A family legacy of support for Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia 

More than 30 years after her mother first visited the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital and met Drs Reg and Catherine Hamlin, Sharon Taylor travelled to Ethiopia to see Hamlin’s continuing work for herself.

For Sharon, support for Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia is part of a family story that began decades ago.

In the early 1990s, Sharon’s mother, Maureen, visited the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital, the first of two trips she would make to Ethiopia. A member of a volunteer World Vision group that raised funds to support the hospital, Maureen was fortunate to meet Drs Reg and Catherine Hamlin in person.

What stayed with Maureen most was the Hamlin’s’ compassion for women who had arrived at the hospital frightened, vulnerable and in urgent need of care.

“I was really impacted by the kindness and compassion of Reg and Catherine towards these young women: so scared, and in dire need,” Maureen says. “The way Catherine walked down the rows of simple beds, a touch, a smile, a check of the catheter draining into a small open dish.

“Then to witness the excitement of another 8-10 women healed, given new dresses, singing, doing a little dance, and going home! It was such an encouragement to those in the ward, just in their early stages post-op.”

In 2024, more than 30 years after her mother’s first visit, Sharon travelled to Ethiopia as a participant on a Hamlin Ethiopian Adventure. For Sharon, it was an opportunity to see the continuing work of Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia firsthand — and to understand more deeply the cause her mother had carried in her heart for so many years.

A mother and grandmother, Sharon works part-time as a chaplain in aged care, while also caring for her grandchildren two days a week. Amid this busy life, she fundraised for her trip and continues to support Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia as part of the Hamlin Monthly Giving community.

This ongoing support provides long-term reliability, helping Hamlin plan and deliver treatment, prevention, outreach and rehabilitation with confidence.

Sharon’s visit to Ethiopia also highlighted the challenges of delivering healthcare in a country where many communities are isolated by distance, terrain and limited infrastructure.

“The isolation of so many people in Ethiopia also hit me hard,” she says. “The roads were rough and it took several hours to reach a clinic only 30 kilometres away in our four-wheel drive.”

Sharon was also impressed by Hamlin’s partnership approach, and the way the organization continues to adapt to reach more women.

“I was pleased at the way Hamlin continues to work well with the government and other organizations to maximise the effectiveness and reach of the clinics. The organisation is adapting as changes occur.”

Most of all, Sharon is glad to support women living with the pain and hardship of obstetric fistula. Seeing Hamlin’s work in person only strengthened her commitment to helping ensure more women can be found, treated and supported to rebuild their lives.

“Seeing the important training and clinical work in Ethiopian communities firsthand showed me that ongoing support is greatly needed and very worthwhile.”