Of course, I don’t remember anything about my birth. But the stories passed on from siblings and parents tell me that I was born one Friday afternoon, just after lunch, in the same bed my mother and father slept in most of their lives. My father was at work: one of my then four siblings ran to tell him I had arrived. The midwife who had delivered me was well known to the family and had delivered at least two of our family’s children before me. Much of the narrative of the BBC1 programme Call the Midwife was a lived experience for my parents and many of the stories the programme tells are all too familiar.
A recent World Health Organization report recently stated: the world is currently facing a shortage of 900 000 midwives, which represents a third of the required global midwifery workforce. The COVID-19 crisis has only exacerbated these problems, with the health needs of women and new-born’s being overshadowed, midwifery services being disrupted and midwives being deployed to other health services. The charity Christian Aid is doing its part in responding to this crisis.
From Monday the 10th May, churches support Christian Aid week by raising awareness and collecting donations to give to the poor around the world, sharing our wealth with those who have little.
Beryl was a Christian Aid supporter whose compassion lives on in the lives of mums and children in Africa. Born in 1927, Beryl worked as a nurse and midwife for many years. Later in life, Beryl was shown huge love and kindness by a nurse, who originally came from Africa. It meant so much to Beryl that she decided to do something wonderful, and remember Christian Aid in her Will.
Beryl’s legacy gift is providing healthcare for those who need it most. Her gift is helping to build new health clinics and support nurses right now, like nurse Judith in Sierra Leone.
Learn more about Beryl here – https://www.christianaid.org.uk/give/gifts-in-wills/legacy-giving