Nursing Now Malawi was launched on International Nurses’ Day, 12th May 2019. The event was attended by nurses from across the country and government officials from the Ministry of Health and Population headquarters. Regional Advisor for the Nursing Now campaign, Judy Khanyola attended the launch event and commended the country’s leadership in launching the campaign. She discussed the objectives of the Nursing Now campaign, and inspired the nurses and midwives present to participate and make the most of the opportunities that 2020, the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife will bring.
In September 2019, Tulipoka Soko, Director for Nursing and Midwifery services, Malawi, set up the Nursing Now Malawi taskforce. The aim of the taskforce is to champion the Nursing Now campaign, and establish the Nightingale Challenge in Malawi, mobilising necessary resources and providing support and direction.
The committee has since conducted four meetings which have provided the opportunity to plan Nursing Now Malawi activities for the coming year. One such activity is the implementation of the Nursing Now Malawi mentorship programme. The goal of this programme is to assist in developing nurses and midwives aged 35 years and younger in becoming leaders, innovators, and advocates within the multi-disciplinary teams in which they operate. This mentorship programme will assist approximately 50 nurse and midwives mentees to develop their leadership skills. To kick off the mentorship programme, we intend to hold an event to discuss the objectives, and address any questions regarding the implementation of the programme.