Natalie Imbruglia
As a Spokesperson for the UNFPA-led Campaign to End Fistula and an Ambassador for Virgin Unite, Natalie Imbruglia — singer/actress and face of L’Oreal — is helping to raise awareness and funds for this little-known childbearing condition. Imbruglia first heard about fistula while speaking to Richard Branson, CEO of the Virgin Group. In January 2005, she visited fistula hospitals in Ethiopia and Nigeria with representatives from UNFPA and Virgin Unite, a charitable organization supporting the Campaign. Deeply moved, she felt compelled to act.

"For some people, fistula is a difficult issue to talk about. But that discomfort pales in comparison to what women living with fistula face every day," Imbruglia says. "I don't want to be part of the silence. I want to do everything I can to make a difference in these women's lives."

Imbruglia returned to Nigeria in August 2005—accompanied this time by a group of journalists and filmmakers from the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. Since then, she has worked tirelessly to build awareness of this issue through press briefings and fundraising events in the UK, Canada and Belgium.