Rachael Farrar travels to Morocco to study midwifery from UWE on a Gane Travel Scholarship

Rachael and midwifery in Morocco

On 5th December 2012, three Gane Trustees and a large audience of fellow students heard Rachael Farrar’s excellent presentation about of her three weeks at Quarzazate, south of the Atlas Mountains, working with Pioneers International. This clinical practice placement was supported by the Gane Trust’s June Lancaster Award, commemorating a former Trustee who was an experienced social care professional.

Rachael outlined her objectives, the contrasts between Morocco and the UK and the challenges pregnant women face in Quarzatate. Working under the supervision of UK trained midwices she was able to observe midwifery practice in both community and the hospital settings. Private funding makes access a challenge for some women, scarcity of equipment and limited facilities also make Moroccan midwives’ work particularly challenging. Although differences in language culture and midwifery were challenges Rachael encountered, she was able to learn from these. More importantly she is confident that much of the learning is transferable to her own practice in the UK.

Rachael says:

“My learning from this elective placement has been invaluable. I have learnt many skills which are transferable to my practice in the UK. ……Furthermore, I have developed personally in ways which will benefit my professional career. Until this trip I had never traveled on my own to another country and culture, having now done so; I have learnt and developed the skills to make decisions independently. Furthermore, I have experienced a degree of isolation and anxiety that many women must experience when they don’t have English as their first language. It has also made me more aware of the isolation that could be caused by the use of medical jargon, as this is, to many women, a foreign language.”