Second Eldryd Parry Fellowship Awarded

We are delighted to announce the recipient of the second Eldryd Parry Fellowship, Fati Maimusa Alkali. She is a Senior Staff Nurse at University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital in Nigeria, holds a Masters degree in Public Health, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Education. She will be supported by a Health Partnership between Nigeria’s Borno State Government Agency for Sustainable Development and Humanitarian Response, and The Namu Project in the UK.  

The Eldryd Parry Fellowship was inaugurated in 2023 to honour the memory of Global Health Partnerships’ founder. It aims to support one health worker from an African country each year, helping them progress their career and contribute towards strengthening their national health system. Each successful applicant receives a £5,000 grant to execute a project over a period of nine months. 

Last year’s Fellow, Kokob Gebru Kidanu – lecturer, clinician, researcher of mental health at Mekelle University in Ethiopia and tireless advocate for women’s rights – used her award to provide mental health support for health workers dealing with traumatic gender-based violence and sexual abuse in post-conflict zones in Tigray, Ethiopia. 

This year’s project is titled “Continuous Development for Community Health Extension Workers”. Community Health Extension Workers are key frontline healthcare providers, but they are often overlooked for training and support, and aren’t given the tools or knowledge they need to effectively support healthcare in their local communities.  

This project aims to improve maternal and child health care in Borno State by enhancing the skills and knowledge of Community Health Extension Workers through continuous professional development and mentorship. The project will design a comprehensive continuous professional development and mentorship programme and develop training materials, modules, and resources focusing on essential maternal and child health topics, practical skills, and best practices.  

Fati Maimusa Alkali brings almost a decade of experience in the public and private health sectors, including as head of the labour ward theatre at Borno state specialist hospital, Maiduguri. She has used her expertise in Basic Essential Maternal Obstetrics and Newborn Care, Essential Newborn Care, Minimum Initial Service Package, and Forensic Medical Examination to improve available services by enhancing infrastructure and equipment requests, and supporting education, mentoring and capacity building within healthcare facilities.  

Fati Maimusa Alkali has previously supported the state government and numerous international non-governmental organisations including Action Against Hunger, UNICEF, International Red Cross and UNDP as an educator, coach, mentor and workshop facilitator.