As the sun rose over Melbourne on Day 2 of the 63rd Annual United Nations Department of Public Information/Non-Governmental Organization (DPI/NGO) Conference, the metropolis resonated with the buzz and big-city sounds of thousands of commuters and residents rushing to work. It is winter in Australia, so the warm sun is welcome. The Melbourne Conference and Exhibition Center is teeming with delegates preparing for the day’s activities. There are numerous exhibit booths in the main foyer, many from NGOs with which we are very familiar, and others that are new to us.
The larger NGOs, such as Save the Children, Rotary International, and World Vision, are sharing information, presenting in workshops and answering questions of other attendees about their projects and work. This is a networking conference. Collaboration, meeting new people, learning of the work of others is at the core of making change in the world. I’m surrounded by hundreds of attendees who are thirsty for knowledge and better understanding about how to make a difference in the world’s health. It’s exciting to see.
Throughout the day, I met many new friends and heard of exciting projects and events I felt may be of interest to you. Yesterday, Mimmie Claudine Ngum Chi, RN, MPH, a lecturer in community health at Victoria University in Melbourne visited with us, and we discussed the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) and our chapter and honor societies in Australia.
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| Joanne McGlown with Holly Shaw, Minerva Guttman, Cecelia Alvarez and Patricia Ukaigwe. |
A continuous, very energetic presence around the STTI booth is Patricia Ukaigwe, MSN, RN-BC, CPN. Ukaigwe, who is completing her doctorate at Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Henry P. Becton School of Nursing and Allied Health in New Jersey (USA), is national president of the University of Nigeria School of Nursing and a member of Lambda Iota Chapter. We finally got her to slow down enough to get a picture of her with the director of her doctoral program at Fairleigh Dickinson, Minerva S. Guttman, EdD, RN, NP, and Assistant Professor Cecelia Alvarez, RN, DNP. Alvarez is also chair of the Research Committee of the Philippine Nurses Association of America.
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| Marc Fuller of Pilgrim Africa shares booth space with Adelphi University and STTI. (Thanks for taking care of our booth, Marc!) |
STTI’s booth presence at this conference is in space shared with Adelphi University, the Nightingale Institute for Global Health and Pilgrim Africa. Robert “Marc” Fulmer is chief development officer and director of aid and relief for Pilgrim. The organization’s work involves public health, education, agriculture and other aid and relief efforts in Africa. Fuller and I shared a lengthy discussion of the success they’ve had in decreasing malaria through a multipronged approach that includes baseline testing, treatment, education and mass drug administration. As with many topics, there is much misinformation about malaria and its severe public-health implications for a population at risk. I was not aware that 80 percent of the malaria load is carried in the human, with only 20 percent in the mosquito; thus, the cycle of illness will not end until the entire population is treated.
Lack of access to clean water is a huge topic of discussion at this conference, and Fuller shared information with me on the “100 Wells Campaign” in Southern Sudan, and the work they have done with Samaritan’s Purse to provide biosand filters for clean drinking water. We also discussed an orphanage in Zimbabwe that’s in dire need of nursing assistance. Everywhere you turn, and with everyone you speak, there is urgency. The needs are often basic, and there is much opportunity for nursing to make a real difference in the health of the world.
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| Numerous exhibit booths are located in the main foyer of Melbourne’s Conference and Exhibition Center. |
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I attended a very involved session titled “The power of transnational civil society coalitions,” presented by Oxfam International, World Vision and others discussing difficulties in successful transboundary coalitions. It was stated that “the voices and realities of the people are the core” in bringing true change in accountability between a government and its people.
The two-hour session focused on the power of collective action and creating an enabling environment for change. The presenters stated that the “three Ps for power in coalition-building are passion, participation (broad-based and inclusive), and proposals. A coalition must be for something, not against it.” Another nugget of wisdom? “To be inclusive … , you must interpret the complex issues simply. Reality is very complex.” While I attended that session, fellow delegate Holly Shaw, PhD, RN, attended “Sharing best practices to advance global health,” a presentation of Hadassah.
Shaw and I met with conference chairperson Mary Norton later in the afternoon, who heartily agreed to participate in a press conference to discuss the critical role of nursing worldwide in achieving the MDGs and improving the health of the world’s people. Norton also shared with us that ABC News had filmed an impromptu hallway discussion on nursing by Shaw and Norton. Hallways are popular places at this conference. We often see groups huddled in discussion and debate, and everywhere new friends—there are no strangers here—are busily going about the work of their organizations and forming collaborations that they hope will help them move a step closer to their goals.
As the afternoon meetings gave way to the night sessions and activities, I was moved by the overwhelming health needs and urgency that exist in so many places on our small planet. It is impossible to attend an event such as this and not wonder, ”Why?” I count my blessings every day, and look forward to working with nurse members around the world to better understand issues related to improving global health, and learning ways we can work together to make a difference.
Good day from Melbourne! RNL
K. Joanne McGlown, RN, PhD, FACHE is global business development director, Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International.
Melbourne report: Day 1
Melbourne report: Day 3
