Trustees

Esther Draycott – Esther is a midwife working in Nottingham who was trained by Helen as a student and has travelled twice to Liberia to deliver emergency maternity skills training to midwives. Esther is passionate about improving maternal and neonatal outcomes in Liberia by increasing the number of qualified midwives.

Harvey Goodman (Treasurer) – After spending 50 years in Financial Services Harvey finally spread his wings and took a master’s degree in Broadcast Journalism and then qualified as a Blue Badge Tour guide. He has a wide range of experience and interests including music, literature and theatre.

Helen Janiszewski – Helen is a midwife and worked with Helen in Nottingham.  She is a midwifery researcher. She is passionate about improving care and experiences for all women and families during pregnancy and childbirth.

Celia Knight – Celia has had 40 years’ experience of working with voluntary, community and statutory organisations in a range of different settings. She most recently worked for Nottingham City Council and does voluntary work with a range of groups.

Nicholas Loewenstein – Nick has worked for several UK charities, providing workshop management, bicycle mechanics, recycling and mechanical training for groups of people including college students, vulnerable adults, teenagers and refugees. Also an experienced sound-engineer, he is Helen Loewenstein’s brother, and is passionate about perpetuating the spirit of her work with Liberian midwives.

Peter Loewenstein (Chairperson) – Father of Helen and Nick Loewenstein, Pete grew up in Southern Africa and worked for the Zambian Food and Nutrition Commission.  In the UK he worked as national programme manager for the National Youth Agency; and for several years gave legal advice to asylum seekers in Nottingham.

Pippa MacKeith – Pippa worked as a midwife in a variety of settings for 18 years then as a health visitor until she retired. She is passionate about the need for women to have good midwifery care and for midwives to be respected and supported in their good practice.

Carol McCormick – Carol is a nurse and consultant midwife (retired) with practical work experience in the Middle East and various countries in rural Africa, including Ethiopia and Uganda.

Zanele Ndhlovu – Zanele works as a Finance and Operations coordinator for an organisation that supports refugees and asylum seekers. Born and raised in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, she came to the UK in 2002 as an asylum-seeking youth. She is passionate about empowering women and young people.

Stella Nickolay – Stella is Helen’s mum. Formerly a primary school teacher in inner-city Nottingham and management committee member of several voluntary organisations, she has inherited Helen’s passion and determination to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality and improve the experience of women giving birth in Liberia through increasing the numbers of qualified midwives.

Lorna Somersall – Lorna spent  20 plus years working in retail and private banking in Nottingham and London. Subsequently, she worked for a number of voluntary organisations. She is now retired and spends her time volunteering in a variety of arenas: befriending, community gardening and supporting at the southern library in the Meadows.

Jessie Viner – Helen was Jessie’s labour midwife and delivered both her children. Jessie is incredibly grateful for the excellent midwifery care she and her children received, and wishes to help improve access to this level of care for mothers and babies in Liberia. Before becoming a Trustee, Jessie volunteered for the Trust.