Our goal is fistula-free and safe childbirth for every woman.
Restoring Dignity, Saving Lives
Obstetric fistula is a common and devastating childbirth injury that occurs as a result of prolonged, obstructed labour without access to timely medical care. It leaves survivors with uncontrollable incontinence, and in most cases the loss of their baby as well. The physical and psychological consequences are debilitating, traumatic and heart-breaking.
In 1959, New Zealand-born Dr Reg Hamlin and his Australian wife, Dr Catherine Hamlin, began their extraordinary journey to Ethiopia — and their quest to provide treatment for some of the country’s most marginalised women: those who had suffered an obstetric fistula. Although both have now passed, their legacy continues…
Today, Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia provides life-changing surgery and rehabilitation, while also preventing childbirth injuries by training and placing midwives in remote areas with no access to maternity care.
Hamlin’s healthcare network includes more than 600 Ethiopian staff working across six specialist fistula hospitals, the Hamlin College of Midwives, the Desta Mender rehabilitation and reintegration centre, and over 90 Hamlin-supported midwifery clinics across the country.
Over the past 65 years, Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia has treated over 70,000 women
However, around 30,000 women in Ethiopia still live with an untreated obstetric fistula injury
Each year, at least 1,000 new fistula cases will occur
Raising Funds for Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia
Established in 2005 at the request of Dr Catherine, the 'Hamlin Fistula Foundation' (known as Hamlin Fistula New Zealand) is a Kiwi charity committed to raising funds and awareness. We are dedicated to restoring the health and dignity of women who have survived horrendous - and preventable - childbirth injuries.
Join us to ensure the health and dignity of mothers by making quality maternity care and expert treatment for childbirth injuries accessible for every woman.
Just $4.38 a day can restore a woman’s life through life-changing surgery and loving care after untold suffering from a horrific childbirth injury. Joining our community of Hamlin Regular Givers is the most impactful way you can help women with childbirth injuries in Ethiopia. Regular donations are the most reliable source of income, allowing us to plan ahead to deliver the best care and support for women.
Through Project Zero we’ve made it our mission to bring obstetric fistula injury numbers down to zero, by focusing on identification, prevention, and education.
Join us as we roll out this life-changing project across the country and make Dr Catherine Hamlin’s vision of a fistula-free Ethiopia a reality.
After graduating from the Hamlin College of Midwives, Sister Tsedenya’s first deployment was to a small rural clinic in North Mecha. She arrived, she explains, guided by the example of Emaye (Dr Catherine). “I learned so much from her life story - especially the way she approached medical cases, and her philosophy that the services […]
Genet lived with obstetric fistula for 17 years, unaware that treatment was available until she was found by a Hamlin Patient Identification Officer. After successful surgery at Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia’s Addis Ababa hospital, Genet returned home happy and healed. But her transformation story had yet another chapter. Determined to build a new life, Genet is […]
For almost two decades, Almaz, a nurse aide, has been welcoming women at the start of their healing journey. When patients arrive at Hamlin’s Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital, she is there to offer kindness and reassurance: “They are often very distressed. However, when I translate for them in their own language, it feels as though […]
Keep up to date with our work including the latest news from our programmes in Ethiopia, ways to get involved and how your support can make a difference.
We promise never to share your details with other organisations for marketing purposes. We store your data in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
Hamlin Fistula NZ is committed to providing ongoing support for fistula surgery and for the preventive work of the midwives. The hospital in Addis Ababa has become a centre of excellence to which doctors from other countries come to learn and master the specialist skills of fistula surgery.
Photography credits to Mary F. Calvert, Kate Geraghty, Amber Hooper, Joni Kabana, Joli Wescombe, Natasha Meyer and Martha Tadesse.
