A UK trained midwife with a passion for women’s equality and rights – I still find it unjust and incomprehensible that so many women die every day due to pregnancy and birth. This needs to be addressed and actioned. It seemed a natural progression to spend time working outside of the UK, mainly with MSF, an independent, respected medical organisation. I am immensely proud of the work we do and how midwives can influence strategy to have a wider and more positive impact on women’s healthcare in middle and low income communities.
I have worked on assignment with MSF in current conflict areas in DRC (2015) and South Sudan (2016 and 2017) and in rural Haiti after Hurricaine Matthew in 2016. Understanding culture and health beliefs and their influence and impact on healthcare is vital, as is patience… and being able to eat an abundance of white rice for most meals with a plethora of international condiments while away from home.
