Catherine believed that every woman has a right to quality maternal healthcare.
Hamlin Midwives save the lives of thousands of mothers and babies every year and prevent countless fistulas. They are the key to eradicating obstetric fistula in Ethiopia.
Access to midwifery care in rural areas
Since opening in 2007, 256 Hamlin Midwives have graduated from The Hamlin College of Midwives and been deployed to rural areas.
There are currently 71 students undertaking their BSc in Midwifery degree, with a new intake of 25 students commencing in January 2024.
Completing a Masters in Clinical Midwifery postgraduate degree are another 53 students. As a postgraduate program, the Masters consists of 55 credit hours of study and 582 hours of clinical practice that will be completed over two and a half years.
Every student is on a full Hamlin scholarship, funded by generous donors like you.
In FY23, Hamlin Midwives safely delivered 28,283 babies and 38,898 women attended their first antenatal appointment at a Hamlin-supported midwifery clinic.
Maternal healthcare saves lives
The importance of these health professionals cannot be underestimated. Every day, more than 830 women around the world die as a result of complications from pregnancy and childbirth. If midwives were present during birth, up to 90% of these deaths could be prevented, according to the International Confederation of Midwives.
In rural Ethiopia, just 50% of women have access to medical care during their pregnancy, so the increasing number of midwives in rural communities is vital to ensure women no longer suffer for days on end in an obstructed labour.
Hareg (pictured), a Hamlin Midwife 2023 graduate, says: “Serving the childbearing mothers is important for the mother, for her family, for the society, and for the country at large, because women are the backbone.”