Midwifery Elective Placement in Sri Lanka

Hi Everyone!

My name is Anushka, and I am a second-year student midwife in the UK. In spite of the challenges I am passionate about my future career with the NHS as a midwife and this June, I have an incredible opportunity to travel to Sri Lanka for my elective placement, where I will volunteer and observe alongside my friends Joey and Bronwyn in maternity, obstetric, and baby wards. We’re partnering with the organization Mighty Roar to make this possible.

The communities we will engage with in Sri Lanka often face resource limitations and lack access to healthcare services we might take for granted. By volunteering, I aim to make a meaningful contribution to the care of mothers and babies, not only learning from the dedicated Sri Lankan healthcare workers already making a difference there but also sharing skills I have learned and perspectives from a different healthcare setting while joining them in the delivery of a committed mother and baby care service.

In the UK context where I am training I serve a very culturally mixed population including over 40 ethnicities as well as women facing issues such as poverty and domestic violence. This placement is a chance to immerse myself in a completely different healthcare system and to grow as a student midwife - by working in Sri Lanka, I’ll be exposed to unique challenges, learn new techniques, and will develop my adaptability and cultural sensitivity essential to providing compassionate care.

I am already borrowing a student loan to fund my training in the NHS and as the course is full time for 45 weeks a year I cannot have parallel employment, so to make this aim a reality I need to raise £1,500 to cover the costs of the program, including flights, accommodation, and essential supplies. Any donation, no matter how small, would mean the world to me and help me contribute to this life-changing experience.

Thank you for your support!