Our Lead Nurse’s Volunteer Trip to Kenya – Julie Beer Blog

 In June, Julie Beer, our fantastic Lead Nurse, travelled to Kenya to volunteer her nursing skills and train staff along with her daughter. Here’s how her trip went:

The first day we spent an afternoon at the child rescue centre, which was home to around 100 children from babies to 18-year-olds. While our main aim was to give education on healthy living such as nutrition, we ended up providing a lot of emotional support to the children. We spent the afternoon singing together, telling stories and braiding hair.

Next, we supported gynaecology clinics during a doctor’s strike. Speaking to a consultant with a special interest in in fibroids and endometriosis, we learned that there was a much higher ratio of these conditions in Black women. They are also less likely to be diagnosed with these conditions than White women. It was sad to see just how many women were in pain from gynaecology issues but couldn’t afford prescriptions or medical treatment.

We spent our last volunteering day in a hospital maternity unit. Even though the hospital had been open for 11 years and they deliver around 5 babies a day, there was only one room for deliveries and one operating theatre for emergency c sections. The women’s perceptions towards labour and how limited their choices of delivery were really stuck out to me. Many of the women wanted to deliver via c-section as they were scared to give birth without pain relief, which was not an option when delivering naturally. On top of that partners were not allowed into the unit which meant it could be a really isolating experience.  

What really struck me about this whole trip, was the extent of the suffering in the healthcare system. So many women weren’t able to access the pain relief or medication they needed, and it was extremely challenging to see women in this situation, when all you want to do is help. It really put into perspective how privileged I am to work in the environment I do.

On top of her Lead Nurse role, Julie is also the Clinical Lead for Cancer Screening in Leeds. Julie has a passion for training, delivering many courses, such as our Vaccination & Immunisation training.