Care in crisis

I have long had an interest in working for an organisation like Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) (MSF). As a child, I would devour my grandparents' copies of National Geographic magazine and as soon as I could travel, I sought out different lifestyles and cultures. When I left school, I went to university to do a degree in Development Studies, which was aimed at understanding the needs and means of supporting developing countries.

It was during my own pregnancies that I became inspired to pursue midwifery. I met some wonderful compassionate midwives and this, combined with my desire to work abroad, made working for MSF a huge ambition of mine. I had to wait until my children grew up and left home before I could commit to spending months abroad, but this meant that I had a good deal of experience, which has helped me in the field.

My most recent assignment was on the search and rescue ship, Aquarius, in the central Mediterranean. This is not a typical MSF assignment, but it has an intensity that is difficult to put into words. There were normally around 40 people on board, including MSF medics, a search and rescue crew, the ship's crew, and journalists. We all worked together to rescue people fleeing from Libya in dangerously overcrowded boats, and we cared for them during the journey to a place of safety.