At Colour 2014 in all locations we honoured an amazing women, Dr Catherine Hamlin, a modern pioneer of surgery to fix obstetric fistula. Each year between 50 000 to 100 000 women worldwide are affected by obstetric fistula, a hole in the birth canal. The development of obstetric fistula is directly linked to one of the major causes of maternal mortality: obstructed labour.

Women who experience obstetric fistula suffer constant incontinence, shame, social segregation and many health problems. It is estimated that more than 2 million young women live with untreated obstetric fistula in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

Dr Hamlin and her team have been working in Ethiopia since the 1950s and they have operated on over 40 000 women during this time. More than 90% of women she has treated have been cured. The Fistula Hospital continues to train surgeons from all over the world in this specialist area of gynaecology and their midwifery school is now training midwives to provide the sort of care to help stop fistulas occurring.

In 2014 the Colour Sisterhood is partnering with the Hamlin Fistula Foundation to provide the funds for more of these patients to be treated. For $500 you can provide a surgery for a women effected with obstetric fistula and help to give a woman dignity with love.

Today on International Day to End Obstetric Fistula day we are joining with the rest of the world to celebrate the amazing men and women who are working to end this preventable condition and say to the women that are suffering that we as a Colour Sisterhood are believing to raise significant funds through our 500project to make a difference to the lives of many, many women.

If you have not chosen a 500project yet perhaps this will inspire you to make Fistula your project for the year. See link for more information:

Watch the honour moment as it happened in the Sydney conference here:

For more information on The Colour Sisterhood please visit coloursisterhood.com