women and Development, Inc (IOWD) is a non-profit charity dedicated to providing underserved women and children in low-income countries with free medical and surgical services and care. Our multidisciplinary volunteers commit time to travel at their own expense so that our patients and their families may gain access to medical and surgical services that are not readily available or affordable. Because we are deeply committed to advancing the global health agenda, we work closely with our governmental and non-governmental partners to ensure our programs are well integrated within local health systems so that our contributions are sustainable.