Maternal health

Help a mother access healthcare

Our local partners work on a range of projects dedicated to improving maternal health access and eradicating obstetric fistula – childbirth injuries throughout the country.
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Challenge

Challenge

A prolonged and obstructed child labour can cause an obstetric fistula – a hole torn in the bladder, vagina or rectum. The injury can have devastating physical and social consequences for women, leaving them doubly incontinent, isolated from family and friends and living in pain and fear.

In 2017, The Ethiopian Ministry of Health estimated there are more than 36,000 women living in rural Ethiopia with obstetric fistula. Over 3,000 new cases occur each year. 

In a country of 102 million, fewer than 7,000 midwives are trained to deal with this issue/condition.

Challenge

Solution

Ethiopiaid is partnering with an organisation in Ethiopia to help find and treat women living with fistula; improve maternal healthcare; train and rehabilitate fistula survivors; and restore dignity so that these women can live healthy prosperous futures. 

 Our key partner is:

  • Hamlin Fistula Hospital and Midwifery College, an organisation set up by Dr Catherine Hamlin
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Alison shares her passion for helping fistula survivors ⪢

Hawwa’s story of restored dignity ⪢

Funded by your donations, The Hamlin Fistula Hospital in Addis Ababa empowered Hawwa to start building a future and helped deliver new life.

An ambassador for skilled midwives ⪢

Tblets goes through rigorous training to become a midwife to help prevent injuries and promote safe antenatal services.

Our partners

Two decades ago, the Hamlin Fistula Hospital in Addis Ababa was the only place where fistula patients could be treated. Today, not only can patients access the treatment they need through six fistula centres across Ethiopia, but they can also access complete physical and social rehabilitation facilities. Hamlin’s College of Midwives actively recruits and trains new midwives and then deploys them back to their own rural communities to provide maternal healthcare and support in the regions they’re needed most.

Our impact

In 2018, Ethiopiaid’s donors and local partners made a real difference to women in local Ethiopian communities:

30,305

pregnant women were educated by a Safe Motherhood Ambassador, resulting in 19,466 safe deliveries.

3,600

people were reached with news on fistula awareness and support

46

health centres are being supported with equipment, training and midwives

21,433

women benefited from a skilled delivery thanks to Hamlin midwives

2,324

women received repair surgery for a fistula or pelvic prolapse

20

women graduated as Hamlin Midwives and 105 women were trained as Safe Motherhood Ambassadors

We also help

Women and girls ⪢

Adolescent girls are often subjected to harmful traditional practices, such as female genital mutilation, gender-based violence and child marriage. 

Education ⪢

Around 60,000 children live on the streets of Addis Ababa. More than half have no access to shelter, adequate food, or an education.

Living with disabilities ⪢

People living with disabilities are routinely denied their most basic human rights, and are cut off from education, employment and healthcare. In Ethiopia, many live in extreme poverty.

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