Giving Compass' Take:

• As part of a series highlighting critical findings in the field of women's empowerment, GlobalGiving shares the work of the Kupona Foundation. The organization builds impactful narratives around women treated for fistula by listening and amplifying their stories. More from the series: Combating gender-based violence in Nigeria and ending female genital mutilation in Kenya. 

• How are you presenting the recipients of your philanthropy? How can the techniques listed in this article be applied to other causes, including those listed above? 

• Learn more about obstetric fistula.

Frustrated by common victim narratives, Kupona and its partner, CCBRT, initiated conversations with women treated for fistula and the organizations sharing their narratives. Read their Listen, Act, Learn. Repeat. story.

Listen: The narratives of women with obstetric fistula are often sensational and graphic and can be exclusionary of the very women they intend to help. This frequent exploitation frustrated the team at Kupona Foundation. Kupona, along with their implementing partner, CCBRT, sought to redefine the way nonprofits and others share their stories.

Act: The CCBRT team spoke with women at a nearby hospital in the fistula ward, tackling how they wish to be identified and what language they use to describe themselves.

Learn: By engaging in important conversations in the fistula ward and on Twitter, Kupona and CCBRT learned that women do not want fistula to define who they are.

Repeat: How do you reflect on your organization’s narratives? How can you influence others to consider their narratives?

Read the full article about building impactful narratives at GlobalGiving.