Celebrating women-focused leadership training in the global nursing community

In celebration of International Women’s Day on 8 March 2024, THET is delighted to highlight a long-established partnership between the Burdett Trust, the Nursing Now Challenge and Health Partnerships between the UK and Uganda, Bangladesh, Tanzania, Ghana and Somaliland.

The THET Nursing Fellowship in partnership with the Nursing Now Challenge (previously known as the Nursing Now Challenge Fellowship) started in 2021 and has supported 109 nursing and midwife fellows to undertake dedicated training in leadership and quality improvement (QI) projects in their healthcare setting. The programme has focused on female comprised cadres (84% of fellows are female) like nursing and midwifery, with a commitment to raise the status of nursing and midwifery, and more widely of women in healthcare.

This programme, led by THET Somaliland Country Director, Nura Aided Ibrahim, who is herself a trained nurse, has equipped fellows with enhanced leadership, confidence and skills to raise the status of nurses and midwives. Excitingly, THET is continuing with the fellowship for an additional year thanks to funding from the Burdett Trust. In 2024, THET will bring in an additional 48 new fellows who will be supported by established fellows in leadership training and implementing QI projects. THET is also designing a mentoring scheme between UK health partnership volunteers and established fellows to strengthen partnerships and to increase global engagement and learning.

We are confident that the new iteration of the programme will continue to equip female midwives and nurses with confidence, leadership skills and capacity to influence. From the previous programme, 97% of fellows reported increase in leadership. In addition, the fellows implemented 38 QI projects which has raised their status in their work context.

We celebrate what the THET Nursing Fellowship in partnership with the Nursing Now Challenge has achieved in supporting women in global healthcare, and what it will continue to achieve in 2024.