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“When you educate a woman, you educate a community” African proverb

The World Health Organization advocates “skilled care at every birth”, but in Ethiopia it is estimated that a midwife is present at only 10% of all births. Skilled midwives are critical in the prevention of avoidable traumatic birth injuries such as fistula, which cause great suffering during labor and often for the rest of a woman’s life.

To help address some of this avoidable trauma, GreenLamp funds the education of midwives at the Hamlin College of Midwives in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Once degree qualified, the midwives work in rural health centers throughout the country, and act as role models for younger women in their communities. Training at Hamlin also gives young women a professional qualification and a chance to earn their own wage, breaking the cycle of inter-generational poverty and encouraging others to aspire to the same.

As part of this mission to support the training of skilled and empathic young professional midwives, GreenLamp also co-ordinates workshops in Basic Body Awareness Therapy (BBAT) at the Hamlin College of Midwives, with the emphasis on pelvic floor muscle training. Attendees include midwife-students and teachers from the Hamlin College of Midwives, and nurses and physiotherapists from Hamlin Fistula Hospital.

The Hamlin College of Midwives in Addis Ababa is part of Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia, founded by Drs. Catherine and Reginald Hamlin in 1972.

For further Information please see our concept paper below: