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Life as a Liberian midwife

Hello,

My name is Rebecca and I’m a midwife in Kakata, Liberia.

I’d like to tell you my story and why it makes such a huge difference to have people like you taking action in the UK.

I knew I wanted to be a midwife from a very young age. I watched my mother give birth to eight children — but only two of us survived.

In those days in my village they said women and children died because of witchcraft or adultery. I knew I had to help this situation.

Blunt scissors

Being a midwife hasn’t been easy. When I graduated I chose to work in remote areas of Liberia even though I could make better money in a hospital because I knew the need was so great.

We didn’t have even the most basic equipment. Our scissors had been used too many times, they were completely blunt.

Midwives in Liberia still don’t have the basic tools and our salaries are still so low that some often work two jobs. Many quit because it is too hard to work in these conditions.

We’re now campaigning hard for better salaries and training from the Ministry of Health but we need help.

You can help us

My plea to the UK government is to support our midwives — either with money for our government or with equipment and training.

We are working hard for change, and we hope you will help us by taking action in the UK.

Thousands of people like you have already signed the health worker petition.

This is the next step and with just two weeks to go to the UN meeting, it lays out the exact actions your government can take in Liberia, Ethiopia and Afghanistan to help midwives and the mothers and babies we care for.

Sign our petition to David Cameron now

Thank you for your support.

P.S. Hear me speak about my work and experiences as a midwife in this recorded interview which you can find in a new blog by Save the Children campaigner Brie O’Keefe.

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