In the United States, pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is relatively common. Most cases are diagnosed and treated early so the outcomes for women are good. In Ethiopia, it’s a very different situation.

Tigist Aman is Hamlin’s Rehabilitation and Reintegration Manager at Desta Mender and has worked at Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia since 2009.

Haile’s happy life with her new husband in the remote hillside village of Yirgachefe in South Ethiopia was shattered when she lost her baby in childbirth and sustained a fistula injury three years ago.

A total of 1,662 life-changing surgeries were performed across Hamlin’s five regional fistula hospitals during the second half of 2022.

Abebech’s story is like that of many women in remote parts of Ethiopia. She had nothing when she arrived at a Hamlin Yirgalem fistula hospital but then she received a Comfort Package.

A ground-breaking initiative in Ethiopia is aiming to empower women who have faced years of social isolation and suffering due to devastating fistula injuries.

Leyat and her husband Amarech spent all their money searching for a cure for Leyat’s obstetric fistula injuries. Her life changed when she arrived at Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia.

2022 marks 20 years since Catherine established Desta Mender, Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia’s Rehabilitation and Reintegration Centre, where thousands of survivors of obstetric fistula have received free physiotherapy, counselling, long-term medical care and vocational training.