Obstetric Fistula is a debilitating condition affecting women post pregnancy. However, fewer than 10% of sufferers in the developing world are able to access treatment.

The Hamlin Trust is an incredible organisation working to turn that statistic around and it has recently decided to change its name to the Catherine Hamlin Fistula Foundation.

When Dr Catherine Hamlin and her husband, Reg, traveled to Ethiopia for the first time in 1959 they were approached by a fellow gynecologist who stated: “This fistula patient will break your heart.” Neither Catherine nor Reg had ever seen an untreated obstetric fistula.

Fistulas are caused by an obstructed childbirth when a Caesarian cannot be accessed. The pressure on the mother’s birth canal can cause tissues to disintegrate resulting in stillborn babies, repeated infections, severe ulcerations, disability or even paralysis of the lower limbs due to nerve damage.

Women often become incontinent and suffer with a lingering odor. Tragically women in developing countries are frequently left humiliated and rejected by their husbands, families and their community as a result of the side effects of this condition.

Catherine and Reg began working from the Princess Tsehai Memorial Hospital in the 1960s where they refined the surgical technique for treating fistula patients. They then started the first dedicated Addis Ababa hospital in 1975 and, 27 years later, a rehabilitation center for long term patients was founded.

By 2003 Catherine and Reg Hamlin had built five hospitals ensuring many more women were able to access quality maternal healthcare.

In 2011 I had the pleasure of visiting the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital in Ethiopia and meeting Dr Catherine Hamlin. The hospital is the only one of its kind in the world dedicated exclusively to women with obstetric fistula. Patients undergo surgical repair by Ethiopian and expatriate surgeons trained at the hospital’s main facility in Addis Ababa. Around 93% of these patients are treated successfully and to date they have repaired more than 30,000 women.

Since my visit in 2011, my work with the Hamlin Fistula organisation has involved running fundraising events and activities to raise awareness of the great work Dr Catherine Hamlin and the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital in Ethiopia provides.

One of the most memorable events I hosted was a special movie evening at the Regal Cinema at Graceville airing the Emmy Award Winning 2007 Documentary Film “A Walk to Beautiful” (distributed by Engel Entertainment) about women who suffer from childbirth injuries in Ethiopia. It was a wonderful story of hope, courage and transformation that I had the opportunity to share with all the ladies who attended.

I look forward to continuing to work with Dr Catherine Hamlin and the Catherine Hamlin Fistula Foundation’s network of over 550 Ethiopian staff across 6 hospitals.

For more information and to offer your support to the Catherine Hamlin Fistula Foundation please visit their website at www.hamlin.org.au