Her suitcase crammed with donated training shoes (very helpful for women who have developed a footdrop), underwear (to help hold incontinence pads in place when exercising in the gym) and socks for the cold nights, Christchurch’s Ann Johnson recently visited Hamlin Fistula Hospital in Addis Ababa Ann is an experienced Women’s Health Physiotherapist who voluntarily […]

Treat Hamlin’s hard working clinical team performed 2,584 surgeries for women with birth injuries from fistula and pelvic organ prolapse Rehabilitate 420 women received psychological and social support Equip We don’t just treat women with fistula, we empower them to return to lives of dignity. In Hamlin’s comprehensive reintegration program 1,253 women received numeracy and […]

When we first met Asrebeb, she weighed only 22kg. She had been living in a dark hut for more than six years. She was malnourished and in terrible pain. Her muscle contractures were so severe that it took months of intensive physiotherapy before she could even straighten her legs. Asrebeb’s health issues are so complex that she lives full time at Desta Mender. This is just thirty minutes from the main hospital, where she can receive specialist medical care as required. The great news is that recently she was able to throw away her walking sticks and can now walk without assistance.

The team at Hamlin’s Rehabilitation and Reintegration Centre, Desta Mender, continues to restore the health and dignity of women who have sustained severe or complex obstetric fistula injuries. Desta Mender embodies the Hamlin Model of Care, which is grounded in a fundamental respect for women with fistula injuries and a deep commitment to the provision of complete and compassionate care.

Dr Catherine Hamlin believed that treating an obstetric fistula patient isn’t just treating a hole in the bladder, but rather the whole woman with love and care. In 2002, Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia opened Desta Mender, Hamlin’s Rehabilitation and Reintegration Centre, where long-term fistula patients undergo education classes and learn income-generating skills to support reintegration back into their communities and independent living.