News Archive - March 2006

Dr Catherine Hamlin writes
24th February 2006

Our dear friends in Australia,
I know you will all be so excited and pleased to hear that this month we opened our second Fistula Centre - for the women living in the Region of Tigray. This has been a very special month, and also we held our Partners International Meetings (PIM we call such a gathering!) immediately after returning from Mekelle.

The Opening of the Mekelle Centre
Our new Centre is a wonderful and generous gift from Australia, so our hearts are enormously thankful to you all. Many Australians were there, and others too, who have these poor patients on their hearts. We were amazed and so thankful to have been able to welcome people from all over the world who help us, and are concerned about these needy and neglected women suffering this tragic injury.

The actual opening ceremony was on Tuesday 7th February, but most of us were there the day before and were able to do a little sight-seeing, in a bus with a guide. We were well looked after in a comfortable hotel, and all got to know one another afresh.

The sun shone down brightly on the 7th when we all gathered in front of our new building - sitting on chairs under a canvas awning! Many speeches were made. We were especially honoured to have present, our Australian Ambassador, Mr George Atkin. He flew up from Nairobi with a Representative from AusAID. Also, representing the Ethiopian Government, there was the Head of the Tigray Health Bureau - who actually cut the ribbon with me! The Ambassador then unveiled a brass plaque. On the plaque was written, "A gift from the Australian people".

In a speech of welcome our Dr Ambaye said:
"This Mekelle Hamlin Fistula® Centre will not only provide surgical treatment for young women and mothers who are already suffering obstetric fistula, but also:-

• Provides health professionals at different levels and extension health workers a prevention program through organisation of training, education and workshops.
• Serves as a maternity waiting area for high-risk mothers like former fistula patients who may become pregnant.
• Participates in upgrading resources for better services of emergency obstetric care."

She went on to say, that even after three decades, the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital has learnt that the prevalence of obstetric fistulae continues to rise and to reach levels previously unthought of.

We were pleased to have a number of our Australian Hamlin Trust members present, Mr David Barnsdall, Mr Robert Tong, with his wife Winsome, and Dr Gary Sykes with his wife Robyn and daughter Emily (they all paid their own fares to come). Mr Stuart Abrahams our Australian Representative and his assistant Tony Hirst were also there.

We then enjoyed a tour of this truly beautiful Centre - I'm sure our Ethiopian Architect - Joseph Bereded and our Builders were pleased with all the favourable comments from our guests!

The spacious ward looked lovely with its beds all in place and curtains on the windows. Dr. Ambaye and a team of helpers had been in Mekelle for a week preparing for this great day! They certainly did a wonderful job.

Next week, Dr Ambaye with Mamite to help her, will go up and operate on the patients who are already admitted! We, and many in Tigray are thankful to have such a wonderful centre dedicated to help cure the fistula patients of this huge Province. It will service an area of about five million inhabitants!

Our two trained nursing Sisters, Hewite and Azeb, (seen in the picture below) will run the Centre. They will be helped by ten nursing Aides, all of whom are previous fistula patients. They have been trained at the Fistula Hospital over the last six months. We are fortunate to have been able to find and rent a home for these girls just across the road from our Centre! One day we plan to build a permanent nurses home for them. Our two trained nursing Sisters already have homes in Mekelle.

I could fill this letter with news of this day, but must tell you about other events as well.

Our International Partners' Meeting
For two days immediately after the Opening of Mekelle, we were back here at our hospital in Addis Ababa, meeting with representatives from all our overseas' Trusts. Unfortunately our German friends were unable to come.

This was a profitable and very worthwhile time. We discussed future developments, shared our aims and visions for the work and how it can all be financed.

The Hamlin Fistula® International Foundation
For many years we have been greatly concerned about being able to have sufficient finance to sustain the Hospital's work in future years.

We were pleased to discuss with the Partners our new Hamlin Foundation. The Hamlin Fistula® International Foundation has been set up to hold money and invest it, to provide income for our future needs.

This is a comfort, especially for me, to know that women, even years ahead, who will suffer obstetric fistulae, can be sure of help. I hope this will continue until the day dawns when there will no longer be any fistula sufferers in Ethiopia!

I feel sure there are people who will want to help us build up this International Foundation fund and be glad to know that they will be helping women in the 2020s and 2030s.

In the mean time, the income is helping those who are already in our hospital, because the arrangement we have made with the Trustees of this new Foundation is for all the interest to come here to help run our fistula hospital.

I know that with God's help we shall succeed, as He has never failed us in the past.

Perfect weather for the meetings
I had especially prayed for good weather as we met in our Chapel, and as we sat in the garden for lunch, knowing that the "small rains" were due! Now the rains have come but for those days we had perfect sunshine.

Here I want to mention the really marvellous job our Liaison Coordinator, Sister Ruth Kennedy did in organising these meetings and the many tourist trips that those attending wished to do before and after. She is now well able to add to her many talents, that of being a 'travel agent'!

A big increase in patients coming
At the moment we are overwhelmed with admissions of new patients arriving. We have been able to accommodate them by using many beds that were occupied previously by our nursing aides. They were really patient's beds!

We have been able to rent and renovate, a big house, within walking distance of the Hospital, where we can accommodate 20 nursing aides. This is a wonderful provision and so far a success! Â We hope it will have the added benefit of helping these girls to be more self-dependant.

Yirgalem Centre
Our third Centre in Yirgalem is nearly finished. Dr Ambaye and some others, are driving down to see the NORAD people who are helping us with the financing of this Centre. They will also see the builders to finalise the many details for the interior of some areas. We expect that by May or June, this Centre will also be opened.

Bahr Dar Centre
Our first Centre at Bahr Dar is really flourishing, now that our Dr Andrew Browning is living there.

We are missing Andrew very much, as he was a great favourite especially with our nursing staff. We all love him and miss him from Addis Ababa.

He is doing great work there and already the ward is full. We plan to send some of our post-graduate doctors to him for training. We have too many in Addis at present, to give them adequate individual teaching. Andrew, I know will do this well, and will be a great help in this important training.

He and Stephanie with little William, have found a nice home, and the Hospital is paying the monthly rent. The house has a garden with some tropical fruit trees. So we shall all be making trips soon to Bahr Dar! Baby William is a great joy to them both. We all laugh to see Andrew being such a devoted and proud father! He is dressing up his son already in football attire!!

The nurse's accommodation home at Bahr Dar, on land given to us next to the Centre, is almost finished. It will soon be furnished and occupied.

So we just hope that all our other Centres will be as successful! We also hope to be able to get doctors who will work in the Centres because of their commitment to these poor patients and with the love and compassion of God. Bahr Dar is fortunate to have such a man, in Andrew!

With my love.

(Dr.) Catherine Hamlin