Vision
A midwife for every woman.
Goal
To ensure that there is a skilled birth attendant available to provide maternal health care (pre–natal, intro–natal and post–natal) for every woman in every rural community in Ethiopia.
Facts
- There are only about 1,100 trained midwives in Ethiopia and most of them work in the main cities and towns.
- Ethiopia has a population of approximately 81 million people which is growing at the rate of 2.6%, adding about 2 million people to its population each year.(UNFPA)
- 85% of the population lives in the countryside without ready access to midwifery or other health related services.
- There are about 8,000 – 9,000 new cases of obstetric fistula occurring each year in Ethiopia.
- Training midwives is a key prevention strategy.
Location
The Hamlin College of Midwives is on land adjacent to Desta Mender ("Village of Joy") where women with long term injuries caused by obstructed labour reside. This is 17km from Addis Ababa and is located in a picturesque rural setting.
Amenities
The College consists of two main buildings that are fully equipped with a library, computer lab, class rooms and meeting room facilities.
Separate student accommodation has been design in the traditional "tukul" style.
Students
The midwifery students are selected from the five different areas of Ethiopia where the Hamlin Fistula Centres are located.
The students selected are those that have promising grades in particular science related subjects, are reasonably competent in reading and speaking English and are interested in pursuing study and a career in midwifery.
Skills Training
The students undertake an intensive three year course of study with a Bachelor Degree.
The curriculum is specially designed to focus on problem solving, practical clinical training and theory. It is now being used by the Ethiopian Government as a model in other medical training institutions.
Upon graduation they will be knowledgeable and skilled in:
- Labour and delivery
- Ante–natal and post–natal care
- Family planning
- HIV/AIDS counselling, testing and community visiting
- IT, report writing and document management
Qualified Midwives
- The first 11 students will graduate in 2010 and be deployed to their rural home regions.
- They have all committed to working for at least 5 years during which they will be given regular support, supervision and ongoing training.
- The midwives will be deployed in pairs so that they will have each other’s support and can share the work load.
- They will be located in a specially provided health centre with access to a doctor or health officer who can perform Caesarean Sections when needed.
- They will be provided with all necessary means of communication and transportation to ensure that they are fully equipped to establish a safe birth environment in their community.
