Catherine Hamlin - Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital

Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital

In 1958 the Hamlins answered an advertisement in the Lancet Medical Journal for an obstetrician and gynaecologist to establish a Midwifery School at the Princess Tsehay Hospital in Addis Ababa. They arrived in 1959 on a three-year contract with the Ethiopian Government but only about 10 midwives had been trained before the Government closed the midwifery school. The Hamlins had never seen an obstetric fistula before – they were an "academic rarity" having been virtually eradicated in the United States in 1895. (The first fistula hospital closed its doors in New York City in 1925.) Seeing many cases arrive at the school, they decided to create a dedicated hospital. Fifteen years later, they founded Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital.

Hamlin lives in her cottage on the grounds of the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital as she has done for over thirty-five years. At the age of 88 she still remains very active in the work of the Hospital and operates every Thursday morning. Richard Hamlin is actively involved in the activities of the Hospital and sits on its Board of Trustees.