This September, as we mark Gifts in Wills Month, we’re reflecting on the extraordinary difference a gift left in a Will can make – not only today, but for generations of women still to come.
Dr Catherine Hamlin dedicated her life to a vision of an Ethiopia free from obstetric fistula. She knew she would not see that vision realised in her lifetime, but believed those who came after her could finish what she and Reg started.
Berhane’s story is a powerful reminder of why that vision still matters. After living for two years with a devastating childbirth injury, believing she was alone and that there was no cure, she found Hamlin. Today, cured and rebuilding her life, Berhane is looking towards a future she once thought she had lost.
Berhane grew up in the small rural village of Mihle in Ethiopia’s Tigray region. Her childhood was divided between school and helping her family care for their sheep, goats and cattle.
Determined to continue her education alongside her responsibilities at home, she completed school through to the tenth grade.
She married when she was 23 and soon became pregnant with her first child. Despite the nearest health centre being over two hours walk away, she attended all her antenatal appointments, determined to give her baby the best start.
Then, when it came time to give birth, everything changed.
Three days of obstructed labour
Conflict had broken out in Tigray, severely disrupting local health services.
When Berhane went into labour, the local hospital had few medical staff and desperately limited supplies. She endured three agonising days of labour before her baby girl was eventually delivered.
Her daughter survived and remains with Berhane today.
But the prolonged and traumatic labour left Berhane with devastating internal injuries. She developed a double obstetric fistula and was unable to control either her urine or faeces.
Berhane had never heard of obstetric fistula. She didn’t know that other women suffered from the same childbirth injury, or that treatment was possible.
For two years, she believed this was simply how she would have to live.
“For two long years, I lived in total isolation, constantly leaking. I had never heard of a condition called obstetric fistula, and I had absolutely no idea that medical treatment even existed for it. I truly believed I was cursed to live this way forever.”
“Every single day was a battle with deep sorrow.”
The physical effects of fistula were only one part of Berhane’s suffering.
People in her community began mocking her and talking about her behind her back. Eventually, she withdrew from society altogether.
Her marriage also broke down. Her husband left for his home village and Berhane returned to live with her ageing parents.
She describes those two years as an incredibly dark and heavy time.
“Every single day was a battle with deep sorrow. I would sit alone in a separate room, away from the rest of my family, constantly washing myself and crying in secret. When people in my community realised what was wrong with me, they would mock me and laugh behind my back. To shield myself from the cruelty and shame, I stopped mingling with society altogether."
Then, unexpectedly, Berhane found a path towards healing.
“Come, let me get you medical help.”
Berhane eventually found the courage to tell her nephew what she had been living through. Rather than rejecting her, he offered to help.
Her sister and nephew pooled what little money they could find and took Berhane to Mekelle, where she met a nurse named Sister Azeb.
Berhane arrived frightened, crying and carrying the stigma she had lived with for so long.
Sister Azeb reassured the family that Berhane was suffering from fistula — and, importantly, that she could be treated and cured.
Then Berhane looked around the ward. For the first time, she saw other women experiencing the same condition she had believed was hers alone.
“After they left, I looked around the ward and saw other women just like me. A sudden wave of clarity washed over my mind, and the heavy shroud of depression lifted. I thought to myself, Oh my goodness! I thought I was the only person in the world suffering from this. Is everyone here facing the same thing? This is not a source of shame, and it is not an incurable curse. Realizing that I wasn’t alone brought me an immense sense of peace and restored my sanity.”
That realisation was the beginning of a remarkable transformation.
Cured — and a promise made
Berhane received specialist treatment from Hamlin’s doctors and nurses and was completely cured of her incontinence.
After two years of believing there was no escape from her condition, the relief was overwhelming.
“The dedicated doctors and nurses invested hours into my care, and after a procedure, I was completely cured. I cannot even begin to describe the boundaries of my joy. I wept tears of gratitude, praising God and the beautiful, lasting legacy of our beloved founders, Emaye and her companions, who built this sanctuary of hope. Right then and there, I made a solemn promise to myself: if I ever encountered another woman suffering from this condition in my homeland, I would personally bring her to the hospital to be healed.”
But at Hamlin, healing from fistula is about more than surgery. With her physical health restored, Berhane travelled to Desta Mender, Hamlin’s rehabilitation and reintegration centre, where women can receive counselling, life skills, vocational training and support to rebuild their independence. Berhane threw herself into the opportunity.
Building a future of her own
At Desta Mender, Berhane has learned practical skills including poultry farming and food preparation.
She also discovered a passion for traditional hand embroidery.
Supporting herself matters deeply to Berhane. Her parents are now elderly and no longer able to work, and with her husband gone, she knows she needs to build an independent source of income.
Her sister had previously taught her the basics of embroidery, but at Desta Mender she developed those skills much further.
While her classmates slept, Berhane would sometimes remain awake until midnight working on intricate designs.
That determination is already paying off. She has begun selling her embroidery to visitors and earning money she can use to support her mother and father.
“Earning that money has made me incredibly proud and happy. It means I can truly support my mother and father.”
And Berhane isn’t simply thinking about getting by. She’s making plans.
When she returns home, she hopes to use her tailoring and embroidery skills to make traditional Habesha dresses. Her dream is to rent a small workshop and work alongside her sisters and other young women who have experienced similar struggles.
Alongside her embroidery business, she hopes to secure a small piece of land and establish a poultry farm using the skills she has gained at Desta Mender.
After two years spent isolated in a room, believing her future had disappeared, Berhane is now imagining a life of independence, enterprise and possibility.
Will you help finish what Catherine started?
Berhane’s life is one of more than 82,000 transformed through the work of Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia over the past 67 years.
Yet the work Drs Reg and Catherine Hamlin began is not finished.
Today, it is estimated that more than 22,000 women in Ethiopia are still living with obstetric fistula, with up to 1,000 new cases occurring each year.
Dr Catherine Hamlin dedicated her life to a simple but ambitious vision: to eradicate obstetric fistula from Ethiopia. She knew she would not achieve that vision in her lifetime. But she believed future generations could.
A gift in your Will to Hamlin Fistula New Zealand is one of the most powerful ways you can help continue that work.
After first providing for the people you love, even a gift of 1% of your estate can help women like Berhane receive life-changing treatment and rehabilitation, while also supporting Hamlin-trained midwives and maternal healthcare to prevent these devastating childbirth injuries from occurring in the first place.
Your gift becomes part of a future you may never see — a future where a woman can give birth safely, where a woman living with fistula can be found and cured, and where women like Berhane can reclaim their health, dignity and independence.
Find out more about leaving a gift in your Will
Whether you are considering a gift, have already included Hamlin in your Will, or would simply like to understand your options, we would love to help.
Find out more about leaving a gift in your will: https://hamlinfistula.org.nz/gift-in-will/
Write or update your Will online for free through EveryWill: https://hamlinfistula.org.nz/freewill
* Berhane’s name has been changed to protect her privacy.
