Train 30 nurses: empower women and save lives

"Thanks to my scholarship, I have the opportunity to follow the training in health program administration which has allowed me to set up the Hospital Hygiene Committee at the hospital where I work."

ISSI has begun offering a Master’s programme in health care administration (MAPS), the first programme training Congolese nurses and midwives to take leadership roles in hospitals or in training the next generation of midwives and nurses. This work is crucial when just 12% of Congolese nursing teachers have the qualifications needed to teach.

It is impossible to quantify in exact terms the impact an opportunity like this has on the life of a health professional, their family and the consequent change in their clinical setting. Mamie’s story is an example of how MAPS not only changes a person’s and their family’s life but also how the training permeates their clinical practice:

"My name is Mamie, I am a single mother of two children and a nurse. I am a first-year student in the Master’s programme in health care administration (MAPS) at the Institut Supérieur en Sciences Infirmières (ISSI). Thanks to my scholarship, I have the opportunity to follow the training in health program administration which has allowed me to set up the Hospital Hygiene Committee at the hospital where I work.

I have also been able to apply what I have learnt through the various courses taken at the ISSI: conduct scientific research to answer relevant questions related to the nursing profession, keep statistics on our various activities, encourage my team to promote health in the practice of their profession, use basic concepts (dignity of the person, humanized care, quality of care).

After taking the hospital hygiene course and understanding the importance of this cell within the hospital, I felt compelled to talk to the hospital’s general manager, who agree to me setting up the Hygiene Committee. Then I contacted different department heads to tell them about the project, they were all in agreement and willing to work with me.

I developed the action plan and the schedule of activities, which I then presented to the members of the hygiene committee for validation, then we presented this plan to the general management, who gave us approval for the implementation of this plan, we organised the committee, trained the staff and developed the various protocols, and set up the operational team.

As a result, the level of hygiene has improved and so has the safety of patients accessing the hospital. After a few months, I was promoted to the position of Director of Nursing. Thanks to this salary, I can take care of my children properly as well as myself. I would like to thank my benefactors wholeheartedly."

Thank you for supporting the education of women like Mamie around the world.

With gratitude,

Nicole Bayes-Fleming and the WONDER team

“Having a scholarship is a great help for me and my family!"

The healthcare sector in DRC is drastically underfunded. Healthcare professionals who are trained to respond to national emergencies such as the Ebola crisis are scarce. More recently, ISSI has begun offering a Master’s programme in health care administration (MAPS), the first programme training Congolese nurses and midwives to take leadership roles in hospitals or in training the next generation of midwives and nurses.

WONDER is working with ISSI to offer scholarships for the MAPS programme. These scholarships allow nurses like Hyacinthe to support their families and continue their work whilst also sharing their knowledge with undergraduate students at ISSI.

“I’m Hyacinthe, I trained as a nurse at ISSI and currently work in the Dialysis Unit at Ngaliema Medical Centre in Kinshasa. I also work in the training of undergraduate students at ISSI, especially in all aspects of nephrology [kidney care].

I was encouraged by the doctors of the ‘Association des Néphrologues du Congo’ to train and support nurses who will take care of patients who need dialysis. In Kinshasa, more and more young people under 25 years of age are affected by diseases that require this care, which is a vital, expensive and difficult treatment for the majority of the population. I would like to advance my career and bring something extra. I have thought about how to achieve universal treatment of these diseases in the country, and I think that this Master’s degree will help me to make this dream a reality.

On a personal level, I can say that having this Master’s will also help my family because they see me more fulfilled when I do what I love. My husband encourages me and my children are motivated to study when they see me applied to my studies. I have two daughters whom I also encourage to study as women. I am aware that Master’s studies in a prestigious institution like ISSI have a cost and this is requiring economic sacrifices on the part of my family.

When I applied I wasn’t sure how I would achieve this but knew it was worth it. Having a scholarship is a great help for me and my family! I am truly determined to finish the Master’s degree with good results and contribute to the development of my country by offering quality care to the population, specifically by caring for patients with kidney failure.”

Funding for programmes such as MAPS is fundamental for the development of the healthcare sector in DRC. With almost no options to continue education onto a higher level, the health care sector is in urgent need of well-trained professionals that can respond to emergencies such as the Ebola crisis, however, without financial support nurses like Hyacinthe would not receive this training.

Thank you for supporting the education of women like Hyacinthe around the world.

With gratitude,

Camille Thirot and the WONDER team