Midwives

There has been remarkable progress in consolidating peace and rebuilding the country’s infrastructure since the end of Sierra Leone’s civil conflict in 2002. But there is still a lot to be done, especially with regards to healthcare.

The country is experiencing some of the highest maternal and child mortality rates in the world. Nearly 300 in every 1,000 children die before reaching the age of five, which is partly due to a server shortage of well trained health care staff.  As a midwife at Tonkilili District Hospital you’ll provide clinical instruction and on-the-job training to student midwifes, helping the next generation of midwifes to rebuild Sierra Leone’s maternity services.

What does the role involve?

• Acting as lead midwife in developing and improving the quality obstetric care for women and managing midwifery services
• Training student midwives, and student nurses and midwifery technicians, and providing on the job CPD for local colleagues
• Demonstrating, supervising and assessing midwifery procedures on the ward
• Providing advice and support for complex cases according to your expertise, such as post-op care, high-risk pregnancies such as twin or breech presentation, or family planning, care of under-fives, or mentally ill patients

Skills, qualifications and experience required

You’ll need to be a qualified and registered midwife with at least three years’ post-qualification experience. Experience of mentoring or training others (formally or informally) is essential. As with all VSO placements, you’ll need to be patient and flexible and have the ability to work creatively with limited resources. Above all, you’ll have the commitment to achieving the best possible care for the most disadvantaged Sierra Leonean women, teamed with the tenacity to cope with a challenging clinical environment with high mortality and morbidity rates.

And the rest...

Sierra Leone borders Liberia to the southeast, the Republic of Guinea to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the West. The country has some of the best beaches in the West Africa and you could visit Outamba-Kilimi National Park on a long weekend and spot diverse wildlife such as chimpanzees, colobus monkeys, buffalo, elephants and maybe even lions.

We’ll ask you to commit to 12-24 months to make a sustainable contribution to our development goals. In return, we’ll give you comprehensive financial, personal and professional support. We'll provide you with extensive training before your placement, and our financial package includes a local living allowance, return flights, accommodation, insurance and more. When you return to your home country, we'll help you to resettle and many of our returned volunteers stay involved with us long after their placement ends.

Ethiopia has one of the highest maternal mortality ratios in the world. It is estimated that every year, about 25,000 mothers die and 400,000 more suffer long-term disabilities due to complications during pregnancy, delivery or postpartum period. The leading causes of death are abortion, sepsis, haemorrhage, and obstructed labour. The majority of these deaths are preventable with affordable interventions and skilled help. However, with a ratio of one midwife to almost 20,000 women of reproductive age, around 85% of women give birth at home, without any skilled help.

As a midwife teacher at Haramaya University, you’ll support the Department of Midwifery to develop its new degree course, and train more much-needed midwives.

What does the role involve?

• Teaching theoretical and practical midwifery to undergraduate students, including bedside teaching for students on clinical attachments
• Mentoring students, helping them identify their learning needs, strengths and limitations, and select learning opportunities that will build on strengths and overcome limitations
• Helping the Department continually improve the quality of teaching and learning
• Leading the implementation of evidence-based practice and engaging in peer review processes
  

Skills, qualifications and experience required

You’ll be a registered midwife with solid experience of teaching, training, or developing others. Ideally you’ll have a basic knowledge of common tropical diseases or be willing to learn from your colleagues.  Patience, flexibility and a sense of humour are important qualities in all VSO volunteers, as these will help you to successfully integrate into your new workplace and community.

And the rest...

We’ll ask you to commit to 12 - 24 months to make a sustainable contribution to midwifery teaching in Ethiopia. In return, we’ll give you comprehensive support. We'll provide you with training before your placement, and our financial package includes a local living allowance, return flights, accommodation, insurance and more. NHS employees can volunteer with continued membership of the NHS pension scheme. When you return home, we'll help you to resettle, and many of our returned volunteers stay involved with us long after their placement ends.