Abebech is one of around 1,000 women every year in Ethiopia who suffer the cruel fate of an obstetric fistula and resulting incontinence. Tragically, 93% of them also deliver a stillborn baby.
Ashamed, alone and without an education, women are unable to work to support themselves and cannot take part in any community gatherings.
For most women, an obstetric fistula is a fate worse than death.

“Because of the fistula, people commented on the very bad smell. I didn’t visit my neighbours and I never went to church or the market. I cried all day and night.” – Abebech
Treating a woman with obstetric fistula goes far beyond surgical repair.
Catherine’s pioneering patient-centred Hamlin Model of Care heals women physically, emotionally and psychologically. It’s at the heart of Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia’s work for women.
Thanks to generous donors like you, Abebech reclaimed her health and dignity through the Hamlin Model of Care.
Thousands more women urgently need YOUR support to reclaim their future.
Will you partner with us to continue Catherine’s humanitarianism?


Catherine’s Hamlin Model of Care helped Abebech reclaim her future
Abebech’s future looked bleak. She lost her baby and sustained an obstetric fistula in childbirth, leaving her incontinent. Her husband married someone else and had two children while Abebech was left to suffer alone.
Unable to socialise or work, Abebech felt sad, isolated and desperate.
Dr Catherine Hamlin was a visionary humanitarian who understood that treating a woman like Abebech with obstetric fistula goes far beyond surgical repair.
The Hamlin Model of Care encompasses comprehensive rehabilitation which includes emotional and psychological healing and providing women with vocational training and skills so they can thrive when they return to their community. Today, it is the world’s leading approach to treating obstetric fistula.
“We don’t just treat a hole in the bladder, we treat the whole patient with love and tender care.”
– Dr Catherine Hamlin

Following fistula repair surgery, Abebech completed training programs in literacy and numeracy, cooking, sewing, embroidery and cooking and poultry. She now has everything she needs to lead a meaningful and productive life.
Over 70,000 women have reclaimed their health and dignity through the Hamlin Model of Care, thanks to generous donors like you.

Please continue being a critical part of Catherine’s legacy of humanity, determination and ongoing impact on maternal healthcare in Ethiopia.
“I am cured. Now, I am taking training based on my own choices. I never went to school so I couldn’t read or write. Here, I am learning sewing, embroidery, cooking and poultry training—skills I had never practiced in my village.
I have a big plan to prepare and sell food. I also want to do embroidery and sewing to create and sell bags.”– Abebech

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