In the News
Worldwide Fistula Fund Names New Executive Director
August 12, 2015
New Director brings non-profit and business experience
WFF Headquarters in Schaumburg, IL – Soja Orlowski, former Director of Communications & Marketing, is promoted to Executive Director for Worldwide Fistula Fund (WFF).
WFF helps girls & women in sub-Saharan Africa to heal and rebuild their lives after suffering the devastating childbirth injury, obstetric fistula. A woman with an obstetric fistula is left incontinent, often rejected by her husband and isolated from her community. (Watch video).
Soja Orlowski originally joined WFF as Director of Communications & Marketing in November 2014. Board Chair Michael Wittek remarked: “In the nine months since Soja joined WFF, we have seen her move the organization forward. Our donor retention rates are up, we have substantially increased new audience reach through social media and our site traffic is up with higher search rankings and better key site metrics. The Board looks forward to working with Soja to lead the organization as we implement our new Strategic Plan.”
WFF was founded in 1995 by Dr. L. Lewis Wall who was featured in Nicholas Kristof’s New York Times column in 2009. Subsequently, WFF built Danja Fistula Center (DFC) in Niger which opened in February 2012. To date, 500 women have received life-changing free surgeries. In addition to fistula treatment, WFF supports fistula survivor empowerment with literacy and vocational skills classes, community health advocate training and outreach for treatment and prevention. For increased access to care as well as prevention, WFF trains OB-GYNs. We currently work with partners in Niger, Uganda and Ethiopia. (Our Partners).
Although obstetric fistula is both preventable and treatable, an estimated two million girls and women in developing nations currently suffer from this injury.
“I am greatly honored to lead an organization that restores the lives of women & girls in sub-Saharan Africa and at such a pivotal time. WFF is exploring expansion into additional countries and initiating new programs to continuously improve outcomes for women during and beyond treatment,” remarked Soja Orlowski.
Prior to joining WFF, Soja had served both the business and non-profit sectors as owner of Orlow Marketing Solutions LLC since 2006. A former Director of Marketing & Development for the Chicago domestic violence agency, Rainbow House, Soja was responsible for securing $400,000 annually. She founded a memorial scholarship fund in 2008 that has awarded local college students over $25,000 to date. Her prior corporate experience includes Marketing Director positions at both FTD.com in Downers Grove, IL and the Reader's Digest Association in New York. Soja holds a BS in Advertising from the University of Illinois and an MS in Integrated Marketing Communications from Northwestern University.
To interview Soja Orlowski or learn more about WFF please email Soja@WFFund.org or call (847) 264-5971 (day), (312) 342-8896 (eve). Donate to restore a woman’s life and dignity.
Worldwide Fistula Fund is a non-profit global health organization founded in 1995 to help girls and women with obstetric fistulas recover and build new lives. Working with local partners in sub-Saharan Africa, WFF provides girls and women surgical care, rehabilitation, literacy & vocational classes and trains African doctors in fistula prevention & treatment. We are the oldest organization in the United States focused on obstetric fistula.