Nurses for the Nations 2008

June 2008 Mary travels to the Amazon Jungles of South America on a medical mission trip to bring medication and needed supplies to the indigenous tribes in the jungle villages of Columbia, Peru and Brazil.

July  2008 The vision for Nurses for the Nations is born.  The organization is a grass-roots initiative whose mission is to serve global villages around the world through a ‘bottom-up’ approach in which nurses perform services that tackle multiple interrelated issues in villages through a targeted project specific to the country it supports. Villagers are requested to participate in the planned programs.

August 2008 N4N’s strategic business plans are complete. The official logo is created. Incorporation papers are submitted to the State of Georgia.

September 2008 Initial contact is established with the NIGH organization (Nightingale Initiative of Global Health).

November    2008 The 1023 form is submitted to the Federal Government on November 21st, 2008. N4N begins the waiting period for Federal tax-exemption. International regions of service are confirmed. Application for a federal DUNS number is submitted and obtained.

December 2008 A formal tele-conference ensues between the NIGH Organization in Canada and Nurses for the Nations in the US. Nurses for the Nations is introduced to Nora Mangou in Liberia, West Africa, administrator from the Florence Nightingale Institute of Health Sciences.

Nurses for the Nations 2009

January 2009 Nurses for the Nations’ world-wide-web is launched. Legal services come on board. The FNIHS in Liberia, West Africa officially asks for help.

February 2009 Nurses for the Nations receives word of tax-exempt status from the Federal Government. three months to the day its paperwork was submitted.

March 2009 The first N4N assessment team is formed to travel to Liberia, West Africa. Arrangements are made to visit diplomats at the Executive mansion.

April 2009 The President of Nurses for the Nations leaves nursing full time to run the organization.

June 2009 The N4N assessment team travels to Liberia and meets with the Vice President of Liberia, Joseph Boakai in a formal meeting; the Minister of Health, Dr. Walter Gwenigale and the Director of the Malaria Program, David Wessih. N4N also meets with Tabeh L. Freeman MD, MPH FWACP, Dean and Associate Professor of the School of Medicine, University of Liberia, and the representative for the Liberian Nurses Association. The team visits the local medical clinics outside the city of Monrovia and six remote villages near the Paynesville City area. The trip is made possible through N4N’s first grant funding award. N4N also brings needed medical supplies and medical equipment. N4N receives support and an open door from the Liberian Government through Vice President Joseph Boakai.

August   2009 Board of Directors continues to be appointed. Plans begin to return to Liberia for Phase II of the project to help create malaria-free zones in the six remote town-villages outside the Paynesville City limits in Monserrado county.  A donation is sent to the FNIHS to provide food for the villagers. Six village leaders are identified and appointed to be Health ambassadors and overseer’s for the project through the Nightingale Institute for Health Sciences.  The first annual Board of Director three-day retreat is held in Greensboro, Georgia. The Board of Advisers group is formed and Nurses for the Nations officially welcomes the advisory group to the organization.

October  2009 The FNIHS (Florence Nightingale Institute of Health Sciences) revisits the village’s in the remote areas outside Paynesville City to begin preparation and training for N4N’s return. N4N launches a major campaign to raise money for Phase II of the Malaria project to set up malaria-free zones in the villages earmarked for the project. The professional team members are selected for Phase II of the project. A Board of Director is appointed to assist N4N with national community outreach.

November 2009 Nurses for the Nations launches its new world wide web site. The professional nursing team to Liberia, West Africa is identified and have their first tele-conference in preparation for Phase II of N4N’s 2010 program. The diverse team is made up of Master’s prepared individuals in nursing, education, and public health. The first student joins the African service team. N4N continues to seek donations to fund the project.

December  2009                                                                                                                                                                                     On December 7th through December 13th, The FNIHS will follow-up with the Leaders who are being prepared and initially trained by the FNIHS and review activities in the villages they have been conducting after Florence Nightingale’s team visit in September 2009. They will identify health gaps and conduct a training need assessment. On December 18, 2009, they will conduct a one-day refresher in lower Margibi County before Christmas. The target is 25 participants for the one day training and will be the prelude to Nurses for the Nations team trip in January 2010. Nurses for the Nations and the FNIHS have continued to cement their partnership with each other and mutual work to establish the first malaria free-zone in the remote villages outside of Paynesville City. Through the partnership of Water of Life, the first water-well was installed in the FNIHS school compound. For the first time, the resident’s and children, will be having clean fresh water. All of the N4N supplies for the malaria 2010 village project have reached Liberia, West Africa safely for the team to bring to the remote villages.

Nurses for the Nations 2010

January-February 2010

The N4N team took off to Liberia, West Africa again, flying through Europe to get to the west coast of Africa: specifically, the group re-visited six villages involved in N4N’s project to treat, train and educate the villagers about the disease of malaria and set up malaria-free zones. The villagers were waiting for the team at stations set up for every three villages. Village leaders met at each of the village compound stations to help the team facilitate coordination with village numbers. Some villagers walked long distances to get to the main village hub where the team was stationed. Nurses for the Nations was able to distribute over 250 NETS to the men, women and children in the villages, distributing one to every two individuals. In addition, the N4N team performed health assessments, malaria testing, malaria treatment, counseling and spiritual care to the villagers in addition to distributing garden tools for farming and directions for latrine building. N4N was also able to distribute HIP packages (health-improvement packages) consisting of tooth brushes, soap, toothpaste, cups, deodorants, brushes, combs, washcloths, tissues, plastic forks, spoons and knives etc. to the villagers. The team handed out many toys to the children during their testing; thanks to the donations of Memorial University Medical Center’s Behavioral Health Services in Savannah, Georgia.

Nurses for the Nations spoke to the villagers about the power of community, importance of cooperation and respect for leaders and elders in their communities and cooperation with construction of gardens and distribution of food. The team provided opportunities for income and promotion of a better quality of life for the villagers. N4N partnered with the FNIHS group during all of its sessions and had an additional Registered Nurse and health care workers from Liberia on the N4N team. The team partnership was planned as a cooperative work effort to complete Phase II of N4N’s project to establish Malaria free-zones in the village region. The project was made possible by donations from the public and private sector.

Meanwhile, during the time the N4N was in Africa, Bob McMahon, VP of Humanitarian Services, John Matthews, CPA, CFE, Director of Logistical Operations and Michael Roberts, Owner of M+R Construction in Richmond Hill, Owner, construction builder and volunteer, helped process, facilitate and orchestrate plans for the Life Center for the organization. The building plans for the 5,000 square foot Life Center Building in co-partnership with the Florence Nightingale School and Living Bread Ministries in Liberia is being made possible, thanks to the generosity and work of G& L Residential Designs of Richmond Hill, located on Coastal Highway 17, Suite 202 in Richmond Hill, a professional member of the American Institute of Building designs. As a result of Residential Designs, the first schematics for the building (plans and drawings) are complete. Thank you to Bob, John, Michael and Residential Designs of Richmond Hill!

March – April 2010

Nurses for the Nations spoke at the Emory School of Medicine International Volunteerism Conference April 16th through the 18th in Atlanta, Georgia on empowering indigenous populations through a ‘bottom-up approach’ in service work that includes teaching and training platforms and village participation and involvement.

Nurses for the Nations was honored at the 2010 Tribute to the Community Stars presented by the Savannah Technical College Foundation’s Community Council, Friday April 9th, 2010 at a luncheon ceremony. N4N was sponsored by Bonitz of Georgia, a Commercial/Industrial Institutional Construction family -based company located in Savannah, Georgia. John Coleman, officially represented his company at the ceremony along with Mary McMahon RN, the N4N honoree representing the nursing non profit organization.

Nurses for the Nations will be determining dates to send an assessment team to Haiti and another team back to Liberia, Africa during their monthly BOD meeting this month, to forge ahead with the building plans for the Malaria Life Treatment Center and visit the six remote villages to retest for malaria infection and provide support to the village leaders and villagers.

May 2010

Nurses for the Nations President Mary McMahon,  spoke for National Nurses week in Maryland in an all day seminar called Transformational Leadership, Creating Lasting Value as a Leader and Mentor. The all day talk, included nurse managers, supervisors and senior nurse leaders from Maryland and Washington D.C. Mary discussed defining moments in transformational leadership for nurses, empowering the profession of nursing and encouraging nurses to be change agents for our society and world. Mary also shared about leadership values that motivate us and defined leadership styles that create lasting value in our organizations.

The Life Treatment Center plans for Liberia West Africa are complete. More to follow with N4N’s pictures and stories about the outpouring of support, help and assistance to Nurses for the Nations from the community of Richmond Hill, Georgia.

Nurses for the Nations posts their 2009 Financial Statement and Conflict of Interest Policy on the N4N Website. Nurses for the Nations filed with the Georgia Charitable Solicitations Act

Mary McMahon RN, is the invited speaker at the Georgia Nurses Association Meeting on May 18th, 2010 about N4N’s return trip to Africa and plans for the Life Treatment Center to be built in Liberia, West Africa. The Declaration for Compassionate Nursing Care is introduced and the first signatures launch the initiative for nurses across the United States and nations in the world. The declaration will be introduced on the world wide web and face-book the month of June for signatories that will go to the United Nations for endorsement.

June 2010

Nurses for the Nations Officers begins work on creating “Partnerships that Last”through the creation of strategic models that provide transformational partnerships, teaching and training modules to be utilized in field with Christian non-profits, churches and charitable non-profits. This will enable professional nurses to work in-tandem through mutually vested interests with other organizations in India, South and Central America and Northern Africa. The annual Board of Directors in July, will jump-start the models in order to move forward with expanding N4N’s work internationally.

The ‘Declaration for Compassionate Nursing Care’is introduced for signatures for future endorsement by the United Nations. The purpose for the declaration is now posted on the World Wide Web and invites all nurses, medical professionals and citizens in the United States and other nations to join with one heart and spirit and sign the declaration in support of compassionate holistic nursing care (physical, mental, emotional and spiritual) to all peoples of the world.

http://nursesforthenations.org/get_involved/sign-the-declaration

Nurses for the Nations is on face-book thanks to the efforts of our Board of Advisor Keea Taylor.

Nurses for the Nations submits financial records to the Secretary of State, Division of Securities and Business Regulation thanks to John Matthews, CPA, board member.

July -August 2010

The Board of Directors with Nurses for the Nations met in Richmond Hill for a three – day retreat to re-cast vision and structure of the organization. As a result of the three day intense meeting, Nurses for the Nations assessed the economic downturn and conditions of our economy and begun work re-channeling and implementing its ‘Transformational Care Model’ outreach nursing program in order to support and partner with National and International Churches and charitable christian non-profit organization’s.  This direction, in addition to its unilateral commitment to individual in-country partnerships N4N is presently working with, will additionally foster and further support the work for the under-served by partnering in tandem with Church officials in the work of the Great Commandment and Great Commission. This dually expanded transformational model will also additionally assist the Church with their medical programs with the poor and under-served in unreached populations. New Officer positions, in addition to Directorship and Board of Advisor positions will be expanded to accommodate the expanded vision. Richmond Hill Reflections was on board to take pictures of the N4N team, and our story,  is scheduled to come out in their September issue.

September 2010

Nurses for the Nations has complied with the filing requirements of O.C.G.A. and is officially registered as a Charitable Organization in the State of Georgia, and continues as a tax-exempt organization. Non profit organizations are legally required to file, after reaching specified donated fund amounts.

Nurses for the Nations will be holding an annual meeting with its Board of Advisers in September, to further discuss the expanded vision and future mission of the organization.

October -November 2010

Nurses for the Nations begins planning for its West African service outreach to Liberia to continue its project, Operation: ‘It only Takes One Bite. Make Malaria Disappear Once and For All.” New Board of Advisers have been appointed to the organization and Nurses for the Nations begins its first outreach to the African American Community in Savannah, Georgia. N4N reaches out to the public for donations to support their project and return to Africa.

December 2010

Year-end Board members concurred that Nurses for the Nations had a very successful year, despite economic downturns with the country in general and non-profits. N4N continues to grow as an organization and plans to expand its regions in 2011.

January – February 2011

Nurses for the Nations returned from its third service outreach trip to Western Africa on February 28th. The team continued its work with the disease of malaria and established new contact with the Bassa tribes. Plans are underway to expand to the Bassa tribe region to continue work with testing, treating, training and education with malaria upon N4N’s return. Meanwhile, initial plans are underway to start a small free clinic in the remote region through the church. N4N is working with the church with regard to supplies and training and has already been able to supply test kits and provide education.

Nurses for the Nations welcomes Board Advisers, Edward Peletier PhD, John Carpenter, Spiritual Advisor and Roland Bergeron, President of Water of Life. Nurses for the Nations has expanded their partnerships and joined forces with WOL to foster the transformational model of care which is founded on seven pillars for building communities. These pillars include the use of clean water, medical care and evangelizing.

In addition, The President and Board of Directors welcomes Beth Hines, an experienced Masters prepared mission nurse who has her Nurse Practitioner degree.

Nurses for the Nations and the Board of Directors, have recently re-organized their internal professional relationships to accommodate international expansion of the organization. John Matthews, our COO, will be working with the community and Church’s to rally support and financial provision for the continued work of N4N’s mission and vision, fostering partnerships that join in the work of indigenous evangelizing through the transformational model of care.

Beth Hines RN MSN, NP, will be leading the International region of India in Andhra Pradish near Kakinada. N4N will begin their work there with the Dalits, and be working side by side with WOL and Pastor P. in the lower caste villages. Medical and nursing intervention is sorely needed as well as education and training with the villagers. They are cut off from aid, hospitals and treatment because of the cultural beliefs in the region. A June assessment is planned by N4N along with the WOL team, who will be placing more water wells for fresh clean water to the isolated village regions. (Rescheduled for the fall season due to village elections)

Linda Altizer RN MSN is also a Masters prepared nurse and will be leading Western Africa. She is an experienced mission nurse who has professionally assisted in India as well as Liberia. She will be moving forward with the N4N malaria-project with the Bassa tribes, and continue the work to create malaria-free zones, through testing, treating, education and training of African villagers and chieftains in the remote villages.

Nurses for the Nations will also be expanding to the northern region of Africa, joining forces with the CRCA and WOL, to penetrate the remote tribes that live in the bush and have little contact with the outside regions of the country. This present service outreach trip in February by N4N to Africa, will cement the plans to go forward in this area with      the malaria project. In addition, N4N will be visiting a new land site for the proposed building of the Life Center in Liberia that will be more closely aligned to the remote villages where clinics and health areas do not exist for the poor. Meanwhile, plans are underway to start a small clinic for malaria testing and treatment through the Church with the assistance from N4N. Test kits and teaching and training have already been completed. N4N will be exploring the ‘mentor’ program in Liberia to assist and join forces with this training.

Nina Petrarca RN, BSN, is an experienced military nurse and will be leading the region of Guatemala. She will be assessing the needs of the region in the San Pedro region with the poorest of the poor. A May assessment is planned. She will be traveling with N4N’s BOA, Edward Peletier and Guatemalan Team to the region (completed-see May 2011).

Vicki Agyekum RN MSN, will be representing N4N in the Black Community and building relationships to support medical programs, educational in-services and training opportunities for the poor.

The Board deeply regrets to announce the resignations of Sally Welsh RN, MSN and Debbie James RN NP. Both nurses were extremely instrumental in supporting N4N during its growth phase and contributed many valuable ideas, voluntary work and strategy to the organization. Due to family and work commitments, both had to re-prioritize their work because of these obligations. They will both be sorely missed.

N4N will be preparing to search for two new board members in the future who will join the organization and present Board with its strategy and plans.

March - April 2011

Nurses for the Nations attended and spoke at the Global Humanitarian Conference in Atlanta April 1-3rd on the Seven Pillars of Transformational Care at the Emory School of Medicine. The talk was well received and N4N was able to rally more support for the Declaration for Compassionate Nursing Care both from the general public and physician’s from the School of Medicine.

Nurses for the Nations received its 2nd Grant, this time from the Christian Foundation in Alpharetta, Georgia, made possible by the S.L & C.L Valinet Charity Fund. N4N is deeply grateful to the Foundation and Valinet Fund, and there assistance with N4N’s service outreach for the 2011 Andhra Pradesh project in India. We look forward to reporting to both the Foundation and the Valinet Charity Fund, about the success of the project.

Nurses for the Nations has a new board of Adviser, Julia Fine RN Ph.D. Julia comes to the N4N appointment with years of nursing experience as an FNP (Family Nurse Practitioner), professor, writer, and national speaker. Her area of expertise in international work and women’s health (obstetrics and gynecology) will be of value in N4N’s service territories. She has also been involved with medical work in Africa and is warmly welcomed to N4N’s family of service professionals.

May-June 2011

Nurses for the Nations is in Guatemala this week (May 29th through June 5th) to establish and assess teaching and training programs in the San Pedro mountainous areas of the country-N4N’s area of focus: the sex trade and selling of children for money and goods in addition to helping identify and tackle health issues involved in this area. The N4N India team due to leave in June with Water of Life, re-booked the service outreach for the Fall season due to safety issues (with elections) in the region the team was traveling to.

The FNIHS has agreed to a mutual work effort with N4N to start a clinic for treatment of malaria and other disorders for the remote villagers and those West African Liberians who cannot receive treatment due to lack of access and money. The plans are to open the clinic three days a week.  It will be supervised by a Registered Nurse, and overall directed by the FNIHS. N4N will be supplying the test kits, supplies and medications. This clinic is a prelude to the building of the Life Treatment Center Plans.

The official N4N Operations Manual is complete and BOD members have approved its contents. The manual includes written guidelines and operational structures for service operations and nursing team outreach. Presently, all of N4N’s operations since tax-exempt status in February of 2009, has been run on a volunteer basis by very talented Board members, community volunteers and officers. Literally, thousands of hours have been sacrificed by all in the N4N movement. There dedication and courage and dedication of the nurses who have served in N4N international outreach, is truly starting to make the difference. We owe ALL of the success of N4N to the love and provision of God, who is working and moving through generous individuals who understand the value of the vocation of nursing and impact in the world for Christ.

July-August 2011

Nurses for the Nations had it annual three-day retreat at the Ebenezer Retreat Center this year. Board officers and board of directors finalized the MOU’s for the cementing of international partnerships in Africa.  Updated reports were also delivered on N4N’s mission areas, statistics on Africa from testing and treatment of malaria, and a three year snapshot of N4N’s financial climate and in-kind support from the community. In addition, N4N discussed mission dates for 2012.

September 2011

Nurses for the Nations team and the WOL team left for India to work in the Dalit villages and test, treat and train the villagers about the disease of typhoid, which is rampant due to dirty water access. The WOL team, and adviser Roland Bergeron, has been planting water wells for the villagers so that they could have access to clean running water. In addition, the N4N team, is showing the Madelena film, in the native language to inspire hope and Gods love and compassion with the untouchables.

When Nurses for the Nations shared about its plan to Build a Life Center in Liberia to support indigenous villagers with a new spacious treatment center for men, women and children so they could be treated for malaria and other physical, emotional, social and spiritual issues, Richmond Hill residents sprung into action. All of the work was donated free of charge by Michael Roberts Construction, G+L Designs and Jeff Lazenby of Pocket Media, all Richmond Hill business’s.

Michael Roberts, from Michael Roberts Construction in Richmond Hill, along with his wife Ashley, representing Pocket Media in Richmond Hill,  (Jeff Lazenby), took the N4N project to G+L Designs in Richmond Hill to architecturally design the 5,000 square foot facility, which includes treatment rooms, classrooms, teaching and library facility as well as pharmacy, lab, triage room and other assistive areas. Joanne Green and Gail Lemonds from G+L Designs also of Richmond Hill completed  the official architectural plans for N4N.

Left to right, Ashley and Mike Roberts with Bob McMahon, VP of Nurses for the Nations  standing near architectural plans that were posted onto the design board by Pocket  Media of Richmond Hill , Georgia .    

In 2004, Mike “jumped in with both feet” with his very own contracting company and believes ethics play a big part in the building industry. He shares that he would never build a home that he wouldn’t move his own family into. Today, Mike’s customers are his friends. If you are interested in building  your own home, you may email Michael Roberts Construction at michaelr23@coastalnow.net  or call 912.663.3141 in Richmond Hill.  Look up Roberts Construction company at http://www.Robertscc.com and see his work.

G+L Designs 

Pictured Left to Right, Joanne Green and Gail Lemmonds of G+L Designs in Richmond Hill, Georgia.                                                              

Joanne has had the experience of working on many homes at the Landings on Skidaway Island and South Carolina’s Belfair Plantation, Colleton River, and Oldfield Plantation among others. JoAnn is married and has two sons and four grandchildren. She loves bowling and traveling. Gail began her design career working with her father, Jack Pender. Together, they designed many upscale homes in the Savannah area, mainly the Landings on Skidaway. Following her dad’s death in 1996, she worked for a local residential designer, where she met JoAnn and they designed high-end homes, as well as speculative homes for builders.

Often a customer sees a home in a magazine, but it’s not exactly what they want or will not fit on a particular lot. They will take their ideas and design a custom home to meet every requirement from the ground up. Their knowledge and experience in design, aesthetics, symmetry, and products will help the homeowner make decisions for a well designed attractive comfortable home for every member of the family, including the pets.

They are professional members of the American Institute of Building Design, the Home Builders Association, The Chamber of Commerce of Richmond Hill, and the Women’s Business Alliance of Richmond Hill.

G&L Residential Designs likes to give back to the community that has been so good to them. In 2009 they provided the design for the St. Jude outdoor kitchen. This year they provided the home design for the 2010 St. Jude House in Richmond Hill, Georgia and also donated their services to the Home Builders Association Fund Raiser Home in Savannah, Georgia and Nurses for the Nations Life center in Liberia, West Africa. For house building plans e-mail green@glresidentialdesigns.com or glemmonds@glresidentialdesigns.com .

Nurses for the Nations Speaks at Emory’s International Medical Volunteerism Conference in Atlanta, Georgia

Nurses for the Nations was one of the guest speakers at the IMVC the weekend of April 16th through the 18th and spoke about empowering the indigenous through ‘bottom-up approach’ mission programs that help the poor create lasting change in their communities through education and community participation and involvement. The conference, which had guest speakers from all over the country, included Christian and other faith-based and charitable service organizations who wanted to make a difference in the world.

“The challenges of the poor are complex and daunting,” states Mary McMahon, President of N4N. “We can’t just treat and leave any more, we have to ensure that those we serve are provided with tools to transform their own communities.” McMahon stressed that the tools within N4N’s service sustainability model included spiritual support with individuals through prayer, counseling and dialogue about real issues. She also shared the importance of developing partnerships in countries by teaming up with other international and faith-based organizations; ensuring in-country medical workers and staff are utilized as co-partner’s during service projects. Mary stated that the needs were huge. Working together to create win-win strategies which make the greatest impact will hopefully, begin tearing down ’walls of territorialism’ between organizations. Emory accomplished this at the international conference. Organizations came together in a spirit of unity and understanding.

In January, N4N partnered in Africa during the second phase of its project to eradicate malaria at the village level, recently changing the name of the project to create greater awareness of the issue. The project, called  ‘Operation, Make Malaria Disappear Once and for All,’  combined N4N nurses with the Florence Nightingale Institute of Health Science, along with a Liberian RN and UAP’s (Unlicensed Assistant Personnel). In addition, the local church (Living Bread ministries) was there, to help support the team, bring the message home about spiritual and moral issues and support the team’s message about compliance with combating and eradicating the disease of malaria through treatment, teaching and training. Village leaders were included in the project and actively participated. Mary believes that churches are deeply ingrained in the social problems of the indigenous and understand the suffering they go through, so it is important to create strong networks in these areas in order to affect sustainable change. They (churches) play a significant role in the healing process with their own people.

Nurses for the Nations offers a holistic approach in their service model which includes the spiritual and mental aspects of care. ”Its always been a part of our nursing evidence based practice (spiritual support), we’ve just been silent about it for a long time. We need to be able to talk about it openly and acknowledge that ‘healing’ has a much deeper connotation than ‘cure’ when we’re dealing with treating the ‘whole’ person.

The four tools to empowering the poor? McMahon shares these points:

1. Don’t just treat medical illness and leave. Inherently, this is not a bad thing. We are called to serve the needs of others. But the ‘treat and leave’ method creates a connection of dependency. Finish up your project by providing some level of training and education. The poor and indigenous are very intelligent and want to learn. They may not have a ‘college degree’ but they have innate skills which makes them eager and ready to support their people with transforming their social and environmental communities.

2. Develop a strategy model which is focused and targeted with a specific area you and village participants can do something about. Start small. It brings big wins and lasting results. You don’t have to try and conquer the whole world at once. Life-giving change happens by working with one person, one village, one heart at a time.

3. Record your results. Take statistics. Your supporters want to see what you’ve done, how you’ve done it and if impact is being made. Remember, sustainability is also key to medical faith-based service work.

4. Finally, invite the indigenous to participate in your service model. Allow them to take ownership in their own health, social and spiritual welfare. Include the Health Department, Ministry of Health and in-country medical workers as a part of your project.

Four of Nurses for the Nations Board of Directors pose for a picture on the Emory Conference grounds – from left to right: Nina Petrarca RN, BSN International Field Operations, Vicki Agyekum RN, MSN Teaching and Training Programs, Sally Welsh MSN RN, National Community Programs and far right, Mary McMahon RN, M.B.A. MS Founder and President

N4N is not a disaster relief organization. It recognizes the tremendous work other organizations play in this area of service, but believes its particular nursing niche is to create models of sustainability so the poor can be actual participants in transforming their own families, homes and villages. The organization realizes this is a more difficult approach but sees this as a unique work they’ve been called to in the great commission.

“We believe that creating an environment of dependency with the indigenous we serve, is counter productive to them experiencing their own God-given gifts and ability to grow. There is a deeper way we are called to love others as part of the gospel message. ‘Love others as you love yourself.’ This is a hard concept to understand, because most of our lives, we struggle with figuring out just what that means and how that translates to serving others in the greater context of service. When we empower the under-served and support them through their own struggles to own their communities, we give them the fullness of freedom to accept the message we share with them-and that is, that a life changing relationship with Jesus Christ invites them to actively participate in their own healing process, develops more than just a connection, and fosters a relationship greater than themselves that will have tremendous significance for them now and in the future. It gives them fresh possibilities and perspectives for experiencing God’s hope, inner transformation and lasting change. We plan to stay that course, unless we’re convinced otherwise.”

Nurses for the Nations (N4N) just recently returned from Liberia’s six African town-villages: Loon, Kama, Garpeh, Duo, Biogar and Gblenyouway to complete Phase II of the project to establish malaria-free zones with the villagers and village-towns located in the rural areas of Monserrado County, outside the capital city of Monrovia. The project was made possible through donations which were funded and used for 100% of the project.

Entering Village at commencement of the project is N4N RN team members, Rhonda Brown RN, Vicki Agyekum RN, MSN and Liberian RN, Deddeh Darwolor (kneeling)

Nurses for the Nations supports the United Nations Millennium Development Goals to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, improve maternal health, empower women, reduce child mortality, teach, educate and eradicate extreme hunger and poverty. Specifically, N4N acknowledges the need to focus on issues with the sick and globally underserved at the participatory level in local villages where health concerns occur from lack of information and sound health practices, obsolete care or lack of available resources to produce sustainable outcomes. Nurses for the Nations utilizes evidenced-based nursing practices, delivering compassionate care and treatment of the whole person: the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual sum of the parts equaling the whole.

N4N left for Liberia January 26^th, 2010 and returned to the United States on February 6^th.  The team worked in partnership with the Florence Nightingale Institute of Health Sciences: by providing teaching, training, testing for malaria and emphasizing concrete steps through education, to prevent future malaria outbreaks. The project was the springboard to establish malaria-free zones in the six village regions and beyond for the local villagers. It also was the stepping-stone to provide a sustainable malaria-free prevention  health-model for future surrounding villages.

Mary McMahon RN, M.B.A, MS, N4N team leader organizing assessment table for commencement of project

The team consisted of eight members and six village leaders: N4N’s medical team (Vicki Agyekum RN, Rhonda Brown RN, Mary McMahon RN, and Justin Taylor, Nursing Student-unlicensed ancillary personnel (UAP), and Liberian’s Medical and UAP Team, (Administrator Hope K. Agbeko, Pastor/Counselor, Deddeh Darwolor RN, Samuel S. Gbor Jr., UAP from the Florence Nightingale Institute of Health Science (FNIHS) and Quasi-Nurse Program FNIHS representative and Administrator, Nora Mangou.

Pictured here, three of the N4N Team members. Vicki Agyekum RN, MSN, Rhonda Brown RN and Justin Taylor, Nursing student, Unlicensed Assistive Personnel, (UAP)

In addition, six village leaders (Mensa Thompson, Emmanuel Williams, Tay.Her.Sins, Siatta Gibbah, Munnie Pitman and Jessie Harris) and their representatives were involved in the project. The village leaders were instrumental in organizing village participation and assisted in streamlining the villagers for testing and health assessments. They also helped distribute N4N patient numbered armbands at the beginning of the project with each of the villagers for identification purposes with testing, assessment, distribution of health improvement packages and mosquito-nets. N4N offered teaching, testing, training, education and distribution of insecticide-treated nets (ITN’s), over the counter medications (OTC’s) to help with colds, coughs, relief from worm and parasite infestation and health-improvement packages (HIP), consisting of wash cloths, brushes, toothpaste, toothbrushes, plastic utensils, cups, soap and other hygienic articles including children’s clothing to the villagers. N4N also gave out donated toys to the children who required malaria testing.

Villagers, waiting to be tested for malaria

Six village leaders who participated in the N4N project. In this picture, they are getting ready to recieve the garden tools from N4N. Right hand corner, is Village Chieftan and Elder

The Florence Nightingale Team and village leaders worked in conjunction with N4N to support village organization, malaria testing (Liberian RN), HIP package distribution, N4N’s net distribution (ITN’s) and counseling (emotional and spiritual support) for the villagers during the team project. The project was the first ‘combined’ hands-on N4N international effort at the indigenous level where both United States and Liberian health team members coordinated and co-partnered with the planning and execution effort to eradicate malaria and establish a village-model as the ground-work for the six villages to remain malaria-free.

Deddeh Darwolor RN, Samuel S. Gbor Jr., UAP from the Florence Nightingale Institute of Health Science (FNIHS) partnering with the N4N team

The N4N team presented the six village leaders with tools for planting vegetable gardens and directions to begin construction of latrines. The village leaders named their future gardens for each of the six villages: Garden of Hope, Garden of Unity, Garden of Love, Garden of God Be with Us, Garden of God Is Able, and the Garden of God Will Make It. Water of Life is continuing to work with three of the villages for installation of fresh water pumps and wells.

Tools for planting vegetable gardens and construction of latrines for digging

Mensa Thompson, African team leader of Gblenyouway village-town, will be working with the villagers to establish the first latrine. Continued donations and financial support to N4N will help complete this project portion for the final construction. The overall objectives of the project were deemed a success by the FNIHS, village leaders and N4N. N4N’s objectives for Phase II were satisfied by all team members and village leaders.

Teaching and Training of the Villagers

Picture illustrations were utilized for majority of teaching sessions to emphasize the causes, treatment and prevention of malaria. Open discussion and question and answer periods helped villagers clearly understand the N4N lesson material. The N4N nursing team requested the villagers to give a verbal return demonstration of the information and instruction about malaria which reinforced their understanding of the disease and its causes. In addition, the N4N nurses and Liberian team demonstrated how to hang a mosquito net and reinforced its proper usage.

Teaching and Training Analysis:               

-There appeared to be no correlation at the ‘village level’ between the use of mosquito-nets for protection and the mosquito as the cause of malaria

-When asked about the cause of malaria, the villagers were unable to answer the question

-The N4N team discovered one old mosquito net in the village premises during the project; however, it appeared to be used for alternative purposes

 -The villagers were surprised that the ‘mosquito’ and its bite caused malaria

-Most of the villagers in the project stated that they and their children had contracted malaria in the past (based on self-diagnosis-see statistics).

-The villagers correlated only signs and symptoms of chills and feeling ‘hot’ to the touch as indications with having the disease

-Villagers admitted to cutting up prior nets and using them to wash and clean with, fish and perform other purposes with them. They also reported in the past of being afraid to sleep under them

-The N4N Team discussed environmental factors and instructed the villagers to begin filling in water holes, clean up garbage areas and avoid urinating/defecating in areas near the main village, using common ‘relief’ areas in designated locations until they could begin construction of the latrines

-Six tools for garden and latrine building were distributed to each of the six village leaders for the villagers to prepare their community gardens and help them with latrine digging and construction. Additional picture instructions on latrine building in addition to discussions and advice about vegetable planting were given to the six leaders.

-All villagers receiving numbered armbands were tested. Additional ‘late arrivals’ were also tested until all test kits were exhausted.

-Malaria infestation was noted in the village population during the assessment and testing phase (see statistics). Positive test results correlated with signs and symptoms of headache, jaundiced sclera, profuse sweating, irritability, aches and pains, weakness and fever. Pregnant women who tested positive (1) had to be referred to a local free-clinic for advice regarding treatment. She was in the first trimester of pregnancy. Her young child also tested positive.

Mary McMahon, RN Team Leader assessing young mother before malaria testing

Testing stations for Malaria

Forming lines at the Malaria stations

Common complaints and observations reported and assessed during malaria health assessment: 

-Stomach pains

-Generalized body aches and pains

-Worms in bowel movements

-Skin disorders

-Sore throats, runny noses, cough

-Vomiting and feelings of being too hot or very cold

-Sweating (profuse to mild)

-Large percentage of umbilical hernia’s with children and one large umbilical hernia with one male adult

-Undescended testes-per mother’s request-the nurse examined her young ten year old male child she was concerned about (the mother stated to the nursing assessment team he would not be able to have children in his later years). The Liberian male UAP was present during the exam and assisted the nurse with the child. The male child needed surgery and mother was advised to initiate contact with a local free clinic for further follow-up to a hospital for corrective surgery

-Abscesses (major pus infections) in the inner ears (two-male children)

-Urinary incontinence

-Body rashes

-Blood in the stool

-Diarrhea

-Enlarged liver’s with many of the male adult villagers

-Admission of ‘drinking’ alcohol in excess

-Jaundiced sclera (prevalent with over 80% of the villagers)

-One large leg ulceration

 Severe leg ulcer which was covered in dirt and filth before cleansing and treatment

Final Statistics:

-419 villagers or 95% of the total number of villagers in real time (440) were present for N4N teaching, training, education and testing portion during the project. Village leaders were also tested but excluded from the above numbers-categorized as leaders and facilitators

-83% of the total number of participants stated they had malaria in the past (self-diagnosis)

-Twenty-seven villagers tested positive for malaria or 7% (seven-percent) of the participants (30% were under the age of 5 while 70% were over five and under 52 years of age)

-A total of 258 ITN’s were distributed to village families. Villagers were instructed about net usage and were instructed by the Liberian team that follow-up would be performed after the N4N Team left Liberia to ensure nets were not sold or misused

-Village homes were inspected by the N4N Team on day seven of the project, to ensure nets were up and being utilized (see pictures)

-Village leaders were trained in basic health relief with accurate return verbal demonstration and understanding of instruction to support villagers with relief of common colds, aches and pains

-Villagers visited the counseling and spiritual support station for advice, coaching and assistance with emotional, family and spiritual issues

-Three major free-clinics were visited and given antibiotics, malaria medications, cough and fever medications and skin creams before the N4N team left Liberia

-Additional malaria test-kits needed to be purchased from a Liberian pharmacy for completion of village testing

Nurses for the Nations would like to publicly thank our benefactors and private donators for their financial generosity, our N4N project team members, Nora Mangou, Administrator for the FNIHS, Hope Abegko, Pastor and Counselor, the Liberian nursing and UAP team, MAP International for our supplies, insecticide treated nets (ITN’s) and medications, Water of Life for their continued work with well and fresh water installation, the N4N Phase II nursing planning team and all of the members of the Nurses for the Nations Board of Directors and Advisors, family, colleagues and dear friends. Your help and support has not only made this project a success but your commitment in time, service and money is allowing us to bring physical, emotional, mental, spiritual and environmental care to the under-served in Africa.

This was how your monetary and goodwill donations were used for Phase II of N4N’s project. We were able to:

-Provide four N4N team members for the hands-on project

-Provide malaria testing

-Provide health assessments and nursing treatments

-Provide teaching and training about malaria to the villagers

 -Provide education to the village leaders

-Provide counseling and spiritual support individually at the specific N4N station and collectively for the village group

-Provide insecticide-treated nets

-Provide health-improvement packages for the village families (wash-cloths, brushes, toothpaste, cups, soap, sanitary items for women, deodorant, plastic utensils, etc.)

-Provide donated toys for the children

 -Provide OTC’s for common ailments (colds, runny noses, minor aches and pains, flu-like symptoms)

-Provide relief from worm and parasite infestation

-Provide six tools for garden and latrine construction for each of the village leaders for their villagers

-Provide latrine instruction

-Provide three free-clinics in Monserrado county with malaria medications (ACT-combination Artesunate 50mg and Amodiaquine 153 mg both adult and children blister pack doses), antibiotics, worm and parasite medication and over-the-counter preparations before the N4N team left the country

-Cement health partnerships, promoting physical, spiritual and environmental models of care through teaching, education, training and treatment of the disease malaria

Nurses for the Nations has commenced with Phase III of its Project to erect a ‘Life Treatment Center’ to assist and treat more remote villagers and villages by providing  treatment, teaching, training and holistic support with Malaria and other diseases outside the Paynesville City area in Liberia. News about the Project, called ‘Partnership’s for Health’ will be forthcoming soon!

 The result of your generosity and support:

 Nets in the village homes are up

 ITN’s are being used

The Florence Nightingale Institute of  Health Sciences is collaborating with Nurses for the Nations and identified village leaders who will be working with both partners to establish the first malaria free-zones. The identified project leaders will help facilitate the program work with us in the targeted villages.

Pictured here, the Florence Nightingale Institute of Health Sciences with identified village leaders for the N4N Malaria project. Standing on the left, Nora Mangou, Administrator for the FNIHS and far right Sayr Joseph Numa RN, Medical Coordinator

Training for community health leaders in Kayma town in lower Margibi county through the Florence Nightingale Institute of Heath Sciences in preparation for N4N’s project is being coordinated by Nora Mangou, Program Director for the FNIHS and Sahr Joseph Nyuma, RN, Medical Coordinator for the Institute.  The training day provided the community leaders with their roles and responsibilities in providing basic community services, while also building their leadership and management abilities. Community leaders were informed about communicable diseases and basic preventative measures. There were 31 participants from the villages. Methodology for the workshop included:

1. Presentation on flip chart

2. Group Discussion

3. Collaboration

4. Demonstration and return demonstration of knowledge and training materials

Liberian families who live far from the local hospitals in Monrovia are without transportation and have to rely on self-help clinics for medical treatment; especially for malaria. Drugs are sparse and mortality rates from malaria are very high. In addition, maternal death rates are off the charts. Mothers acquire infection; experience postpartum bleeding and often have serious complications during labor that cannot be adequately taken care of with the few health care workers and physicians in the country. Liberia has only 60 (sixty) physicians to care for 3.3 million people and eight nurses to care for every 100,000 patients in the population. Self-help clinics have few teaching and training programs, especially in the areas of midwifery and malaria control; efforts are on-going but the needs are still great. Liberia needs the continued support of NGO’s (non-governmental organizations) to assist them. The villagers shared with N4N, that many NGOs promised their help, but never returned.

Nurses for the Nations with the Florence Nightingale Institute toured many of the rural clinics in Liberia.

This is a birthing chair in the local clinic. Maternal death rates are off the charts for women.

This local clinic is the choice place of treatment for children and adults in the Paynesville City area outside of Monrovia.

N4N is collaborating with Water of Life, a non profit organization in the United States dedicated to drilling water wells in remote villages in Liberia in order to provide the villagers with clean drinking water. They have identified three out of the six villages for installation of wells and have now installed the first water well for the FNIHS school and church compound.

Nurses for the Nations visited Liberia, West Africa  in June of 2009, hosted by the FNIHS (Florence Nightingale Institute of Health Sciences). During our stay, we met with the Liberian Vice President of the country, Joseph Boaki, the Minister of Health, Dr. Walter Gwenigale and the Director of the Malaria Community Programme, David Wessih. In addition, N4N visited all of the local clinics and remote villages outside the Paynesville City limits.

Vice-President Boakai assured Nurses for the Nations that our joint efforts with the government and Ministry of Health with N4N’s work to eradicate malaria would be supported in Liberia and offered his administrative office as a channel of communication if issues should arise. In addition, the Director of Malaria Control, Daniel Wessih, pledged his collaboration and joint efforts with N4N to eradicate malaria at the village level in concert with the country’s national plan to address the condition. In addition, N4N discussed with Vice President Boakai, Florence Nightingale’s program strength and its ability to bolster and support the role of nursing in Liberia.

In the Center Dr. Walter Gwenigale with Nurses for the Nations Team, Mary McMahon RN, Robert McMahon, John Matthews, Linda Altizer RN, Reverend Ben Attachie and Nora Mangou, Administrator  from the The Florence Nightingale  Institute, and  Ministry of Health and Social Welfare  Representative 

Nurses for the Nations and Liberian Minister of Health Dr. Walter T. Gwenigale discussed important contacts in Liberia to help support N4N’s ongoing support of malaria initiatives in the country.  In addition, Nurses for the Nations presented a letter from Dr. William F. Bina, Dean of the Mercer University School of Medicine in Macon Georgia to Dr. Gwenigale, Minister of Health and Tabeh L. Freeman MD, MPH FWACP, Dean and Associate Professor of the School of Medicine, University of Liberia to begin exploring opportunities and expanding mutual understanding between the Ministry of Health in Liberia and the Mercer School of Medicine in the United States.

Dr. David Baxter, Associate Professor of the Mercer University School of Medicine, Savannah Campus and Dr. Ramon V. Meguiar, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Memorial University Medical Center, Savannah, Georgia, not only support the work of Nurses for the Nations, but join as visionaries with the Dean of the Mercer School of Medicine to begin discussions on mutual goals in Liberia as we all seek to improve the health conditions of our citizens.

N4N was also able to bring needed medical supplies and equipment. Liberian nurses need support through government incentives to rebuild their nursing workforce. Salaries for nurses are very low and students cannot afford to attend nursing educational programs or further their schooling to advance their nursing careers. Local programs are in arrears because most families cannot afford tuition (approximately one US dollar per day). In addition, nurses who work in the surrounding clinics to assist the needs of the sick, work without payment. Sixty percent of the people living in Liberia are unemployed.

We are deeply grateful to our benefactors, especially the Julia Bass Teschke Charitable Trust who made possible Phase I of Nurses for the Nations Grant Project to establish Malaria free-zones  in Liberia, West Africa.  As a result of this gift, we were able to cement the ground work both at the government and village level to begin planning for Phase II of our project. During Julia’s life, she was passionately involved with mission work in Africa. Through her generosity of heart and spirit, she is still touching African lives today.