The Dora Opoku Award Midwives Diversity and Equity Award
2026 Applications are now closed
The Iolanthe Midwifery Trust recognises that midwives who are of Black and Asian ethnicity have an enormous range and depth of skills, wisdom and talent and that they make a huge contribution to maternity services in the UK. We are also aware that such midwives face disadvantages associated with their ethnicity. This award is intended to provide resources and opportunities to mitigate these disadvantages with the aim of supporting diversity and equity in midwifery.
Midwives who are of Black or Asian ethnicity are therefore invited to apply for The Iolanthe Dora Opoku Midwives Diversity and Equity Award for funding for a midwifery-based project or plan which will lead to improvements in care through practice, education and training, and research. We are committed to supporting you and wish to encourage you to apply for this award.
Please note that if you apply for this award you will also automatically be considered for an Iolanthe Midwives Award, so there is no need to make a separate application.
The award is named after an inspirational midwife who was appointed an OBE for her services to midwifery education. Find out more about Dora Opoku
About the Dora Opoku Midwives Diversity and Equity Award
- Awarded for the first time in 2019
- Available for midwives of Black and Asian ethnicity registered with the UK NMC
- Maximum award available £1,500
- Applications for the Dora Opoku Midwives Diversity and Equity Award are also automatically considered for an Iolanthe Midwives Award
Is your project eligible?
You are invited to apply for this award for a midwifery based project. This could include:
- Training courses to develop specialist skills
- Travel to conferences in the UK, either as an attendee or to share research findings
- Developing services to pregnant women/birthing persons in a local hospital or in the community
- Assistance with academic fees for Masters or PhD studies
- Organising study days for local midwives
- Undertaking research which will benefit midwives or women/birthing persons, babies and/or families
See What do we fund? for more information.
Applications are made online. Please read the Application Guidance (link above or see our general video guidance) and our Privacy Policy carefully before applying.
Watch our 2019 Award winner, Sarah Esegbona-Adeigbe talk about why she applied for the award:
Previous Winners
2025
Arezou Rezvani, a consultant midwife with the University College London Hospitals, supported by colleague Heather Reeves, to fund service user and translator "thanks" vouchers, as part of their cross-London work to improve communication and health awareness for pregnant women with language barriers.
2024
Rebecca Sobodu, Practice Development Midwife at the Royal London Hospital, who will pursue a Masters in Public Health at King's College London with the goal of challenging systemic discrimination and working for safe, inclusive healthcare for all.
2023
Heba Farajallah, a midwife at NHS Grampian, who will use her funding to research maternity care experiences of asylum-seeking and refugee women in Scotland, as part of her PhD studies at the University of Aberdeen.
AND
Roselyn Bunhu, a midwife with the NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme, who will use her award funds to film content for a free Black Women's Pregnancy Hub web app.
2022
Jaspreet Garcha, who will use her Award to provide diversity training for her colleagues at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire.
2021
Kulwant Kaur (Kelly) Shari, a midwife at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, will use her award to study for a Diagnostic Assessment and Decision Making (DADM) CPD qualification at the University of Southampton, working towards a Post Graduate Certificate in Advanced Health Assessment and Prescribing.
2020
Radica Hardyal, studying at the University of Hertfordshire, who is undertaking research into Midwives’ Role in Severe Maternal Morbidity: the views of women, birth partners and midwives.
2019
Sarah Esegbona-Adeigbe, studying at the University of Hertfordshire, who is undertaking a qualitative study of the perceptions of migrant Nigerian mothers and midwives of cultural competency in antenatal care.
