'Humanitarian work opens up a whole new world'

How did you get into humanitarian work?

Previously I had lived in the outback of Australia with my family, and when we moved to Adelaide, I wasn't quite sure how to reintegrate back into city life. So, I decided to do a paper at Flinders University in International Disaster Nursing, which started me on my path to humanitarian work.

When I returned to New Zealand I applied to the Red Cross and did six assignments with them as a nurse educator, a midwife and a medical logistician.  

How did living in a remote indigenous community prepare you for working with MSF?  

Living in a remote area teaches you to be resourceful and resilient. You don't pick up your family and move to the outback for five years unless you're a bit mentally and physically tough, so this prepared me for working in low resource regions.  

What motivated you to join MSF?

I learned about the principles of MSF including bearing witness and speaking out, and was really impressed as that’s right up my alley!

I decided that I wanted to work in a war zone, as I felt the time was right with all my children grown up, so I could commit to a longer assignment. When I applied, I wanted to work in Ukraine, but my career manager explained that staff are placed where the need is greatest so you cannot choose where you go. I was placed on an assignment in Lebanon which I accepted. I worked there for six months and I loved every minute of it!

What skills or experience do you think prepared you for working overseas?

I've been a nurse for 41 years and a midwife for 30 years, so I have maturity under my belt. That time just flies but along the way you pick up a lot of experience and skills that prepare you for work on assignment.

What advice would you give to midwives considering applying to MSF?

Firstly, read a lot of blogs about it so that you get a real idea of what it is like. But my main piece of advice would be to do it. If you're considering it then you're obviously interested, so give it a go! I don't come from a religious background; I'm not there to save the world, but I just want to help my fellow humans. There is a lot of need around the world, so I think if anyone has any skills to contribute, do it. It's the most amazing, most rewarding, most powerful, most fun and most dynamic role that you will ever do. It combines every skill you've ever learned into one role, and it's just so much fun. I loved every minute of my assignment.

How does working overseas differ from your work in New Zealand?

When you work overseas, you end up being a jack of all trades. When I was in Lebanon, the rapidly evolving war in Gaza caused people to flee from the south. We then focused on building an emergency response team to support people arriving to the area. I was involved in recruiting midwives which involved reviewing applicants, selecting candidates to interview and running the orientation for those who we employed.

I was also involved in setting up a community clinic to provide medical assistance to Syrian refugees, because the transport from the camp to the MSF clinic had stopped. This involved coordinating staff and logistics for the clinic, which I thrived being involved in.  

A large part of the work on MSF projects involves supervising and training the national team so that they can deliver care long after you have gone.  

That's what I love about working overseas with humanitarian organisations, you aren't just there as a nurse or a midwife, you're there to do a bit of everything which keeps it really interesting and exciting. Humanitarian work opens a whole new world for you.  

What is your favourite thing about working on assignment?

I really enjoyed the camaraderie of the team—it was a mix of more mature people and young people. MSF takes people from all walks of life, all age groups and all occupations. Then within the international team, as people got to the end of their assignment it was quite sad because you would miss them, but then someone new would arrive with more energy and more enthusiasm. You get a bit tired towards the end of your assignment without even realising it, but then a new person arrives and is excited to be there and it reinvigorates the whole team.