Neonatal Nurses
Join VSO Ireland in the fight against poverty and develop life-long professional skills
VSO Ireland is the leading international development organisation that works through volunteers to fight poverty. Working in 24 countries around the world, our unique role is to place committed volunteers with carefully selected organisations where their skills can have the greatest impact.
As a VSO volunteer, you’ll live and work in some of the world’s poorest communities. By sharing your expert skills and experience, you’ll help generate new ideas and ways of doing things, helping the communities you work in lift themselves out of poverty. We’re not about delivering quick fixes, but instead focus on long-lasting, sustainable change, that will impact generations to come.
We’re also the very first organisation in Ireland to be found fully compliant with Comhlámh’s Code of Good Practice, so you can rest assured that VSO Ireland is committed to excellent volunteering standards.
Your New Role:
We’re looking for experienced Neonatal Nurses to volunteer on our Irish Aid funded maternal and neonatal healthcare programme over the next three years. This is based in Karamoja, one of the poorest regions in Uganda where lack of trained medical staff and basic resources mean giving birth is often fatal for young mothers. As a VSO volunteer, you’ll share your expertise with local nurses and midwives, helping them develop vital skills and save more mothers’ and babies’ lives.
Typical tasks might include:
- Providing on-the-job training to health workers in delivering essential newborn care and detecting danger signs after birth
- Supporting health workers in data collection, reporting and analysis
- Working with health centres and Community Based Organisations to ensure newborn care is part of their overall strategy
- Providing advice to hospital management on policy matters and how to improve programmes
- Providing guest lectures when needed and where possible in the School of Nursing and Midwifery
These roles are for one year, and commence at various times throughout the next three years.
I’ve had the opportunity to get involved in a variety of projects, supervising students on their clinical placements, classroom based teaching and conducting a clinical audit on the outcomes of newborns.
- Jacqueline McAuley who volunteered as a midwife trainer in Ethiopia
Benefits of Volunteering with VSO Ireland:
- Learn about illnesses and treatments we don’t have in Ireland
- Develop training, leadership, collaboration and management skills
- Make a difference to lives of local women and children in Uganda
- Make life-long friends and memories as you collaborate with other volunteers and local staff
What VSO Ireland Provides:
We believe volunteering should be a cost-neutral experience and so cover the cost of the following:
- Flights
- Accommodation
- Medical insurance
- Visa and documentation
- Pre-departure and in-country training
All volunteers receive a monthly allowance to cover basic living expenses, as well as a Home Country Funded Allowance (equivalent to £4 a day in your Irish bank account).
What You’ll Need:
Our ideal candidates will be qualified nurses or midwives with previous mentoring experience and expertise in maternal and newborn health. You should be open-minded, flexible and ready to work with limited resources. Applications from both working and retired health professionals are welcomed.
What You Need to Do Now:
You can also read this quick guide to volunteering as a nurse or midwife with VSO Ireland.
