Support Our Charity
About the Addis Ababa Fistula Foundation
I invite you to join me in helping to restore the health and dignity of the girls in Ethiopia, and help to save the lives of their Minime!
When I first started the process of putting together my web-site, I saw the most powerful presentation of giving I have ever witnessed...
...an interview with Dr. Catherine Hamlin!
In 1974 Dr. Catherine Hemline and her late husband, Reginald, opened the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital in Ethiopia. Their hospital was created to help restore the lives and hopes of more than 25,000 women who would have otherwise suffered lifelong complications due to childbirth injuries.
As we all know, in many developing countries, young girls are placed into marriage contracts as early as 8 years old. This is generally out of love by their families as they want to protect them from rape and forced marriages and to ensure that they have a better life. Yes, it is at an early age but the girls are psychologically prepared for marriage. The husbands are supposed to wait to consummate the marriage until after puberty but don’t always… as a result, soon after, these young girls get pregnant. Since there aren’t skilled attendants to monitor all labors, and these women don’t have timely access to good emergency obstetric care, they are have no choice but to monitor their own labor and delivery. sometimes... Alone!
Since their tiny bodies cant handle the birthing process and poverty prevents them from getting proper treatment, they are encouraged to push day after day. After days of pushing, not only does their baby not survive, but they are left with permanent damage to their body which is called a Fistula. A Fistula is a hole that is developed in the tissue that separates the vagina from the bladder and/or rectum. The result is a constant, uncontrollable drip of urine and waste remains. Eventually, since these young girls carry a fowl smell with them everywhere they go, their husbands and other family members want nothing to do with them and so they kicked them out of their villages and sometimes even keep them in a room forever!
This is where Dr. Catherine Hemline comes into play. She has spend almost 50 years of her career providing free reconstructive surgery to thousands of young African girls suffering from Fistulas. This is one of the most powerful acts of giving I have ever seen. I believe what she has done goes far beyond just a surgery to correct the fistula. She provides services to honor their presence at the hospital; and to to validate their importance in the world! Each patient receives pre-surgery hospitalization, post-op care, and ...(this is my favorite part)...to help ready the girls to return to their villages, Dr. Hamlin and the hospital provide each of the girls with a new dress and a sash for their hair, so they can re-enter the world with their heads help high.
Its that smile I imagine on their faces, (as they go home in their new dress), that inspires me to do all that I can to help create more smiles everyday!
As a result, Me and Minime will donate a percentage of all sales to:
The Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital
I want you to help!
I have organized several ways in which you can participate. Its easy and takes no time. It costs $450 to help one woman at the hospital. It’s your choice to adopt one sister and or make a donation Just remember, everydollar helps!
Choose from any of these options:
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