Nurses In Action

This National Volunteers Week, we want to acknolwedge the people who make the work of World Youth International and Nurses In Action possible - our extraordinary volunteers.

From the nurses and midwives who pack their bags and travel to Nepal, Kenya and Uganda to deliver hands-on healthcare in communities that need it most - to the corporate partners, supporters and advocates who give their time, skills and resources to ensure children have access to education and opportunity.

Volunteering looks different for everyone. But the thread that connects every single person who chooses to give is the same - a belief that their contribution matters. That they can be part of something bigger than themselves. And they are right.

This week we say thank you to every volunteer who has ever shown up for World Youth International and Nurses In Action. You are the heartbeat of everything we do.

Today is International Day of the Midwife, and this year's theme is one we believe in deeply: One Million More Midwives.

To us, this is not just a slogan. It is a shared demand, grounded in evidence and driven by the realities that midwives, and the women they care for, face every single day.

Behind every statistic is a mother. A family. A community holding its breath.

In 2023 alone, an estimated 160,000 women died from preventable maternal causes in fragile and conflict-affected settings... that is 6 in 10 maternal deaths worldwide, despite these countries accounting for only around one in ten of global live births.

Six in ten. In settings where health systems are already stretched thin. Where skilled care before, during and after birth is disrupted or simply out of reach. These are not inevitable losses. They are preventable, and midwives are central to the solution.

Midwives could provide around 90% of essential sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn and adolescent health services. Yet in the communities that need them most, they are too often absent, unsupported, or not enabled to work to their full scope of practice. And, that has to change.

When midwives are educated to international standards, fairly paid, properly regulated and truly integrated into health systems, outcomes improve. Maternal deaths decrease. Care becomes more accessible, more respectful, and more consistent. Investing in midwives is one of the smartest, and most human, investments a health system can make.

This is why our Nurses In Action midwife volunteers show up in Nepal, Kenya and Uganda, sitting alongside local health workers, supporting mothers, and showing up for communities where skilled midwifery care is limited. It is a small part of a much larger picture. But every woman who receives skilled, compassionate care during pregnancy and birth matters. Every single one.

Today, the world is already listening. It is our moment to speak clearly, together, about what must change. The world needs one million more midwives.

These words, written of the nurses who served in war, carry a truth that transcends time. Steady hands in uncertain places. Gentle kindness in the hardest moments. Showing up, fully, quietly, completely, for the person in front of them. It is a spirit that lives on.

Nurses are the ones who stay. Who sit with the frightened and speak calmly into chaos. Who carry clinical precision in their hands and deep humanity in their hearts. Who work through exhaustion, witness suffering, and return the next day ready to do it all again.

They are advocates, educators, diagnosticians and caregivers - often all at once, often without recognition.

The uniform has changed. The foundation hasn't.

On this ANZAC Day, we honour the nurses who came before, and we thank every healthcare worker who continues to carry that legacy forward. Today and always.

Lest we forget.

From Annapurna to Pokhara, and beyond, our Nurses In Action volunteers have spent recent weeks doing what they do best - rolling up their sleeves and showing up for communities across Nepal. In various health camps our volunteers saw and treated children, adults and elderly community members with comprehensive and compassionate care. And when we say comprehensive, we mean it!

Our volunteer nurses and midwives delivered:
💙ECG checks and cardiovascular assessments
💙Blood draws and vital signs monitoring
💙Respiratory assessments
💙Psychiatric and mental health screenings
💙Endocrine condition checks
💙Pelvic floor and breast screenings
💙Dental assessments including cavities and tooth decay
💙Skin checks covering acne, dermatitis, dandruff and more
💙Hypertension monitoring
💙 and so much more 💙

From young children to grandparents, no case was too small and no person turned away. Watching a child receive care they may never have had access to, or an elderly community member finally have their blood pressure checked - these are the moments that remind us exactly why our work matters.

To every nurse and midwife who gives their time, their expertise and their heart - thank you. You are what makes Nurses In Action.

Some things about being a nurse genuinely feel like April Fools jokes… until you realise they’re just part of the job.

From missed breaks to constantly being on your feet and thinking about your patients long after your shift ends, nursing is unpredictable, demanding and somehow still so rewarding at the same time.

If you’re a nurse or nursing student, you’ll get it.