“Finally, the repair of our maternity hospital is finished,” wrote our colleagues in the Ukraine. “Your beds are in refurbished rooms for patients with gynecological diseases and in rooms for women who have given birth.” We were overjoyed to see these beautiful beds, donated by Hong Kong’s Prince of Wales hospital, installed and ready to better serve rural women in need. The ‘before’ pictures of the beds they had been using showed old wooden bed bases, with uncomfortable springs and broken boards. Dangers in the birthing process can too often be a major challenge in under-resourced countries and communities. Any step we can take to help make that process safer, more sanitised and better supported is a privilege.