FIUGA is proud to collaborate on the Amazon Project, an inspiring initiative to improve access to women’s pelvic health care in the Amazon region. The first mission in Manaus, Brazil, brought together international and Brazilian experts for a powerful program combining community outreach, education, hands-on training, and surgical care. This mission marked an important first step in building local capacity and creating more equitable access to pelvic floor health care for women living in one of the world’s most remote regions.

The first Amazon Project Mission was successfully conducted in Manaus, Brazil, from June 2–5, 2026, through a collaboration between FIUGA and the Brazilian Continence Association B.C. Stuart, the Federal University of Amazonas (UFAM), Hospital Universitário Getúlio Vargas (HUGV), and the State University of Amazonas (UEA)and local project leader Dr. Maria Riselda Vinhote da Silva, whose commitment was instrumental in coordinating and facilitating the mission activities. The mission brought together international and Brazilian experts in urogynecology, pelvic floor physiotherapy, nursing, and psychology with the shared goal of expanding access to women’s pelvic health services in the Amazon region.

The program combined community engagement, education, clinical care, and surgery. Team members visited riverside and Indigenous communities to better understand local healthcare challenges and barriers to access. A scientific meeting on pelvic floor disorders was attended by healthcare professionals, residents, and students, followed by multidisciplinary training sessions that provided education in conservative management of urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. Twenty healthcare professionals received hands-on training during the mission.

A major achievement of the project was the successful surgical treatment of 19 women with pelvic floor disorders, including urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, and urogenital fistulas. Three operating rooms functioned simultaneously, with procedures performed by an international faculty including Prof. Anna Rosamilia, Prof. Judith Goh, Dr. Aparna Hegde, and Dr. Maria Augusta Bortoline. All patients were evaluated preoperatively, received postoperative follow-up, and remained in good clinical condition.

The mission also included donations of pessaries, surgical instruments, and a cystoscope to HUGV, helping strengthen local capacity and creating a foundation for sustainable women’s pelvic healthcare services throughout the Amazon region.