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8/9/2019 April 2010 Newsletter Hamlin Fistula UK
1/8
April 2010
Hospital
Report
TheOnlyUKCharityExclusivelySupportingtheAddis
AbabaFistulaHospitalinEthiopia
UKRegisteredCharitynumber257741
RightLivelihoodAward widelyknownastheAlternativeNobelPrize
DrHamlinwasnotabletotraveltoStockholmtoreceivethisprestigiousaward,soshewasrepresentedby
Annette Bennett (Midwifery College) and Matron Ejigayehu. The following citation is, however, Dr
Hamlins.
Iftherearethreeburdensinlifethatweseektoavoid,itispain,physicaldiscomfortandsocialexclusion.
Obstetricfistula isa lifelong condition thatproducesall three in the same individualand inmillionsof
womenworldwide.
IftheRightLivelihoodAwardisanawardforpersonalcourageandsocialtransformation,perhapsitshould
beawardedtoeachwomaninEthiopiaorelsewherewhoresolvestomakealongjourneytoaremoteand
unfamiliarhospitalwherehercourageisfurthertestedbymedicaloperationsonpartsofherbodynormally
private.Medicalsuccessisalwaysawonderfulrewardforadoctor,butthesocialtransformationresulting
fromawomanspersonalstruggleisanawardthatonlyshehasearned.
MidwiferyCollege
MatronEjigayehureceivestheRight
LivelihoodAwardonbehalfofDr
Hamlin
MidwiferyCollege
TheMinistryofHealthhasmadeourCollegethemodelforthecountryofEthiopiaasamidwiferytraining
centreandmembersofothercollegeshavebeentoinspectthewaywework. Allofthemareimpressed
withourteachingmethods,ourlibraryandvariousbuildings.Thecollegehaswonahighlevelofrespectin
thecountryforthestandardsofexcellencethathavebeenimplemented.
AllofthisisadreamcometrueforDrHamlin,forherinitialintentionofcomingtoEthiopia50yearsago
wasto
train
midwives.
AnnetteBennetthashandedovertheroleofDeanoftheCollegetoJacquelineBernhard,thistookeffect
fromthebeginningofFebruary.Jacquelinehassignificantexperienceinclinicalandacademicworkinboth
EuropeanandAfricansettings.
8/9/2019 April 2010 Newsletter Hamlin Fistula UK
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StudentMidwives
AnnettewillcontinueasViceDeanatthecollegeandwillhavemajorresponsibilitiesintheareaofclinical
workandpreparingforthedeploymentofthefirstoftheMidwiferyGraduatesintothecountrysidelaterin
theyear.
We
recognise
the
enormous
contribution
that
Annette
and
her
team
(and
Beverley,
one
of
our
UK
trustees)havemade ingettingthecollegestartedandnowsettingsuchahighstandardthatthecollege
has.
NewsfromDrHamlin
Iwanttothankallofyouwhoareourfaithfulsupporters.YouhavereadearliernewsofourMidwifery
College.Ouronlymalemidwife,SolomonAbebeissoontobeinchargeofthedeploymentofourgraduate
midwivesintothecountryside.Heisespeciallyfittedforsuchataskwithhispreviousexperienceofvisiting
healthcentresinthecountry.
Ourmidwivesbelongtousandweshallberesponsibleforthemoncetheyareoutontheirown.Weneed
tonurturethemandvisitthemregularlyastheyfaceanewandbigchallenge fromhighschoolstudentto
amidwifery student, to the countrysidewhere they spent their childhood and schooldays, tonowbe
responsibleforthebirthofbabiesandthecareandwelfareofmothers.Thisisoneofthemostimportant
tasksintheworld.Webelieveourstudentshavebeenwelltrainedandpreparedforthistask,andtaught
whatmylatehusbandwasalwaysemphasisingandteaching,Amotherisafamilysrichestpossession,a
beingofpricelessworth.
Wenowhaveagreatteamofdedicatedmidwivesastutorsand Ibelievewecandomuchtoreducethe
enormous maternal death rate in the countryside and the prevalence of stillborn babies and fistula
injuriesalivingdeathforsomanyyoungwomen!
KassasStory
Kassa (notherrealname)arrivedatourhospital inAddisAbabawithher father.DrHamlinasked them
howtheyhadmadethe longjourneyallthewayfromLalibela, inNorthernWollo.Kassasfathersaidhe
hadsoldhisonlyploughingoxtoraiseenoughmoneyforthejourney,hedidntmindbecausehesaidhe
wantedhisdaughtertobecured.Kassahadsevereinjuriesandfortunatelyshewascuredbutwillprobably
neverbeabletobemarriedortohaveachildagain.
At thetimethatKassaandherfatherwereatthehospital,somebirdwatcherscame tovisitwhilethey
wereinAddisAbabaandDrHamlintoldthemKassasstory.Thesevisitorscollectedbetweenthemenough
moneytobuythefathertwomoreploughingoxen.Howgenerouspeopleare!
8/9/2019 April 2010 Newsletter Hamlin Fistula UK
3/8
EmawasStory
Ethiopianfarmerploughingwithoxen
(PhotobycourtesyofAbrahamsOasis)
EmawasStory
Emawa(notherrealname)isapatientinourhospitalforthethirdtime.Shelivesinthenorthernpartof
thecountryinaveryremotevillagewithoutinfrastructure.Withherfirstpregnancyshehadbeeninlabour
forfourdaysbeforedeliveringastillbornbabyandsufferingfistuladamage.Emawasaid,Ihaveagood
husbandwho didnt desertme andwho encouragedme not to feel ashamed ofmyselfwhile hewas
searchingforhelpformy injury.Hetookhertothenearesthealthclinicfortreatment,butwastoldto
takehertotheAAFistulaHospitalwhereshewouldhavethemedicalcaresheneeded.Thisnewswashard
forthembecausetheyhadnomoneyforbusfares.Emawasaid,Hesoldouronlyproperty,anox,tobring
me
here.
Such
an
action
is
so
hard
for
a
farmer
as
their
only
source
of
income
is
using
the
ox
to
plough
the
smallareaof land theyhave.Shehasjustdeliveredababygirl,her secondbaby sincehavinga fistula
repair,shealsohasaboyof4years.Sheisverygratefulandhappyandherhusbandcallsinfrequentlyto
makesuresheisalright.Emawaisnowanxioustogohomeandrejoicewithherfamily.
MedicalNews
Amajorpartofouractivityisrelatedtoresearchandtrainingforthebenefitoffistulapatientsworldwide.
FourofourdoctorsandahealthofficerattendedanannualmeetingoftheInternationalSocietyofFistula
Surgeonsin
Nairobi.
ThetrainingofdoctorsandnursesinfistulacareisatpresenttakingplaceinourhospitalsinAddisAbaba,
BahirDarandYirgalem.
Inourmainhospitalandtheoutreachcentres606procedureshavetakenplaceinthelastthreemonths.
Severalofourstaffhaveupgradedtheireducationallevel,thusenablingthemtogivebettertreatmentand
care toourpatients.Fourhavecompleted theirBSc innursing.TheyareSistersKonjit,Genet,Lidiaand
Bethlehem.Wesendourcongratulationstothem.
Newsfrom
Bahir
Dar
Hamlin
Fistula
Centre
Wenowhaveanotherdoctoronthestaff,DrBitew,heworkedherewhilstDrAndrewBrowningwasaway
on leave inAustraliaandhe isfitting inwell.DrBitew isalsoabletooffercovertoothercentresandhe
http://oasisethiopia.org/photos/pages/farming2590b.htmhttp://oasisethiopia.org/photos/pages/farming2590b.htmhttp://oasisethiopia.org/photos/pages/farming2590b.htmhttp://oasisethiopia.org/photos/pages/farming2590b.htmhttp://oasisethiopia.org/photos/pages/farming2590b.htm8/9/2019 April 2010 Newsletter Hamlin Fistula UK
4/8
recentlywenttoourCentreinHarartooperateonpatientstherewhowouldotherwisehavehadtowait
muchlonger.
Muluneshwithhertriplets
DrAndrewreports,Werecentlyhadalovelywomancometous,Mulunesh,whohaddeliveredtripletsin
hervillage.MiraculouslyallsurvivedalthoughMuluneshsufferedawful injuries.When the tripletscame
theywere7monthsold,butallmuchsmallerthanourownbabyChristopher,whowas3monthsoldatthe
time.Shewastryingtobreastfeedallthreeeventhoughshewasquite illandmalnourished.Twoofthe
childrenhad severemalariaandallwerepoorly.Wewereveryblessed in thatallchildrendidwelland
began toputonweightandweregivenChristophersoldclothes.Muluneshwasalsocured sowesent
themawayallmuchimprovedandwithbabyformulaandclothes.
Unfortunatelytheydidntdowellathomeandtheyreturnedtousquiteillandthinagain.Theycametoa
nearbyorphanagerunbysome fellowAustralianChristians. Theyarealldoingwellagainandarebeing
sponsoredbyfriendsofoursbackinAustralia,whoalsohadtwinsbutweredeliveredbyCaesareanina
goodhospital.
DestaMenderJoyVillage
DestaMenderisafarmvillagesetin60acresoflandabout14milesfromtheAddisAbabaFistulaHospital.
ThisbeautifullittlepieceofheavenonearthcalledJoyVillageisaplacewheregirlslivewhoseinjuriesare
soseveretheycantbecured.Itisasmallcommunitywheretheycanlivefreefromridiculeandrejection.
Althoughsurgerydidntcurethem,bylivingheretheycanbegintorestoretheirselfworthandhavetheir
lifebackagain.Theycanworkonthefarmlearningaboutmarketgardening,dairying,poultrykeepingand
eggproduction. They can learnhow tobake, cook, sew andeventuallybe able to sell their crafts and
embroideriesand
earn
awage
for
themselves.
There
are
facilities
in
place
for
them
to
attend
school
to
improvetheireducation.Theseyoungwomennowhaveagreaterconfidenceandamuchbrighteroutlook
ontheirfuture.
8/9/2019 April 2010 Newsletter Hamlin Fistula UK
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DestaMenderJoyVillage
ItispossibleforsomeofthewomentoleaveDestaMenderandlivewithinreachofoneofourOutreach
Centres.
They
can
be
closer
to
their
families
and
speak
their
own
language
and
still
receive
the
medical
carethattheyneed.
JuniperCafandConferenceCentre
Thedevelopmentof theoutdoor JuniperCafatDestaMender isbecomingquiteasuccess. Additional
catering traininghasbeengiven to11womenand it ishoped thatwith theextraknowledge theyhave
acquiredthewomenwillbeabletoprepareabuffetlunchserviceforpeoplewhocomeforconferences.
Brochures and flyers have been distributed to publicise the Caf and Conference Centre for potential
customersneeding
out
of
town
dining,
or
for
conducting
meetings
and
conferences.
The
number
of
people
coming is quite encouraging and because of the extrawork, thewomen have started to earn a good
income.Thefeedbackisthatthelocationandserviceprovidedarebothverygood.
ClinicalAttachments
AllstudentsfromtheHamlinCollegeofMidwivesspend3monthsonclinicalattachmentstoenablethem
togainpracticalexperience,usuallybetweenJuneandAugusteachyear.Thestudentsaredividedintotwo
groups,betweenaruralhealthcentreandAttatHospital,changinggroupshalfwaythrough.Twotutors
fromthecollegearewithbothgroups.
StudentsdepartingfromHamlinCollegetoAttat
withBarbaraKwast(left)andSrGiday(in
uniform
8/9/2019 April 2010 Newsletter Hamlin Fistula UK
6/8
Thestudentsliveinamodesthostelinthevillage.Thefirstyearstudentsdoonlydaydutyintheantenatal
clinicandthelabourwardandthesecondyearsarealsoonnightduty.
StudentsHostelinAttat
BarbaraKwast,amidwiferytutorfromtheNetherlands,helpsasavolunteerandhasbeendoingthisevery
summersince2008.Shestays for thewholeperiodof time inAttatHospital.AttatHospital is ina rural
village,literallyattheendofaroadandis165kmsouthwestofAddisAbaba.
Barbarawillagainthisyear,duringJuneandJuly,devotehertimeandlovetothesecondyearstudentsin
Attat.Sheislookingforwardtothisrewardingexperiencewiththepregnantwomen,thestudentsandthe
staffatAttatHospital.(Morenewsinnextissue)
Physiotherapy
Nervedamageduringobstructed labourcanresult inaconditionknownasdroppedfoot.Somewomen
havecontracturesoftendonsandmuscles intheirlegsandhipsduetolongperiodsoflyingdowninone
positionhopingtheywillhealandbecomedryagain.Itmaytakemorethansixmonthsofphysiotherapy
beforethepatientscanregaintheuseoftheirlegsandbereadyforsurgery.
PatientsworkinghardwithPhysiotherapy
8/9/2019 April 2010 Newsletter Hamlin Fistula UK
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Whensurgery isover,curedpatientsreturninghomearean importantmeansofeducatingruralwomenaboutfistulaprevention.
Mostofthewomenwhocomefortreatmenthavesufferedgreatly inmanyways.Theyhavenobabyto
hold, the husband has probably gone away andmanywill have been isolated from family life. These
women need specialist psychological counselling.We have a specially trained nurse who assesses the
needsofeachpatientandensuresthatalltheirissuesarerecognisedanddealtwith.
Over theyearsabout30,000patientshavebeencured.They returnhomeandare likeambassadorsall
over the countryside,morepeople are awareof thisproblem. Thehealth centres lecture about it, the
hospitalsknowaboutitsomorepeoplenowknowthatacureispossible.
Thosewhogoontobearmorechildrensometimescomebacktouswhilewaitingtobedelivered.Thereis
aspecialwardwheretheywaituntilwesend themtoanotherhospitaltohaveacaesareansectionand
theycomebacktoconvalesceafteraboutfivedays.Theywalkaboutandgetstrongbeforewesendthem
backtotheirvillage.
MetuOutreachCentre
MetuCentre
Asyoucanseehere,ournewCentreatMetuisnearingcompletionandwillsoonbeacceptingpatients.
UKNews:
BarefootWalkforCharity: June9th,10th,11th,12th 2010
Afterwatchingthedocumentaryfilm,AWalktoBeautiful
KalanthaBrewiswas somovedby theplightof the fistula
patients that shedecided towalk 35milesbarefoot from
EckingtontotheWomensHospital inBirminghamtohelp
raise awareness of the young women who have suffered
horrendous childbirth injuries. Kalantha said that to show
howappreciativesheisofthewonderfulmidwiferycareour
womenin
the
UK
receive,
thus
preventing
these
injuries,
she
isembarkingonthisbarefootwalkhopingtoraisefundsto
enablemorewomeninEthiopiatobetreated.
8/9/2019 April 2010 Newsletter Hamlin Fistula UK
8/8
Placesshewillbecallingatenroute:
Eckingtonwherethewalkbegins
Pershore
Inkberrow
Redditch
Alvechurch
KingsNorton beforefinallyreachingthe
BirminghamWomensHospital,
afittingendforthewalk.
YoucangiveadonationtosupportKalanthabysendingachequeto
HamlinFistulaUKordonatethroughJustGiving,theirwebsiteis
www.justgiving.com/walkingbarefoot
Pleasenoteournewofficeaddressandtelephoneno:
HamlinFistulaUK
4ParadeBuildings
NimmingsRoad
Halesowen
WestMidlands
B629JJ
Telephone
no
:
0121
559
3999
http://www.justgiving.com/walkingbarefoothttp://www.justgiving.com/walkingbarefoot