I am extremely fortunate to have known from a young age what I wanted to do with my life, and that is to support women and their families through the most life changing event of their lives by assisting in bringing new life into the world. I am currently only in my first year of study but have already been overwhelmed by my sense of belonging in the profession of midwifery and am so excited to continue progressing through my degree, working towards becoming a fully qualified and competent midwife. In our third year we get the opportunity to spend a number of weeks in a different hospital setting from that of which we are training in. I have chosen to spend my 4 final weeks as a student midwife in Pokhara, Nepal, an extremely impoverished yet beautiful part of the world. The maternity services there, similarly to the NHS, are understaffed and underfunded. But the stark difference in hygiene, facilities, education and governing policies mean that spending time in Pokhara will be an invaluable and eye-opening experience and a chance for me to use my skills to better the lives of the women accessing the maternity services in Nepal. I am unbelievably lucky and excited to be given this opportunity to practice and observe my profession in a different culture, and am asking for everyone’s help in getting me there to finish of my degree in the best way imaginable.

Thank you, Beth x