Excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility

Summary of work

‘Action on Fistula’, launched in May 2014, is an innovative partnership between the charity Fistula Foundation and Astellas Pharma EMEA Limited. Together, they set out to transform the lives of more than 1,200 women in Kenya living with obstetric fistula and to significantly build in-country capacity to deliver ongoing reconstructive surgeries by April 2017.

Since launch, the campaign has been an unprecedented success, with 2,255 women with fistula receiving life-changing reconstructive surgery - surpassing the three year target by 88% - and a doubling of capacity to conduct fistula surgeries in Kenya. A treatment network has been set up to extend access to services, with six treatment centres enrolled and providing fistula surgeries. A successful outreach programme is also running to reach and identify women for treatment.

A rolling internal and external communications campaign has resulted in 80 pieces of media coverage with a circulation of 95.1 million, and employees fundraising €23,187 across 12 countries to provide vital treatment and care for additional women with fistula.

Through its collaborative, capacity-building approach, Action on Fistula has changed the treatment landscape in Kenya in enduring ways, ensuring its legacy will continue for many years beyond its three-year duration.

Judges' comments

The Action on Fistula work was an extremely bold, ambitious and impressive outreach programme. Foster Communications and Astellas stepped in to address an unmet need, demonstrating a tremendous improvement year on year for this massive and stigmatised disease.