In May, I was commissioned by Hamlin Fistula USA to visit their patients at the Hamlin Fistula Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to document with stills, video and audio, the reintegration program they have implemented. This wonderful organization treats Ethiopian women suffering from a devastating childbirth injury known as Obstetric Fistula. 

Obstetric fistula is a debilitating condition in which pregnant women who often lack basic health resources, suffer through obstructed childbirth during labor that can last for several days. They are often left with a stillborn baby and uncontrollably leak a trail of urine or feces wherever they go. This injury affects every facet of their lives; they are depressed, in pain and often are shunned by their families and neighbors. While a delivery by caesarian section prevents obstetric fistula, in sub-Saharan Africa such medical procedures and prenatal care are out of reach for many women. 

Hamlin Fistula USA is dedicated to the treatment and care of these women who do not pay a single penny for life changing surgery and recovery. This compassionate organization then works to get these women back home to their families and reintegrated into society. I shot still photographs, video and gathered audio for this multimedia piece that Dan Sadowsky edited.

A photograph of one of the lovely women I met at the Hamlin Fistula Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia is on the front of the 2017 calendar. I hope you will look into this wonderful organization that helps so many women in Ethiopia!