I work as a health advisor and also support Norfolk-based bookings within IC24. Alongside these roles, I am studying Midwifery at the University of East Anglia and am now entering my final year. I have recently returned from a voluntary experience abroad, and many of the skills I developed while volunteering with Knowledge for Change in Zanzibar are directly transferable to my roles at IC24.

As part of my midwifery studies, it is compulsory to complete a two-week elective placement. This allows student midwives to explore areas of care beyond the maternity departments of their placement hospitals. Previous students have chosen A&E settings, visited other hospitals, attended IVF clinics, or arranged placements abroad through charities and university connections. I wanted to use this opportunity to gain experience of maternity care outside the UK, particularly in a lower-income setting, in order to expand my clinical knowledge, grow personally and professionally, and contribute meaningfully to sustainable maternal health improvement, while developing humility, cultural competence, and a sense of global responsibility.

Knowledge for Change is a charity that aims to improve healthcare and education provision for the poorest members of society in low- and middle-income countries. Their work includes infrastructural developments, providing and repairing essential medical equipment, staff training and capacity building, collaborating with local educational institutions to develop improved curricula, running staff exchange programmes, and offering ethical, high-quality placement opportunities for professional volunteers and students. The charity’s core values centre on creating ethical, sustainable, and mutually beneficial improvements to health and education systems.

I spent four weeks volunteering in the maternity departments of two hospitals in Zanzibar as part of my student midwife elective placement with Knowledge for Change. This voluntary placement was an incredibly enriching and eye-opening experience, significantly enhancing my skills in clinical practice, communication, compassion, empathy, advocacy, resource awareness, cultural awareness, and understanding of health systems.

During my placement, I also completed an exposure day in the A&E department, observing and supporting local healthcare professionals as they provided care to members of the community. This allowed me to witness how resourceful they are with limited equipment and reinforced the importance of adaptability in practice.

The experience broadened my clinical perspective, particularly in managing high-risk pregnancies in low-resource settings where advanced interventions are limited. I gained insight into traditional birthing practices and developed a greater understanding of midwifery under pressure, often with minimal equipment or medication. My clinical skills were strengthened as I gained confidence and adaptability working in a busy, unpredictable environment. I gained experience with physiological, unmedicated births, noting that epidurals and other pharmacological pain relief are not available to women in these settings. I observed active third-stage labour management, which involved uterotonics and controlled cord traction for placental delivery, similar to practices in the UK. I also developed decision-making skills in low-resource contexts, relying on observation, palpation, and patient communication, while advocating for the women and their babies wherever possible.

My competencies expanded as I observed and assisted with antenatal, intrapartum, and postnatal care, further developing skills in maternal and newborn assessments, infection control, and both adult life support and neonatal resuscitation. I was exposed to complications less common in the UK, including malaria in pregnancy and untreated gestational conditions.

Communication skills were also enhanced, as I worked closely with local midwives, nurses, and doctors, supporting women and their babies in contexts that often required non-verbal communication or navigating a language barrier. Swahili is widely spoken in Zanzibar, and I made efforts to learn basic phrases to communicate with mothers and healthcare professionals. This experience fostered a greater appreciation of cultural competence and respect for local customs.

Throughout my placement, I built strong relationships with local staff, other international volunteers, and organisations working in global health, some of which I maintain today and hope to continue developing.

I received excellent support from IC24 throughout this experience. My team manager was instrumental in helping me organise time off to attend this placement and has supported me since my return, providing debriefing as needed. Clinicians and colleagues also offered encouragement before my departure and checked in while I was away, which was greatly appreciated.