At the age of 34, Donna Mulhearn – a committed Christian – had grown disillusioned with her career as a journalist and political adviser. When she heard someone on the radio seeking volunteers to serve as human shields in Iraq, Donna – already opposed to the war and a staunch advocate of non-violent action – immediately knew what she had to do: despite the objections of concerned family and friends, she traveled to Baghdad to join hundreds of other volunteers from around the world.

But all too soon, as she tells Mike Wooldridge, things got complicated. The Iraqi authorities had very different ideas from their own about where the human shields should be deployed – and then Donna, along with other volunteers, witnessed scenes of carnage.

Despite all this, Mike asks, does she feel with hindsight that she did the right thing?

This programme is part of a recurrent Heart and Soul series, The Right Thing, which portrays people who’ve had to make extremely difficult life choices, guided by their faith.