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Our History

Hamlin Fistula New Zealand: A Mission of Hope

Our Vision: Fistula-free and safe childbirth for every woman

Our Mission: Making quality maternity care and expert treatment for childbirth injuries accessible for every woman.

Every woman deserves to be treated with dignity, care and compassion on their journey to bring new life into the world. This shouldn’t be limited due to social inequities.

Established in 2005 at the request of Dr Catherine, Hamlin Charitable Fistula Hospitals Trust (known as Hamlin Fistula New Zealand) is a Kiwi charity committed to raising funds and awareness to treat women in Ethiopia suffering from life-threatening obstetric fistula and to prevent these terrible childbirth injuries from happening to others. 

Obstetric fistula is a complex injury with tragic results. The physical and psychological consequences of this childbirth injury are debilitating, traumatic and heart-breaking.

Join us and save the lives of women and babies by ensuring excellent maternity care is accessible to all. 

You can help ensure that women are equipped to give birth safely to healthy babies, with the care and support they deserve.

Hamlin Fistula New Zealand is named in honour of Hamlin Fistula co-founders, Nobel nominee and Australian-native Dr Catherine and her Kiwi husband, Napier-born Dr Reginald ‘Reg’ Hamlin. We are part of a family of Hamlin charities, with others located in the United Kingdom, Canada, United States of America, The Netherlands and Australia. 

With over 60,000 successful repair operations completed to date, our mission now is to continue to fund the treatment of fistula injuries and prevent women from suffering though a fistula or other childbirth injury by providing expert maternity care.

We do this through funding a range of programmes to support the work of Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia. Hamlin Fistula New Zealand collaborates with our international partners to have the greatest possible impact in maternal care for women in Ethiopia.

Together Dr Reg and Dr Catherine proved what a difference in the world one or two individuals can truly make. Their legacy lives on and will continue to live on with your help. 

“Every mother is a family’s richest possession”

- Dr Reg Hamlin OBE

Help us give hope to every woman.

Keep up to date with our work including the latest news from our programmes in Ethiopia, ways to get involved and how your support is making 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.