Volunteer profile: Pip

My name is Pip Guest and I am a midwife at the Mater Hospital in North Sydney.

I have known of Catherine and Reg Hamlin’s work for many years and I have always been inspired by the dedication and giving nature of these very special people.

I have been volunteering for Hamlin since 2012 and in this time have seen the organisation go from strength to strength with the alleviation of the desperate plight of obstetric fistula sufferers always at the forefront of everything we do.

My Hamlin journey has led me from volunteering my time of 2 hours a week to one full day a week at Hamlin HQ. From fundraising $1,000 in 2011 to raising over $20,000 with my friend and fellow volunteer Patricia Healy in 2015. I travelled to Ethiopia last year as part of The Hamlin Ethiopian Adventure to witness the amazing legacy of the Hamlins first hand. It was so moving and inspiring to meet with the staff, students and the brave, beautiful patients who have endured so much but face each day with dignity, joy, and gratitude.

Being part of Team Hamlin has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I have made life-time friends with the Hamlin team and fellow volunteers and have morphed from midwife to shop girl, on-line order packer to public speaker in the blink of an eye!

We are so blessed to live in Australia and I think that that privilege should be repaid by extending ourselves to give back to those in need. Being a midwife, the difficulties these women suffer particularly resonate with me.

My mantra in life and one in which I truly believe is:

START WHERE YOU ARE
USE WHAT YOU HAVE
DO WHAT YOU CAN

Our sisters in Ethiopia who struggle with debilitating poverty and its consequences will benefit from any small act of kindness and compassion. We can all change lives.

Pip x