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, started their extraordinary journey to Ethiopia and their quest to provide treatment to the most marginalised women: those who have suffered an obstetric fistula.
Today, Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia provides surgical intervention and rehabilitation, as well as the training the placement of midwives into remote areas to improve maternity care access.
Hamlin's healthcare network is made up of over 600 Ethiopian staff servicing six specialist fistula hospitals, the Hamlin College of Midwives, 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 Charitable Fistula Hospitals Trust (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.
Sakada is 30 years old and lives in the Amhara region of Ethiopia. Three months ago, she lost a baby and the grief is still written across her face. Her first baby girl was born healthy and is now eight years old. But her second and third babies were sadly stillborn. The birth injuries Sakada […]
Dr Tigist Tesfa, Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, Hamlin’s Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital Dr Tigist is an obstetrician and gynaecologist at Hamlin’s Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital. Here, the doctors usually give caesarean section service for mothers with previous birth injuries, including obstetric fistula. Usually, these patients have had an obstructed labour so a standard delivery is not […]
The 2025 cohort of Hamlin Midwife students were warmly welcomed to the Hamlin College of Midwives at the start of the year! As part of their induction, the 25 new students were given a tour of Hamlin’s Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital and enjoyed some sightseeing around Ethiopia’s bustling capital. Back at the College, they were shown the facilities […]
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.
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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.
