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Heba Farajallah

Award Received: 
The Dora Opoku Midwives Award
Project: 
Researching maternity care experiences of asylum-seeking and refugee women in Scotland
Year awarded: 
2023

The Iolanthe Midwifery Trust Dora Opoku Midwives Award has been instrumental in supporting my PhD research project. This research focuses on maternity care experiences of asylum-seeking and refugee women in Scotland, known as (MACAWS).

The funding facilitated the translation of the MACAWS survey materials, including the survey questions, participants information sheets, invitation letters, and survey adverts, into Urdu and Persian.

This initiative aims to ensure inclusivity by reaching out to broader refugee communities in Scotland and facilitating their participation in the survey. 

This will enable us to understand the experiences of asylum-seeking and refugee women who have accessed maternity services and how to meet their needs in Scotland. Also, this initiative aims to bridge implementation gaps between practice and policy for asylum-seeking and refugee women using maternity care in Scotland and propose solutions to enhance care pathways.

The support provided by the Iolanthe Midwifery Trust team, particularly Sharyn, has been invaluable throughout the year. Their unwavering understanding has greatly contributed to the success of our project. Without this funding and their support, we would have faced significant challenges engaging effectively with refugee women and capturing their perspectives on maternity care experiences.

As the survey is still ongoing, the findings of the MACAWS research hold immense potential to shape evidence-based policies that support asylum-seeking and refugee women and improve maternity care services and support systems. This would benefit not only them but also other women in Scotland and possibly across the UK. Ultimately, this could lead to improve health outcomes and well-being for all women in Scotland.

I sincerely thank the Iolanthe Midwifery Trust for their generosity and support in providing the funds to help with my research. Their contribution has been pivotal in empowering us to make meaningful contributions to the maternal health of refugees and asylum-seeking and advocate for the well-being of women, babies, and their families.