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Aussie Angel
July 13, 2008

joelWatch our report


Reporter: Ellen Fanning


In 1959, Catherine Hamlin – a doctor and a mother to 6 year old son -- decided to trade a comfortable life in London for a few years in Ethiopia training midwives She set off with her late husband Reg, who was also a doctor.

Once there they were overwhelmed by one of the unexpected horrors of the 3rd world. Each year about eight thousand women have an obstructed labor. They're mostly left with a stillborn baby and find themselves incontinent of urine and sometimes of faeces.

The women find themselves outcasts - living on the fringes of society, often abandoned by husbands unable to cope with a wife who cannot ever keep herself clean.

Perhaps more remarkable than the Hamlin's decision to stay in Ethiopia all these years is what she’s achieved … any woman who can make her way to her hospital will be treated for free – no one is turned away.

For more information please visit www.fistulatrust.org


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