St Luke's Anglican Church will be hosting the Hamlin Fitsula NZ Speaking Tour on Wednesday 21 August. 2-3.30pm followed by a light afternoon tea. All Welcome and the event is free of charge.
RSVP online at www.hamlinfistula.org.nz/events
Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia was founded by Drs Reg and Catherine Hamlin. Reg was born in New Zealand and dedicated his life to helping Ethiopian women suffering from an obstetric fistula.
An obstetric fistula is a preventable injury caused by a prolonged and obstructed labour when the woman doesn’t have access to emergency medical care such as a caesarean section. This is common where childhood malnutrition leads to smaller bone structures making childbirth more risky.
During an unrelieved obstructed labour, which can last several days, a hole/tear can be created between the birth canal and the bladder or rectum leaving the woman incontinent. In 90% of cases, the child is delivered stillborn. Suffering incredible loss, then humiliated and ostracised by their communities for their uncontrollable incontinence, these women are left to survive alone. For many, this is a fate worse than death.
Hamlin provides surgical intervention and rehabilitation, along with the training and placement of midwives across rural Ethiopia to improve maternity care access.
Over the past 65 years, Hamlin has treated 70,000+ women suffering from debilitating childbirth injuries and trained over 230 fully qualified midwifes. Despite this progress, an estimated 31,000 women still suffer from untreated birth injuries, with around 1,000 new cases each year.
The Hamlin network includes the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital, five regional Fistula hospitals, the Desta Mender rehabilitation center, the Hamlin College of Midwives and over 90 Hamlin-supported rural midwifery clinics across Ethiopia.
Join them in making a difference in the lives of these women by supporting Hamlin's vital work. www.hamlinfistula.org.nz
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