Alumnae Sophie is on a Mission in Guatemala

Midwife and alumna Sophie Khullar (nee Maule) is the living embodiment of St. Jeanne de Lestonnac’s exhortation to ‘stretch out a helping hand’ – along with her husband Sajan, a Paediatric Registrar, she’s currently volunteering in rural Guatemala with the missionary organisation Latin Link.

Sophie, 33, who is also a qualified Public Health Registrar with the UK Health Security Agency, has taken a sabbatical year with Sajan to embark on a seven-month mission in Guatemala with AMI San Lucas, a local Christian charity focused on empowering one of many marginalised groups in the country.

Based in the rural town of San Juan La Laguna, Sophie and Sajan are using their medical skills and experience to upskill local staff, improve child health outcomes and improve health education, maternal care and public health.

After a crash course in Spanish, she and Sajan started work at the Clinic before Christmas, with Sophie accompanying Clinic staff as they ventured into rural areas to continue community development projects such as water sanitation, financial advice and raising awareness of domestic violence. She has also started an evaluation of the clinic and is planning quality improvement initiatives. Meanwhile Sajan runs a paediatric clinic, reviewing cases of dengue fever, hepatitis, typhoid, malnutrition and many types of skin disease.

The mission is the fulfilment of a long-held dream by the couple to use their professional skills to serve others in a meaningful way, and they are grateful for the opportunities to both learn from and contribute to the local community.

Sophie and Sajan would be very grateful for your prayers and support as they continue their mission. As unpaid volunteers, they are relying on fundraising to complete their project so if you’d like to donate, please go to Support us – Khullars in Guatemala