What are the causes of obstetric fistula? We unpack the four main causes of this debilitating childbirth injury.

A message from Carolyn Hardy; Chief Executive Officer, Catherine Hamlin Fistula Foundation: As we celebrated Dr Catherine Hamlin’s extraordinary life last month, we reflected on the many measures of her incredible impact over the past six decades. The most important is the 60,000 women’s lives transformed by Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia and the declining rate of […]

The fistula patient, the fistula surgeon, the woman "If you have no leg, you can go with a crutch. If you are blind, there is somebody to help you around. For fistula, this is worse. Family, father, brother, mum, they can’t help... I would be ashamed, because when I got up, there might be a […]

Dr Zehara Sualih is the Medical Director and Surgeon at Hamlin’s Metu Fistula Hospital. A trained obstetrician and gynaecologist, she is a valued member of Hamlin’s Clinical Team. Dr Zehara joined Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia in January 2015, after previously working at the Metu Karl Hospital. Having graduated from the University of Gondar with her medical degree, she specialised in […]

Prilli Stevens was the Chief Professional Nurse in the Stoma Therapy Unit at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa; she retired in 2005. Prilli first met Dr Catherine Hamlin in 1995. Below is the second instalment of Prilli Stevens’ account of working with Hamlin’s Stoma Therapy team at the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital. The plight of young women […]

The United Nations’ Report on Obstetric Fistula 2020 calls for a surge in efforts to eradicate obstetric fistula. The report outlines the gender and socioeconomic inequalities which result in fistula, as well as the measures necessary for the eradication of fistula by 2030. Highlighting the challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic has created for women in developing countries seeking […]

Beletshachew Tadesse first met Dr Catherine Hamlin in 2009 when she was working for WaterAid. Soon after Beletshachew came work with Catherine at Hamlin’s Desta Mender as Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia’s first Rehabilitation and Reintegration Manager, she served in this role from 2011 to 2019. “These women deserve to thrive” I joined Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia in […]

For years, Jallene needlessly endured the agony of obstetric fistula without any medical attention. Thanks to a Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia initiative, Jallene was identified by Hamlin-trained health officers and taken to the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital for treatment. Jallene’s journey is one of sacrifice, suffering and, ultimately, the renewal of hope. Life before fistula, Jallene's journey Jallene is from a remote […]