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 Hamlin scholarship to the Hamlin College of Midwives in 2015.
Four years later, Firomi graduated and was deployed at Sibbo midwifery centre, 60km away from Hamlin Fistula Hospital in Mettu.
For the past three years, she has been working at the clinic leading the maternal healthcare service, along with another Hamlin midwife. Together they shoulder the maternal healthcare services of the clinic with 30 births each month. Firomi estimates she has attended over 2,000 safe deliveries since she began.
“The high-quality care we are providing at the clinic has brought significant change in increasing the number of mothers seeking our services. Also, Hamlin’s supportive packages to the clinic, added with the highly skilled treatment we are giving grabs the attention of the community and helped us to get their full trust,” reflects Firomi.
With her experience at the clinic, Firomi remembers many birth complications she has managed that would have required a hospital referral if it were not for her.
“The high-quality training we got at the college equipped us both in theory and practice. We already had enough experience before graduation which makes us confident professionals serving our community in Dr Catherine’s legacy of affection and model of care,” she explains.
Firomi is still single and is prioritising her education and profession. Unlike many young women her age, she does not plan to be engaged in the near future until she studies a further degree in the health sector.
The downstream effects of a Hamlin midwife are remarkable; when a Hamlin midwife arrives, new cases of fistula drop to almost zero in nearby villages. This is all made possible with the support of people like you.
