Fernandez Foundation is a not for profit organisation. Midwifery training had commenced in Fernandez based on international standards since 2011. The Foundation is now involved in training nurse midwife educators for midwifery education training with the University of East Lancashire, the Government of India and World Health Organisation (WHO). The nurse midwifery educators come from five states in India. I arrived in 2017 initially on a year’s sabbatical and my role in India is to support and embed professional midwifery training.

Fernandez Foundation trained thirty nurses in Telangana with the State Government of Telangana and UNICEF. These thirty nurses are now scattered around Telangana as far as the tribal belts in Adilabad making a difference to the women they are birthing.

Our vision is ensuring that each and every student contributes to the provision of holistic, responsive and compassionate midwifery care with an emphasis on respect, dignity and kindness. This theme is translated in all training modules and teaching.

Students are taught to recognise and work within the limitations of their own knowledge, skills and professional boundaries and work effectively within the multi-disciplinary team with the intent of building professional caring relationships.

We believe that midwifery educator’s training needs to be clinically placed ensuring theory is translated into practice. A student's experience of clinical practice alongside an experienced practitioner forms an important part of the process of learning.

Midwives care for women and their babies during a life event that has an impact on the future of families. It is a profession, which is female oriented and a practice which can be subject to the feelings of both the professionals and clients. Learning to be a midwife is learning to be powerful.

Professional knowledge and expertise are different from nursing as the focus is to promote expectations of health and well-being, rather than a role of caring for the sick. Midwives will be taught to develop their knowledge and skills through their experiences in practice as well as through formal knowledge.