A midwife from Wales is travelling to Africa this week to teach local midwives ways of making pregnancy and child birth safer – thanks to a special Royal wedding gift from the people of Wales.
This was published under the 2016 to 2021 administration of the Welsh Government
Last year, the Welsh Government marked the marriage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, with a £1,500 donation to Welsh charity, Life for African Mothers.
The donation, made on behalf of the people of Wales, is funding Sam Falloon, a Welsh midwife from Caerphilly who works for Cardiff and Vale Health Board, to travel to Liberia, on the west coast of Africa, to help train 15 local midwives on how to improve care for both mother and baby.
Sam is the mother of 6 children, who took on her midwifery training 5 years ago, when her youngest child was just 3 years old.
Her visit is being arranged through Life for African Mothers, which has been supporting hospitals in Sub-Saharan Africa for the last 12 years.
The Welsh Government’s Minister for International Relations, Eluned Morgan said:
“As Harry and Meghan prepare to welcome their new child into the world, I am so pleased our gift to mark their marriage last year is funding Sam’s visit to Liberia. The visit will allow Sam to pass on her knowledge and expertise, which will help local midwives make pregnancy and giving birth safer, helping to save the lives of more mothers and their babies.
“This experience will not only be of huge benefit to our friends in Liberia, but it will also give Sam a life changing experience, which will benefit the NHS here in Wales.
“I want Wales to be a globally responsible nation. This is a fantastic example of how we are already achieving that aim.”
Sam said:
“I’m really looking forward to going and I’m excited about the new skills I’ll learn and I’m very keen to share the midwifery education I’ve had here in Wales.”
Angela Gorman, Chief Executive of Life for African Mothers, said:
"I am privileged to be a part of saving mothers lives in Africa and am particularly proud of the contribution that Wales is making to our work. My grandmother died in childbirth 104 years ago. I think she's left me a job to do."