Preparation Phase: is already underway.  In May, 2008, Dr. Lewis Wall will accompany a design team to finalize an architectural plan for the Center.  WFF will ship basic operating room equipment to upgrade the present surgical facilities at CSL Danja.  Once this equipment arrives, is installed and tested, we will begin VVF care with a series of team-visits of surgeons, anesthesia providers, and nurses from around the world.  Patients will be cared for on the wards of the leprosy center. Meanwhile, construction on the VVF Center will begin. 

CSL Phase:  When construction on the Center is complete, we will install and test all of the necessary hospital equipment, hire permanent staff, and have a final ‘shakedown’ visit by the Team to carry out a limited number of VVF repairs and ensure that the Center is ready to open. 

Early WFF Fistula Center Phase:  The fourth phase includes a period in which a limited number of surgical operations will be carried out at the new facility while any problems with the logistical supply-line or physical plant are corrected. WFF’s leadership team and visiting surgeons will make two trips to the Center prior to launching the WFF Fistula Center’s fully operational phase. 

Fully Operational WFF Fistula Center Phase:   Full-time VVF care begins! From the outset, we will employ a whole-person approach including access to rehabilitation and reintegration services.  Clinical research will be a part of our strategy from the treatment of the very first patients in Phase 1.  Surgeons, from Niger, West Africa, and beyond will be trained using a standardized curriculum involving intensive one-on-one mentoring.  We expect to have the capacity to treat hundreds of women per year.

 WFF envisions the Center to function as a model for VVF Centers for other locations in Africa and Asia. 

See a preliminary drawing of the main hospital.