I am only 30, but I am a widow already. My husband was injured in an accident, he needed a blood transfusion, and even though I work in a hospital we could not get him the blood. There are no free supplies like you have here in Britain.

We had two children, and I have left them with their grandparents so I can work here. I send all my spare money home to help get them a good education, and to help my parents as they get older. I save a little also for a flight home to visit them. Maybe the kids will join me here one day, I don’t know. It will only be possible if I know I have a secure job, and of course I will have to keep sending money home to help support my parents.

I live in a single room in the hospital, in a hostel with other nurses. Many of us are foreign because the hospital could not manage without us. The room is small and simple, but that’s okay, the rent is low, so I can send more money home to my family. On my days off, when it’s raining outside, I go a bit crazy stuck in there all day!