This Women's Month, we take a trip down memory lane and celebrate Erin, an inspiring woman from the UK, who did a volunteer professional skills share placement. Today at VSO, this is the kind that is more in-country and community led. Erin travelled to Tanzania and Bangladesh, where she taught, led and initiated changes in basic hospital care. Her journey shows how one determined woman can step beyond her comfort zone and spark meaningful change for others.
Born in 1956, Erin could have followed many paths — she once dreamt of becoming an actress and studied English and history at university — but nursing captured her heart.
"I went onto some hospital wards and realised that nursing encompasses so many skills. It also enabled me to study. I undertook research which led to a postgraduate qualification. I enjoyed teaching, and I was teaching the student nurses on the ward," Erin tells us.
Erin wanted to take her nursing beyond the UK. She had always felt a quiet restlessness, a sense that was more of the world — and more of herself — still to discover. This, coupled with her passion for volunteering, sparked her desire to do a VSO placement.
From the UK to Tanzania
In 1993, Erin packed her suitcase for Tanzania and went out with four other nurses from the UK and two from the Netherlands. Erin lived in a beautiful village near Lake Victoria for five years, as she felt you needed at least two years to really immerse yourself in the place.
Erin worked as a clinical nurse teacher and was the first for the hospital. In addition to her teaching role, Erin was recruited to conduct a small research study to see whether clinical nurse teachers like her made a difference to nurse education. The study involved nine hospitals across Tanzania in collaboration with the Ministry of Health.
The working conditions in the hospital during Erin's placement were basic, with no electricity or running water. When Erin first arrived, the patients were lying on metal chain bed bases because there were no mattresses. In addition, there was no source of running water, just a bucket, which made patient hygiene almost impossible. The lack of adequate water and handwashing facilities galvanised Erin to do something about it. "VSO used to give each volunteer £100 a year to use for something in their placement. In my first year, there was a women's co-operative that was making big Aladdin-style clay pots, so I bought a pot for each ward. Every week, the wells were open, so instead of filling the buckets, we filled these Aladdin pots, which meant there was water for handwashing and other hygiene needs for the week. When the wells were open, it was the wards' weekly washdown. This was something very simple, but it revolutionised what could happen," Erin says.
What really stood out to Erin during her VSO placement was the unique opportunity to take on the role of a nurse teacher — not just in the classroom but right in the heart of a hospital. "It was about teaching practical nursing skills, something I had always wanted to do in the UK but never had the chance," she remembers.
Erin loved her time in Tanzania, and since volunteering there, she has returned to the country every year for 10 years.
Complementing healthcare in Bangladesh
When Erin's placement in Tanzania ended in late 1997, she wasn't ready to return home. So in the spring of 1998, she embarked on another VSO placement, this time to Bangladesh near Cox's Bazar for two years. There she became the matron of a hospital run by the Baptist Missionary Society.
The hospital environment was very clean, and the student nurses who were the main workforce were incredibly conscientious.
The role of the matron involved the now "traditional" activities of co-ordinating the daily ward activities, staffing and overseeing patient care in each department. As a volunteer, Erin also organised a one-week healthcare conference together with other VSO volunteers in Bangladesh.
After her placement in Bangladesh, Erin returned to the UK and trained as a Health Visitor. Later, she went back to nursing, which was her real passion. She worked in a small cottage hospital in Devon until her retirement.
The power of women
Erin believes strongly that women play a key role in shaping healthcare systems and understands the important role they play in volunteering. "Nursing is perceived as having low social status in many countries and although young people continue to come forward to train, it is not regarded as prestigious. Female role models in nursing and healthcare settings inspire and increase the respect and social status for women in countries where the female role is still one of subservience," she explains.
Passing it on
Erin's VSO placements had a profound impact on her life, and combined with her commitment to values such as empathy, compassion and equal opportunity, inspired her to leave a gift in her Will to VSO.
VSO has been essential in my life and offered me so much. By leaving some money to VSO, you are opening doors and windows to the world because VSO is about people working together across the globe. I hope the VSO network will continue growing," Erin says.
When asked about the biggest challenges for future generations, Erin pointed to climate change and its ripple effects, the internet and the impact of constant streaming. Her biggest hope for the future is for conflicts to stop.
By leaving a gift in her Will, Erin is ensuring her spark doesn't end with her and it's helping address her concerns around climate change and building a more peaceful world.
This March, you can follow in Erin's footsteps by using our Free Wills service. Leaving VSO a gift in your Will means justice, peace and joy for all, not just the few.