NEW YORK, January 15, 2025 – A new short film from the non-profit organization Healing Hands of Joy details the ongoing struggle to eradicate obstetric fistula, a severe childbirth injury, and end the suffering and stigma for thousands of women in conflict-torn Northern Ethiopia.
The 11-minute production “Power of Joy,” funded in part through a $1 million grant from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, explains the challenges and triumphs of fighting obstetric fistula, highlighting the importance of quality medical care for women in Ethiopia.
The film comes after the 2007 Emmy-winning documentary “A Walk to Beautiful” that followed the journey of five Ethiopian women suffering from devastating cases of obstetric fistula, leading them to be ostracized by their communities and finding solace only after receiving health care and counseling.
Obstetric fistula is a tear in the birth canal that can result from prolonged and obstructed labor, and 80 percent of women who develop a fistula during childbirth lose their babies. Women living with fistula experience chronic incontinence, spousal abandonment, ostracism from their communities, and personal shame.
Obstetric fistula is preventable and treatable with quality medical treatment, but disproportionately affects women in areas with limited access to adequate medical care.
“Power of Joy” describes the work of Healing Hands of Joy, an international non-profit dedicated to eliminating obstetric fistula in Ethiopia. It was co-founded in 2010 by Allison Shigo, who was a producer on “A Walk to Beautiful.”
An alarming rise in obstetric fistula persists in Northern Ethiopia, particularly in the Tigray Region, after an estimated 120,000 women were raped during the most recent conflict. Ethiopia has an estimated 40,000 cases of untreated obstetric fistula. And with more than 70 percent of women still giving birth at home, there are about 4,000 new cases annually.
“Healing Hands of Joy has been hugely successful, especially here in the Tigray region, where we worked for over 10 years. We had actually reduced the number of cases to such a low number that we started to plan exiting out of the region,” Shigo says in the film. “And then the civil war broke out, and now we’re starting from scratch.”
The production tells the story of two women as they try to rebuild their lives after suffering the physical and emotional harm from obstetric fistula. The film includes visits to the countryside and to caves where people fled during the conflict.
It is scheduled to premiere Feb. 15 in Palo Alto, California, and March 7 in New York City, with other screenings planned in Houston and Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. It was directed by Amy Bucher and edited by Mary Olive Smith.
Healing Hands of Joy trains fistula survivors as “Safe Motherhood Ambassadors” who provide education and access to safe delivery options for pregnant mothers. It has been a tremendous success: In the four regions, the group has trained over 3,000 ambassadors and supported the safe delivery of over 28,000 babies.
“These women faced the most difficult time in their lives and still find the strength to continue. So there is a lot to learn from these women,” Meselech Seyoum, country director for Healing Hands of Joy, says in the film.
“The Helmsley Charitable Trust is committed to supporting initiatives that address the most pressing health needs in vulnerable communities,” said Walter Panzirer, Trustee at the Helmsley Charitable Trust. “Healing Hands of Joy has demonstrated an unwavering dedication to improving maternal health in Ethiopia, and we are committed to supporting their work to eliminate fistula in Ethiopia. This grant will enable their work in reaching more women who have been profoundly impacted by the conflict and are in desperate need of care.”
In addition to helping fund the film, the Helmsley grant to Healing Hands of Joy will assist the organization to:
The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust’s investment reflects its commitment to addressing the long-term health consequences of conflict and poverty. By supporting organizations making a tangible difference in the lives of vulnerable populations, Helmsley aims to create lasting change and improve the quality of life for those who need it most.
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About the Helmsley Charitable Trust
The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust aspires to improve lives by supporting exceptional efforts in the U.S. and around the world in health and select place-based initiatives. Since beginning active grantmaking in 2008, Helmsley has committed more than $4.5 billion for a wide range of charitable purposes. Helmsley’s Rural Healthcare Program funds innovative projects that use information technologies to connect rural patients to emergency medical care, bring the latest medical therapies to patients in remote areas, and provide state-of-the-art training for rural hospitals and EMS personnel. To date, this program has awarded more than $750 million to organizations and initiatives in the states of Hawaii, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, and two U.S. Pacific territories, American Samoa and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. For more information, visit helmsleytrust.org.
About Healing Hands of Joy
Healing Hands of Joy is an international non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating obstetric fistula in Ethiopia and empowering women to reintegrate into their communities as healthy and productive members. Through comprehensive programs that include rehabilitation, reintegration and community outreach, HHoJ is transforming the lives of women, delivering lifesaving information and improving maternal child health in Ethiopia.
Contact: Cindy Johnson Breilh, 425.445.7986, cindyb.hhoj@gmail.com