Rosemary is walking up Mt Abune Josef in Ethiopia this July, to raise awareness and funds for Hamlin Fistula NZ, to support women and maternal health.
Obstetric fistula is a horrific childbirth injury causing incontinence, leaving women as social outcasts. Many of these young women in Ethiopia are teenagers.
When a young girl or woman suffering with obstetric fistula hears about the work of Hamlin Fistula, they are usually located in some of the most remote parts of Ethiopia and have to endure a laborious trek to get to the nearest hospital. For most, this will mean many kilometers of walking, usually barefoot.
Obstetric fistula is preventable by having access to a midwife and hospital care.
I love to get out and hike in the hills of my backyard of Banks Peninsula in Canterbury. The Mount Herbert/Te Ahu Patiki summit at 920m is the highest peak on Banks Peninsula.
In Ethiopia, I will be hiking up Mt Abune Josef, to the summit of 4260m - the 6th highest mountain in Ethiopia and the 19th tallest in Africa!
The Hamlin Barefoot Challenge is a great way to get a small sense of what women who have a fistula may experience when making the strenuous journey to a hospital.
By undertaking my own Barefoot Challenge walk, I hope to raise $1300 for one standard fistula surgery for a young girl or woman at a regional Hamlin hospital
Please join me in making a difference to continue the work started 50 years ago by Kiwi hero Dr Reg Hamlin.
- Every $30 donation can help prevent fistula through providing pregnancy and birth care for one mother and baby
- Every $140 donation can supply one month of life-saving essential drug supplies to a Hamlin Midwifery Centre
- Every $300 donation can fund one month of tuition for a student midwife's degree
- Every $1300 donation can restore dignity with one standard fistula surgery at a regional Hamlin hospital
Thank you for your support! Donations are tax deductible.
All donations are tax-deductible.
