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Current projects in East Africa
HER DIGNITY FUND
Every woman matters.
Providing lifesaving maternal healthcare & fistula repair in remote Africa
Around the world, approximately 800 women die every day from birth-related injuries such as fistula. More than half of these are in sub-Saharan Africa. The Barbara May Foundation funds projects that provide dignity and safety for underprivileged women in birth.
Established in 2009, the Barbara May Foundation (BMF) provides funding to Australian medical professionals Valerie Browning AM and Dr Andrew Browning AM initiating and managing projects in remote East Africa (Tanzania, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Northern Uganda) that relieve the high incidence of death and extreme injury such as fistula in pregnancy and childbirth. They provide safety, dignity and hope. Maternal healthcare and medical services are provided at no cost, regardless of race or religion.
Projects supported in Africa
Barbara May Maternity Hospital, Ethiopia
Valerie Browning AM
Vision Maternity Care Hospital, Ethiopia
Dr Birhanu Menber
Kivulini Hospital Maternity Africa (MA), Tanzania
Dr Andrew Browning
Latest News & Articles
Impact Report for the year ended 30 June 2025
We are grateful for your support this year, enabling women in Africa to give birth safely and be healed of fistula injuries .
Announcing Phaedra Hospital: Hope, Life and Legacy
An Australian couple, Anthony and Rae McLellan, have generously donated $2.6 million to fund the...
Fistula surgeries: It takes a team
Meet some of the team restoring women’s dignity in TanzaniaCome with Dr Andrew as he introduces...
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You’re invited to join us for a chat about how GENEROSITY has changed lives in Africa.
We believe generosity is more important than consumerism, especially at this time of year 💙 If you agree, join us this Thursday!
Save your online seats here: link in bio
#barbaramayfoundation #impact #GivingTuesdaycampaign #blackfriday #maternalhealth #handsandfeetofjesus #GenerosityInAction
We are deeply concerned by recent news from Valerie Browning in the Afar region of Ethiopia…
This week, there is renewed conflict, forcing more than 18,000 people to flee their homes with almost nothing.
Valerie’s organisation, Afar Pastoralist Development Association (APDA), responded quickly with wheat flour, blankets, and health teams supporting pregnant and breastfeeding mothers and young children.
BMF is committed to supporting APDA to respond to emergencies such as these, ensuring support for Afar mothers and babies.
In moments like this, your support brings safety and relief to mothers and babies the world so often overlooks. Thank you for your support.
Donate today via our website (link in bio).
#charity #Afar #EmergencyResponse #maternalhealthcare #charity #maternalhealth #barbaramayfoundation
It’s that time again – don’t miss your chance to hear directly from Dr Andrew and the Barbara May Foundation about the incredible impact your donations have had this year.
Thursday 27 Nov from 1pm (AEDT)
Sign up today: Link in Bio 😏
#charity #blackfriday #impact #barbaramayfoundation #GivingTuesdaycampaign #MaternalHealth #australiancharity #generosity
We often hear stories of the lifesaving services the skilled team at Vision Maternity Care in Ethiopia are providing. This one came with a photo, so we are pleased to share it with you here!
Here is Lebmogne, a fistula patient who was able to have a healthy 2.7kg baby via Caesarean Section at VMCH. Read her full story on our website! (Link in bio)
If you donate or support Barbara May Foundation in any way, thank you for partnering with us and the team in Ethiopia to make a difference for families like Lebmogne’s.
#postnatalcare #midwifelife #australiancharity #maternalhealth #endfistula #fistulatreatment
It has been wonderful to show you some behind the scenes of Dr Browning’s recent visit to Mille Ethiopia. Together, we’re making safe birth possible for women, like Nifi, who live in one of the most remote places in the world. This is what it’s all for 🧡
Partner with us to continue providing life-saving maternal healthcare - visit link in bio.
#midwifery #obstetrician #maternalhealthcare #maternitycare #womenshealth #workplacegiving #philanthropy #hospital #APDA #Ethiopia
Meet Dr Omer and hear about the important services women can access – for free – at Barbara May Maternity Hospital, Ethiopia.
Donate today and partner with us to change the story of maternal health in Africa: (Link in Bio)
#maternalhealth #hospital #3rdtrimester #postnatalcare #midwifery #Obstetrics #ADoctorInAfrica #workplacegiving #philanthropy #APDA
After a hearty brekky at the local café, it’s time to get to work.
Our staff cafeteria in Mille, Ethiopia, might look different to your local hospital’s cafe, but the women we serve are just as important 🧡
(Find out more about supported hospitals in Africa - link in bio)
#womenshealth #hospitallife #maternalhealth #midwifelife #obstetrician #ADoctorInAfrica #barbaramayfoundation #APDA #midwifery #nurselife #nurses #gynaecology
Brekky time in the staff ‘cafeteria’ before the day’s work begins. Join me to meet Ahmed, one of the dedicated team members at Barbara May Maternity Hospital.
#fístula #APDA #ADoctorInAfric #Maalika #Ethiopia #maternalhealth #philanthropy #womenshealth #australiancharity #barbaramayfoundation #workplacegiving
Fitting in a morning walk around Mille before it gets too hot. Even the staff café isn’t open yet!
#ADoctorInAfrica #MaternalHealth #womenshealth #australiancharity #APDA #fistulatreatment #philanthropy
Not your average trip to work; not your average work…
Find out more about how this hospital, supported entirely by donors from countries like Australia for nearly 15 years, is providing hope and healing for nomadic women suffering from childbirth-related injuries in the deserts of East Africa: (visit out website - link in bio)
#APDA #Ethiopia #fistulasurgery #fistula #Afar #obstetrician #womenshealth #MaternalHealth
If you’re pregnant and dreading the upcoming heat of spring and summer, then spare a thought for women in the Afar desert regions of East Africa, where temperatures often reach 50 degrees Celsius! ☀️🤰🏾
Photo: Michael Benanav https://www.afarofethiopia.com/
#ethiopia #APDA #MaternalHealth #pregnancy #3rdtrimester #motherhood #womenshealth #summertime
Volume on! 🔊
Part 4: Our ‘official’ tour was interrupted by the surrounding sound of women singing. Healing at Kivulini is more than just surgery 🧡
@maternityafrica
#fistula #modelofcare #centreofexcellence #obstetrician #socialwork #womenshealth #maternalhealth #EndFistula #MaternityCare