The Dora Opoku Student Midwives Diversity and Equity Award
2026 Applications are now closed
The Iolanthe Midwifery Trust recognises that student 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 Student 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 Student Midwives Diversity and Equity Award
- Awarded for the first time in 2019
- Worth up to £1,000
- For Black and Brown pre-registration midwifery students on a UK course
- Applications for the Dora Opoku Student Midwives Diversity and Equity Award are also automatically considered for an Iolanthe Student Award
Is your project eligible?
- Elective placements.
- Courses to gain skills or knowledge.
- Travel and attendance at study days or conferences
- Small research project or to ideas to improve local maternity services
Travel and location of award work:
The Iolanthe Midwifery Trust is once again funding projects involving international travel (ceased during Covid-19). However applicants should be aware of the following stipulations:
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Priority will be given to projects taking place in the four nations of the UK; student midwives are encouraged to seek elective placements in a part of the UK that presents a contrast to (or builds upon) their prior experience, for example in urban areas, rural areas or within specific communities.
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We do not fund placements with commercial/for-profit travel organisations such as ‘Work the World’.
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For more detail about what Trustees would be looking for in applications involving overseas travel, please download the Application Guidance above.
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 Trisania Bailey, our 2019 Dora Opoku Award winner, speak at the Awards Ceremony (please note that overseas elective placements will not be funded this year).
Previous winners
2025
Kurt Lee, a student at the University of the West of Scotland, who will use his funds to collaborate with charity Amma Birth Companions to create a workshop for his student cohort, entitled "Working with Asylum-seeking and Refugee Families in Maternity Care", to support students to challenge systemic racism and advance equity in midwifery care.
2024
In 2024 a Dora Opoku Student Award was not made; however a Dora Opoku Midwives Award was given
2023
In 2023 a Dora Opoku Student Award was not made; two Dora Opoku Midwives Awards were instead given
2022
Jacana Bresson, a student at King's College London, who will fund Romanian language antenatal education in partnership with her placement hospital, Lewisham & Greenwich NHS Trust.
2021
Rio Cole, a student at the University of Hertfordshire, to attend a Breastfeeding London course.
2020
Gloria Owolabi-Agbongbon, studying at Edinburgh Napier University, who travelled to Mexico for her 3rd year elective midwifery placement.
2019
Trisania Bailey, studying at the University of Southampton, who undertook a midwifery elective placement in Ghana.
