'It was an eye-opening year. You learn about how people around the world are dealing with simple issues that, for us, are so easily treated – like malaria – which they're just not able to address due to a lack of availability and access to necessary resources.

'Now, my work for Students for Global Health involves attending meetings, taking minutes, promoting events – for example, we organise career events where we recruit experts from within the field of global health. Our aim is to motivate students from both medical and non-medical fields to get involved; we need people from all walks of life to take part to help fulfill our vision for a fair and just world in which equity in health is a reality for all.'

Lamia has also started volunteering for Health Poverty Action, a London-based charity which works with disadvantaged groups in Africa, Asia and America to improve access to and quality of healthcare. Throughout 2018, she will work on the organisation's As One campaign, raising awareness of communities with poor access to healthcare and the doctors struggling to provide them with adequate medical attention.

'I came across Health Poverty Action through social media; there's a close network in the UK of like-minded people and organisations. It was exciting hearing about the campaign; it aligns closely with my own passions, so I was really excited to get involved. The campaign is currently in its developmental stages, but I'm hoping to get involved a lot more in advocacy and fundraising, plus working with doctors and the medical committee leading the initiative.'

Volunteering for global health

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Volunteering for global health