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Author: Developer

A new chapter in her story

Fetenech has a smile that beams. The 28-year-old has her own coffee house, which has prospered since she started it three years ago. “I am born again and want to focus on my bright future ahead,” she says. But her future wasn’t always so bright. In her teens, Fetenech had complications giving birth. She suffered […]...

December 15th, 2017 Read More

Our new board member – Dr Alison Morgan

The work of HFE has been an inspiration to me since I was a girl, and my first overseas trip was to the hospital in Addis Ababa in 1982 – when I was a medical student. My career was influenced by the work of my aunt Catherine Hamlin and I research maternal health in low […]...

December 15th, 2017 Read More

Rewriting women’s stories

Hamlin strives to give every woman the dignity and fullness of life they deserve. In some cases an operation to fix a fistula is very straight forward. In other cases, such as in the case of 34-year-old Beburuyosh it can take a lot longer. After suffering 4 days of obstructed labour during her first pregnancy, […]...

December 15th, 2017 Read More

Our life-changing work

An obstetric fistula can often be repaired with just a single operation. An operation that can take little more than 60 minutes. Sometimes the recovery is very quick, sometimes in more severe cases it takes longer. However in all cases it is life-changing. “I used to think of committing suicide, now I want to live,” […]...

December 15th, 2017 Read More

The importance of a midwife

For Australian women, it is almost unimaginable to give birth alone, with no hospital, no medical clinic or even no midwife. It would be both frightening and dangerous. Yet in Ethiopia today an estimated 85% of women give birth without any medical help. As a result, every day in Ethiopia, ten women develop an obstetric […]...

December 15th, 2017 Read More

From the field – a visit to the Hamlin College of Midwives

“I felt so proud to share with the group the incredible work of the Hamlin prevention pillar. Our midwives, staff and students are passionate and world class.” – Emily A vision realised When Catherine and Reg first arrived in Ethiopia in 1959, their plan was to set up a midwifery school in Addis Ababa. But, […]...

December 14th, 2017 Read More

A Christmas thank you from our Board of Directors

Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia (Australia) exists to ensure that the talented and hardworking team in Ethiopia can continue their mission, inspired by Reg and Catherine Hamlin, to eradicate obstetric fistula forever. Our Australian supporters play a critical role and we are enormously grateful for your support once again this year. I am fortunate enough to be […]...

December 12th, 2017 Read More

We’re updating our name!

Catherine Hamlin Fistula Foundation  We are so pleased to announce that in January 2018, in honour of Dr Catherine Hamlin’s ongoing, inspirational work, we are updating our name to the Catherine Hamlin Fistula Foundation. Dr Catherine Hamlin has had an extraordinary year. She was named NSW Senior Australian of the Year for 2018. She now […]...

December 11th, 2017 Read More

Preventing Obstetric Fistula and other Childbirth Injuries in Ethiopia

The Hamlin College of Midwives Dr Catherine Hamlin has worked for almost 60 years to eradicate obstetric fistula in Ethiopia. Catherine founded Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia’s Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital and five other regional fistula hospitals across Ethiopia and in 2007 she established the Hamlin College of Midwives. In the ten years since first opening its […]...

November 9th, 2017 Read More

Meeting Sister Belaynesh, a Hamlin Midwife

“I am in Awe. Sister Belaynesh holds in her hands the power of life and death… she is able to use simple and cost-effective tools to work miracles.” – Fiona Our four wheel drive turns off the main sealed road and onto compacted earth; baked dry under bright sunshine. I squint through the dust on the windshield […]...

November 9th, 2017 Read More

Dr Clarissa Fabre, president-elect of the MWIA, visits the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital

The Medical Women’s International Association  (MWIA) Founded in 1919, the MWIA is one of the oldest professional bodies at the international level. It is as a non-governmental organisation representing female doctors from every continent around the globe. The MWIA have an important voice on all issues of interest to medical women – they initiate and support scientific projects […]...

November 8th, 2017 Read More

Research on the prevalence of obstetric fistula and symptomatic pelvic organ prolapse in rural Ethiopia

Prevalence of obstetric fistula and symptomatic pelvic organ prolapse in rural Ethiopia.  Professor Karen Ballard, Dr Fekade Ayanachew, Professor Jeremy Wright and Habtamu Atnafu Introduction The incidence of obstetric fistula remains high in countries where there is limited access or poor uptake of facility-based care during childbirth. Ethiopian women have traditionally delivered their babies at […]...

November 2nd, 2017 Read More