Hamlin Midwives Return Home to Make a Difference

Seada and Mawerdi are like any Hamlin Midwives. They are two remarkable women who work tirelessly to save lives and provide quality maternal healthcare for women with limited access to healthcare.

Following the completion of their four year Bachelor of Science Degree at the Hamlin College of Midwives, Seada and Mawerdi returned home to work at a nearby Hamlin-supported midwifery clinic and provide care for women in their local communities. They provide new and expecting mothers with pre and perinatal care; and the best possibility for a safe birth.

For Mawerdi, the personal motivation to serve her community was shaped by witnessing the devastation that an obstetric fistula injury caused to a relative of hers. For Seada, her lifelong dream of working in health was realised when she was offered a scholarship to study at the Hamlin College of Midwives.

A pioneering way to treat fistula

Throughout her 60 years in Ethiopia, one of Dr Catherine Hamlin’s great achievements was the establishment of  the Hamlin College of Midwives in 2007. Since then, 145 midwives have graduated and now work in over 50 Hamlin-supported midwifery clinics in rural Ethiopia. The Hamlin College of Midwives recruits exceptional high school graduates from regional Ethiopia have access to a midwifery college and provide high quality, free education to complete their midwifery training and the return home to benefit women in their communities.

Catherine says her ambitions for the Hamlin prevention program was “to have midwives that will go back to their own villages, and look after all pregnant women in their area, referring those in danger of obstructed labour to our centres or the nearest hospital before labour starts.”

Giving back to the community

The benefits of graduates from the Hamlin College of Midwives returning home to work are immense. As Hamlin midwives learn through a combination of theory and practice, they are able to apply their skills in remote locations. They are able to foster trust between the midwifery clinic and their community, which lets Hamlin Midwives educate their communities through networking systems amongst women. This trust leads to more pregnant women accessing prenatal and perinatal services.

Mawerdi notes the enormous impact that her return has had on her community: “when we came here [there were] 50 deliveries per year… we got fistulas too often. Now we can deliver more than 1,000 babies per year.”

An education from the Hamlin College of Midwives doesn’t just empower a woman, it empowers her community as well. You can help us eradicate fistula, forever, by donating to the Hamlin College of Midwives today.