Monday, September 29, 2008

4 Corners tonight, 29/9/08

A Walk to Beautiful
Reporter: An independent production for WGBH.
Broadcast: 29/09/2008

It’s been 50 years since an idealistic young Sydney couple, Catherine and Reginald Hamlin, spotted an ad for doctors to go to Africa, then took a punt. Little did they know they were about to make the world a far, far better place.

In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital, the young doctors founded a hospital that has transformed the lives of thousands of women suffering humiliating birth injuries. Obstructed labour left these women with what’s called obstetric fistula – a hole into the birth canal – making them incontinent. They have been ostracised by their husbands and communities. Left untreated, they face a lifetime of shame and rejection.
The programme is very interesting, it does explain how fistula happens and why it is so common there. Link to 4 Corners site, watch or read the transcript.

Pogs pointed out to me that Dr Catherine Hamlin was a runner up for Australian of the Year in 2005 and a Nobel Peace Prize nominee (sorry, I can't find a link! The site for AOTY only goes back to 2006 and it's a most unfriendly site).

1 comment:

kc said...

Some people are just amazing, aren't they? Just amazing.

Not enough of 'em around, thankyouGod for the ones we do have. Thanks for the link, Kae.