Hi everyone! I'm Ellie, and this summer I have been offered the opportunity to work in Bangladesh with a group of medical students as part of the Selfless Elective Aid trip. Selfless is a charlity focussed on achieving better healthcare for all and operates several health camps within the Sylhet region of Bangladesh. To find out more about the impact of Selfless visit https://www.selfless.org.uk/

In the next few months I will be training to take part in a GoTri event on the 4th March, to raise money for the trip. This will involve a 2km run, followed by a 10km cycle and finishing with a further 2km run. My foreseeable future of blood, sweat and possibly some tears will only make finishing the race more rewarding and the off-limits food taste that bit better! All money donated to me in sponsorship for the event will contribute to improving the health care in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh is widely considered one of the poorest countries in the world. For every 100,000 live births in Bangladesh, there were 170 maternal deaths - in the UK, that figure is just above 9.

In Bangladesh, this works out to:

Over 5,000 mothers dying during pregnancy or childbirth per year

The death of over 77,000 babies each year

The loss of these lives can be traced back to the lack of skilled doctors and access to healthcare with 3 doctors for every 10,000 people.

When in Bangladesh we will be:

Treating up to 1,000 individuals

Providing high quality antenatal care to 20+ expecting mothers from low income families

Providing family healthcare services to 800+ patients

This is why we need your help. By donating through this page, 100% of your contributions will go to providing treatment for these women in need. Here is a link to videos of the charity's past work if you’d like more information: https://vimeo.com/selflessuk

By encouraging the power of women and their role in society, we are empowering women to take control of their bodies and their health. Please help us raise money for this cause, we really appreciate it!

(a photograph of me fundraising for Rose Road Association in November)