Midwifery Internships and Volunteer Programs Abroad

Updated for 2025-2026

Traditional midwifery is making a big comeback. Stemming from concerns over cost and access and growing awareness surrounding newborn and maternity deaths, strategic healthcare initiatives and investments in midwifery are being made across the world, from the United States to Nigeria to China.

This is promising news. After all, the World Health Organization states that “up to two-thirds of newborn deaths can be prevented if known, effective health measures are provided.” A new generation of professionally trained midwives could ensure more healthy and safe childbirth and recoveries across the world.

By participating in a midwife volunteering program, you can make the world a safer place for mothers and their newborns. You can also gain experience in a very crucial profession.

Let this article be your resource for maternity volunteering and midwifery internships.

What You’ll Do As a Midwife Intern or Volunteer

Each program has its own unique needs, as midwifery is all about providing tailored care to meet the mother’s physical, emotional, and cultural needs. There are varying program requirements depending on the organization you travel with, so be sure to check those before applying.

General activities/duties include:

• Assist local healthcare professionals with various administrative and sanitation duties to offset staff shortages.
• Observe and help local midwives to gain more knowledge.
• Provide healthcare services to the mother and infant, such as checking blood pressure and administering immunizations (depends on your training/experience).
• Experience and help with prenatal consultations, births, Cesarean sections, and post-natal care (depends on your training/experience).
• Educate local mothers about family planning and reproductive health, HIV/AIDS prevention, infant nutrition, etc.

For example, if you participate in a midwifery program with Intern Abroad HQ, your placements may range from a hospital setting with doctors to birthing homes with midwives.

Intern Abroad HQ is actively recruiting for midwifery and maternal health interns for 2025 and 2026. They offer 230 internship opportunities across 23 career fields in 21 countries. Learn more and apply here to jump-start your career!

Now, let’s highlight some programs (note: fees get cheaper per week the longer you stay!).

Featured Midwifery Volunteer Programs & Internships

Intern Abroad HQ

Founded in 2007, International Volunteer Headquarters (IVHQ) has become one of the most trusted names in volunteering, and they have sent over 130,000 volunteers abroad. Their sister organization, Intern Abroad HQ, offers 323 tailored, career-focused internships across 27 countries. Each program features an Experiential Learning Curriculum and academic credit partnerships with institutions like the University of Montana and Warren Wilson College.

As the only certified B Corporation in the international internship sector, Intern Abroad HQ guarantees ethical practices, inclusivity, and quality in every placement.

Midwifery Internship in Cusco, Peru

Based in the historic city of Cusco, this midwifery internship offers a privileged opportunity to work alongside local midwives in both birthing homes and public or private clinics. Interns can expect to:

• Support expecting mothers through antenatal classes, home visits, and postpartum care.
• Assist with births when consented to by mothers and under professional supervision.
• Participate in cultural immersion, exploring Cusco’s archaeological sites and engaging with the local community.
• Enhance Spanish proficiency via optional language lessons tailored to intermediate to advanced learners.

Midwifery Internship in Arusha, Tanzania

Situated in Arusha, this internship places participants in busy maternity and delivery wards alongside qualified local midwives and medical teams. Key experiences include:

• Hands-on support in antenatal classes, labour wards, and postnatal care under multidisciplinary supervision.
• Building relationships with expecting and new mothers in a high-need context where safe births are a national priority.
• Cultural excursions, such as safaris in the Serengeti during downtime.
• Language adaptation, as patient interactions may occur in Swahili or local dialects, with debriefs in English by supervisors.

Projects Abroad

Projects Abroad was founded in 1992, and today, it stands as the world’s largest provider of international volunteering, internships, and meaningful travel experiences, trusted by over 130,000 participants in more than 30 years of operation. As a certified social enterprise, Projects Abroad aligns all of its programs with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and is driven by values of safety, impact, and cultural partnership, employing in-country staff and volunteer alumni to ensure every project adds real value to local communities. 

You’ll enjoy 24/7 in-country support from dedicated Project Experts, flexible start dates throughout the year, and a customizable placement — including midwifery internships — that fits your academic or career goals. 

Midwifery Internship in Sri Lanka

Projects Abroad’s Midwifery Internship in Sri Lanka places you in the maternity units of hospitals in towns like Panadura or Kalutara, where you’ll live with a local host family and shadow experienced midwives in theatre, labour, and postnatal wards. 

You’ll observe antenatal consultations and deliveries, rotate through different maternity units, and participate in monthly medical outreaches that bring basic health checks to disadvantaged communities. Regular workshops led by local doctors cover essential midwifery techniques, and you can optionally explore traditional Ayurvedic medicine at dedicated hospitals. 

Beyond the clinical setting, you’ll immerse yourself in Sri Lankan culture through homestays, social events, and visits to iconic sites, all while building a strong foundation for your future career in maternal and child health.

Midwifery Internship in Ghana

In Ghana, the Midwifery Internship places you alongside qualified midwives in busy hospital maternity wards in locations such as Accra, Cape Coast, or Akuapem Hills. You’ll shadow and assist medical staff with antenatal classes, labour ward duties, and postnatal care, gaining insight into the challenges of delivering safe births in resource-limited settings. 

Community outreach days — held in leprosy camps and local schools — allow you to practice vital-sign monitoring and basic wound care under professional supervision. With a minimum two-week commitment and year-round availability, this program welcomes interns aged 16 and over, particularly nursing and midwifery students in their advanced years.

Involvement Volunteers International (IVI)

Involvement Volunteers International (IVI) is an Australian charity and non-profit organization founded in 1989. Over more than 35 years, IVI has placed upwards of 25,000 volunteers in 100 projects across 20 countries. 

As a certified non-profit, IVI reinvests all fees into local partnerships, aligns its work with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and maintains rigorous health, safety, and risk-assessment protocols, including 24/7 in-country support.

Nursing & Midwifery Internship in Kandy, Sri Lanka

IVI’s Nursing and Midwifery Internship in Kandy equips future healthcare professionals with the cross-cultural competence, confidence, and practical insights needed for a successful global health career. Placements are at a respected government teaching hospital in Kandy, where interns shadow local doctors, nurses, and midwives in antenatal, labour, theatre, and postnatal wards under the guidance of departmental specialists. 

After a mandatory introduction week covering Sri Lankan culture, customs, and healthcare fundamentals, interns begin their observational roles, which may expand to hands-on assistance.

Volunteering Solutions (VolSol)

Volunteering Solutions (VolSol) is an international volunteer placement organization founded in 2006 that has placed over 21,000 volunteers across more than 25 countries. As a privately held UK-based charity partner of the WYSE Travel Confederation, VolSol works with local NGOs, hospitals, and schools to ensure sustainable, impactful placements underpinned by rigorous risk assessments and 24/7 in-country support.

Medical Internship in Rabat

In Rabat, VolSol’s Medical Internship invites interns to observe and shadow healthcare professionals in multidisciplinary hospitals and clinics, with the option to rotate through departments — including midwifery — to gain a broad understanding of maternal and neonatal care. 

• Observational Learning: Interns in the midwifery department shadow local midwives in wards such as antenatal, labour, and postnatal under professional supervision.
• Department Rotation: By rotating through midwifery alongside specialties like general medicine and pediatrics, interns build a comprehensive view of Morocco’s healthcare system and refine their career interests.

Participants stay in a traditional Moroccan riad within the Medina, sharing rooms with fellow interns and enjoying two meals per day. The program includes airport pickup, a one-week cultural and academic orientation, daily transport to the hospital, and fully supported in-country assistance to ensure a safe, immersive learning journey.

Finding the Right Midwifery Internships or Volunteer Program

You have plenty of trustworthy choices throughout the globe, such as those listed here. Consider your budget and preferences for location and activities/responsibilities. Think about where you can make the biggest impact and what program will benefit you most (both professionally and personally).

With careful thinking, you’ll choose the best midwifery volunteer or internship program. You’ll soon be packing for the trip of a lifetime.