Sister Marit Legesse: A lifetime shaping midwifery in Ethiopia
November 02, 2026
Sister Marit Legesse is one of Ethiopia's most influential midwifery educators and a longstanding leader in maternal healthcare. As Vice Dean of the Hamlin College of Midwives, she has helped shape generations of midwives, strengthen professional standards and improve the quality of midwifery education across Ethiopia.
For more than three decades, Sister Marit Legesse has dedicated her career to strengthening midwifery in Ethiopia – educating future generations of midwives, advancing professional standards and championing better maternal healthcare for women across the country.
As Vice Dean of the Hamlin College of Midwives, Sister Marit has also played a pivotal role in establishing the College as a centre of excellence in midwifery education.
But her influence extends far beyond Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia, helping to shape the development of midwifery as a profession in Ethiopia. Through her work as an educator, mentor and advocate, she has helped equip generations of midwives with the knowledge, skills and confidence to provide safe, high-quality care to women and their babies.
A career dedicated to women’s health
Sister Marit began her career in nursing, working for six years in Ethiopia's Bale region before pursuing further training in midwifery. Her early experience working in healthcare gave her a firsthand understanding of the challenges facing women, particularly those living in rural and underserved communities where access to skilled maternity care can be limited.
Driven by a commitment to improving women's health, she went on to pursue further qualifications, including a Bachelor of Science in Midwifery and a Master's degree in Reproductive and Maternal Health from Addis Ababa University.
Her passion for education also led her into teaching, first at Tikur Anbessa Nursing and Midwifery School and later at Salam Nursing College, Ethiopia's first private nursing college. Across these institutions, she helped strengthen midwifery training and prepare the next generation of healthcare professionals.
Helping build the future of Hamlin Midwives
Sister Marit's connection to Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia began long before she joined the organisation. As a nursing student, she undertook clinical placements at the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital, where she met Drs Catherine and Reg Hamlin and learned about their pioneering work treating women with obstetric fistula.
Inspired by their dedication, she dreamed of one day working alongside them. That ambition became a reality in January 2009, when she joined the newly established Hamlin College of Midwives as an instructor, just one year after it opened. She subsequently served as Acting Dean before becoming Vice Dean, a position in which she continues to provide academic leadership and mentorship.
Today, Sister Marit oversees the College's academic programs, supports teaching staff and helps ensure that Hamlin graduates meet the highest standards of clinical practice. She has contributed to the development and revision of the College's curricula, including its undergraduate midwifery program and Master of Science in Clinical Midwifery.
Under her academic leadership, Hamlin graduates have consistently achieved a 100% pass rate in Ethiopia's national licensing examinations – an outstanding reflection of the College's commitment to quality education. In 2024, the Hamlin College of Midwives also received national recognition for the quality of its midwifery education.
For Sister Marit, developing skilled midwives is about much more than academic achievement. Every graduate represents an opportunity to improve maternal healthcare, particularly in rural communities where skilled birth attendants are urgently needed.
Strengthening midwifery across Ethiopia
Beyond her work at Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia, Sister Marit has been a driving force in the development and professionalisation of midwifery in Ethiopia. As a founding member of the Ethiopian Midwives Association (EMwA) in 1992, she has helped strengthen the profession through decades of leadership, advocacy and service.
Her contributions have included serving on the EMwA executive committee and board, supporting fundraising initiatives and contributing to its professional publications.
She also played an important role in developing the Association's first strategic plan, bylaws and professional code of conduct – helping establish the standards and structures needed to support a growing national midwifery workforce.
Sister Marit’s expertise has been sought in the development of midwifery curricula, emergency obstetric and newborn care training materials and national education standards. Through this work, she has helped improve the consistency and quality of midwifery education beyond the institutions where she has taught.
She has also represented Ethiopian midwifery internationally, sharing her knowledge at conferences and professional forums, including a presentation on the role of midwives in preventing obstetric fistula at the International Confederation of Midwives Congress in Prague in 2014.
Her work reflects a belief that a strong midwifery profession is fundamental to improving maternal health – and that investing in education, professional development and leadership is essential to achieving lasting change.
Recognition for a remarkable contribution
Sister Marit's dedication has earned recognition from colleagues and professional organisations across Ethiopia.
In 2025, she received a prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from the Ethiopian Midwives Association, recognising her exceptional contribution to midwifery education and the profession.
The honour followed earlier recognition from the Association in 2019, while in June 2026, former graduates of Salam Nursing College also recognised her contribution to their education and careers.
These awards reflect the respect Sister Marit has earned not only as a leader in midwifery, but also as a teacher and mentor whose influence continues through the many professionals she has helped train.
A legacy carried forward by generations of midwives
From her early days as a nurse to her leadership at the Hamlin College of Midwives, Sister Marit's career has been defined by a commitment to improving healthcare for Ethiopian women.
Her contribution can be seen in the professional standards she has helped establish, the educational programs she has strengthened and the many midwives now delivering skilled, compassionate care across Ethiopia.
It is also reflected in her commitment to Dr Catherine Hamlin's vision – ensuring more women can access safe maternity care and preventing devastating childbirth injuries such as obstetric fistula.
For the broader Hamlin community, Sister Marit is more than an exceptional educator and leader. She is an important custodian of Drs Catherine and Reg Hamlin’s legacy, helping to carry their vision into the future through every new generation of midwives.
Her greatest legacy is not simply the midwives she has trained, but the countless women and babies whose lives will be safer because of them.
Catherine Hamlin Fistula Foundation acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Elders past, present and emerging throughout Australia and the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, the Traditional Owners of the land and waterways on which our Australian office is situated. We acknowledge the many ethnic groups in Ethiopia and their ancestral and cultural connection to the land where our work is undertaken.