Firomi Shume is one of our dedicated and passionate Hamlin midwives working to prevent fistula and maternal death.  Now 26 years old, Firomi was born and raised in Mettu, a small town in West Ethiopia where one of the five Hamlin regional hospitals is located. It was from here that she was recruited for a […]

Paralysis is rarely something a woman in New Zealand experiences as a consequence of childbirth. Yet, in addition to losing her baby and sustaining an obstetric fistula injury, Emnet lost the use of her legs during an agonising and lengthy home birth. Emnet’s injuries were so severe that her life hung in the balance.  Falling […]

Thanks to our amazing NZ supporters, women in this remote community will now be able to live near the Hamlin Midwives until they can give birth safely. For women living in poverty in far-lying villages, transportation to a Hamlin Midwifery Centre during labour can be impossible. They have no choice but to give birth at […]

This past year Hamlin Fistula has achieved more than ever! 3,580 surgeries for obstetric fistula, pelvic organ prolapse and other gynaecological conditions. 96% fistula closure rate - higher than anywhere else in Africa. 84 midwifery centres were supported by Hamlin with essential drugs and equipment, midwife salaries and mentoring. 28,159 women birthed fistula-free in the […]

We recently interviewed Hamlin Midwife Mentor Bella, who updated us on the conditions faced by our Hamlin midwives in Tigray.

An often-untold story is the impact of civil conflict and violence on childbearing women.

Please note this story contains distressing information.

Providing Safe Childbirth for Every Woman For many years, when Drs Reg and Catherine Hamlin sent young women home healed from the Fistula Hospital in Addis, wearing a new dress, the most important instruction the women were given was, “When you get pregnant again, before the birth, start walking to the nearest hospital.”   The Hamlins’ […]

In 2020, Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia and UNFPA Ethiopia formed a partnership to combine efforts to improve maternal health outcomes for Ethiopian women living with untreated obstetric fistula injuries. This three-year joint project focuses on improving access to fistula for Ethiopian women, as well as reaching more women for screening and referral of cervical cancer. The Patient Identification Program is a key […]

For twenty-seven-year-old Etenesh, studying health was her life-long dream. When Hamlin approached her about a midwifery scholarship she didn’t hesitate to apply. Born and raised in the small town of Gorgora, located on the shore of Lake Tana where the Blue Nile River starts its long journey, Etenesh studied at the Hamlin College of Midwives […]

Thirty-six year-old Sister Domenica is originally from South Sudan in a small town called Upper Nile, located very close to Ethiopian border. Now she is training to be a Hamlin midwife.