Christmas Appeal 2021 raises over £30,000 to support Hamlin midwives

In December 2021 Hamlin Fistula UK took part in the Big Give Christmas Challenge 2021, the UK’s largest matched-funding campaign, with our appeal Hamlin Midwives Save Lives to train and deploy midwives across Ethiopia.

We are delighted to let our supporters know that thanks to your generosity, we beat our initial goal and raised over £30,000!

This funding will make a vital difference to Hamlin’s prevention programme and could support one year’s training for nine new midwives at the Hamlin College of Midwifery, and vital drugs and equipment for Hamlin midwives working at rural health centres.

We beat our initial fundraising goal and raised an amazing £19,175 online during the campaign week, which then unlocked a further £10,000 in match funding and almost £4,000 in offline donations.

This is such an exciting result and highlights the impact and strength of our supporter community.

We also want to say a special thank you to our four match funders for the appeal – three charitable foundations and EthiopiAid, whose matching funds helped us raise even more for women in Ethiopia.

This year we will now be working to do even more for women in Ethiopia, thanks to the Big Give Christmas Challenge.

Every day, more than 830 women around the world die as a result of complications from pregnancy and childbirth. If midwives were present during birth, up to 90 percent of these deaths could be prevented, according to the International Confederation of Midwives.

That’s why in 2007, Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia opened the Hamlin College of Midwives, training and deploying Hamlin midwives to deliver quality maternal and reproductive health care in rural areas – preventing fistula and saving lives.

Midwives like Sister Tizita, pictured, who at just 24 is already making a huge difference to the lives of women in her remote community of Kurfa Chele in Ethiopia’s Harari region.

Three years into her first role she is now leading services in a health centre and told us her training, including attending over 100 safe deliveries before graduating, has prepared her for this: “The high quality of training we receive at the college and the exceptional clinical attachments on offer make Hamlin midwives confident professionals”.

Our supporters generosity is enabling Hamlin midwives like Sister Tizita to reach even more women – preventing obstetric fistula and saving lives.

Thank you!