Commemorating Dr Catherine Hamlin’s birthday
On January 24th 2025, the global Hamlin family remembered our founder Dr Catherine Hamlin on what would have been her 101st birthday.
During her lifetime, Catherine committed herself to helping women devastated by preventable childbirth injuries. Over 60 years in Ethiopia, she and her husband Reg cared for thousands of women and developed new surgical techniques to cure obstetric fistula.
She pioneered the holistic treatment of women affected by fistula. This means treating their psychological wounds as well as the physical. The Hamlin Model of Care is now used around the world.
Catherine died in 2020, but her legacy lives on through the Hamlin Fistula supporters and staff who are helping make her vision a reality.
When I die, this place will go on for many, many years until we have eradicated fistula altogether – until every woman in Ethiopia is assured of a safe delivery and a live baby
Dr Catherine Hamlin
Photo gallery from a memorial event at Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital
Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia staff and patients at Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital gathered last Friday to commemorate the occasion.
Your memories of Dr Catherine Hamlin
Many supporters of Hamlin Fistula UK met or knew Catherine personally. On her birthday, we asked you to share recollections of meeting her, as would be traditional at an Ethiopian memorial event.
Thank you to everyone who sent in a memory and gave us permission to share. Here is a selection:
“I worked at the Princess Tsehai Hospital in Addis from 1968 to 70 as a very junior ‘instructor’ in the Obs & Gynae department of the fledgling new medical school of Haile Selassie 1 University.
Although our department was completely separate from the Fistula ward being run by Reg and Catherine Hamlin, I bumped into them on many occasions and got to know them well. Because they were running the fistula unit on a shoestring they had to resort to unorthodox ways of care, for example getting relatives of the patients to do the nursing care.” – Peter
“As a UK surgeon, my first visit to Addis in 1982 was a life changing event. Through the kindness and encouragement of Reg and Catherine I became a regular visitor to learn and later to help. I am one of many visiting surgeons who have been inspired to spread their skill and ethos into many other African counties where the need is great.
This is my favourite photo of Catherine, standing outside her house in 2009.” – Brian
“My husband and I had the privilege of meeting Catherine Hamlin on two occasions and received a most generous welcome. We also visited the hospitals in Addis Ababa and Yirgalem and were so impressed by the care lavished on the women there. A wonderful legacy from the commitment and vision from two amazing people.” – Margaret
“We visited the tranquillity of the Fistula Hospital some years ago with our daughter Jane, who lives in Addis Ababa, and our granddaughter Naomi. We were asked if we would like to meet Catherine and were shown into her lovely house and greeted so warmly, and that lovely smile. She seemed so happy and content and told us she was amazed to have had a ferry in Australia named after her! She spoke most fondly of her husband and the hard work put in to establish the hospital and the further ones springing up elsewhere in Ethiopia, and of the projects in hand to help so many women who were suffering.” – Chris and Richard
Share your memories
If you would like to share your own memory, please click here. Or if you have read Catherine’s book ‘The Hospital By the River’ or watched the documentary ‘Walking Back to Happiness’ presented by Anne Diamond, please do share your reflections.
