Thank you for your gift and for supporting volunteers like me in the fight against global poverty. Gifts like yours will soon be helping me to work with new mothers and babies in Ethiopia. I have always wanted to work overseas in a developing country and use my skills to help people; this will be my first experience of working and living abroad so I’m both terrified and excited! During my last day at work in the UK before leaving for Ethiopia, it struck me how different my working life is going to be and all the things like medicine and machines we take for granted here in the UK.
Why I’m sharing my skills
• In Ethiopia only 10.8% of babies are delivered by a skilled professional and only 34% of women receive antenatal care.
• The maternal mortality rate is 676 per 100,000 live births (compared with 12 per 100,000 in the UK), this is a shocking difference.
• The major causes of maternal deaths are obstructed labour, ruptured uterus, severe pre-eclampsia or eclampsia and complications related to abortion.
While neonatal and post neonatal mortality rates are gradually declining, hundreds of mothers still mourn the loss of a child each and every day in Ethiopia. This is unacceptable when most of these deaths could be prevented by something as simple as hand-washing or sharing a mother's body heat. Progress is being made, however there is a still a lot to do and I strongly believe every woman is entitled to the best care in delivering her baby, regardless of where she is from. During my placement I will be supporting some of the poorest and most vulnerable women in Ethiopia to realise their right to healthcare.
I feel very privileged to be able to volunteer with VSO and use my skills to support Ethiopian women at the time they need it most. I’m looking forward to working with the staff at Abi Adi Hospital but I’m sure it will be a steep learning curve too. I want to be a good doctor and believe that this experience can only enrich me. I’ll be in touch soon with more details about my placement and life in Ethiopia.
In the meantime, I'd like to say a huge thank you for your support; VSO couldn’t send volunteers like me without it, and I look forward to keeping you posted on my progress.
Best wishes,
Alexa
