Africa
In most of Africa the first healthcare worker to provide care to a patient is a nurse. With nurses being the most widely spread and available health professionals on the continent, their role cannot be overestimated. In large parts of Africa, decades of war, conflict and instability have left its people with limited access to basic healthcare services, and nurses may face many challenges.
Member countries in Africa
Ghana
President: Joe Virtue AdaeEmail: nurseschristianfellowshipghana@yahoo.co.uk
The Mission of NCF Ghana is to communicate Jesus Christ and Christian principles in the professional nursing arena through capacity building, evangelism, networking and collaborating to support the government’s effort in the provision of quality holistic health care.
We believe that: man is created to be an integrated whole biological, psychological and spiritual being, we believe working in all these areas to restore health with the involvement of Christian nurses; believe spiritual wholeness begins when the patient is brought into a vital relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ; the nurse as a vital change agent is involved as member of the health team in retaining and maintaining man’s wholeness during times of health, illness or dying.
The Fellowship of Christian Nurses, Nigeria (FCN) was established in 1960 at the Vom Christian Hospital located in Plateau State, North Central Nigeria. It was was primarily a student fellowship. Students from some Christian mission hospitals across various part of Northern Nigeria who were former members of the Fellowship of Christian Students (FCS) between 1957 and 1960 constituted the bedrock of the fellowship when formed. Later, registered nurses were attracted and became involved in the activities of the fellowship due to the uniqueness of the fellowship for Christian Nurses and Christian Nursing.
FCN aims to promote and encourage efficiency in holistic care of patients by nurse and other health workers, who are called by God and posted by Him to serve in His vineyard. It also aims to promote high standards in nursing practice in Nigeria through facilitating and coordinating health programmes and building professional and spiritual capacities for addressing health needs and standards of practice within and outside our health facilities.
FCN Headquarters are in Jos Nigeria.
The next generation of Christian nurses in Nigeria
Since 2012, FCN Nigeria has held annual conferences with increasing numbers attending. The 2017 Annual Conference was unique as it hosted a National Leadership conference that widened the scope of the forum to embrace young Christian graduate nurses, in line with the concept of the Nurses Christian Fellowship International (NCFI) Next generation Forum. For the first time, the conference was held under the auspices of the ‘Next Generation’ and participants were filled with joy and excitement to be part of this development.
Sierra Leone
A growing NCF in Sierra Leone is working toward becoming a member country of NCFI. NCF first commenced in 2002, then following a break of several years was recommenced in 2015. Our aims are: to bring nurses to the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ; to sensitize patients about faith, to teach nurses about ethics towards patients and their relatives, and their nursing colleagues.
There are now four NCF Groups. The National Council group in Freetown is the regulating body of NCFSL, and the younger generation of NCFSL have formed a student group. As well as regular meetings, some other activities are: Radio interviews and TV programs; faith outreach programs to the hospital, and community; local conferences for all the Groups, and a national conference every two years.
Zambia
Contacts:malitam@hotmail.com or judymumba@yahoo.com
Zambia NCF is a Christian professional organization working among nurses in Zambia to bring Jesus Christ to nurses (evangelism), promote excellence in nursing and facilitate care of care givers
Our objectives are: to introduce nurses to a personal faith, to unite nurses who desire to witness for Christ, to encourage spiritual growth and Christ likeness through prayer, bible study and related teaching, to promote high standards of nursing including the spiritual dimension of patient care by integration of the Christian faith in nursing practice and education.
ZNCF has influenced many nurses’ lives and care giving thorough seminars held at hospitals and National camps and conferences as well as weekend conferences for student nurses, magazine now called “Solace for you” and other Christian literature. ZNCF hosted Regional Conferences in 1974, 1982, 1998 and 2006 with participants from Ghana, Nigeria, Zimbabwe and Tanzania.
Currently, ZNCF is active in more than 20 nurse training schools and work is being done to introduce it in several others.
Establishment of NCF in Zambia
Nurses’ Christian Fellowship was introduced in Zambia in 1964 by missionaries. During that time small groups of Christian nurses met together for fellowship mostly at Evangelical Mission Hospitals. In 1971, the small groups came together to form the National NCF named as Zambia Nurses’ Christian Fellowship and in 1972, ZNCF became a member of Nurses’ Christian Fellowship International. At that time the General Secretary was Ann Harper and the traveling staff worker was Sue Willan. Both were British nurses.
In the following years, several other British nurses served in NCF until 1980 when we had the first involvement of Zambian nurses in NCF work with Ms E Chelewa taking over Chairmanship and was later succeeded by Mrs. Edith Simfukwe. In 1984 we had the first Zambian full time worker – Ms Elizabeth Halale who served until 1992. And Ms Catherine Namonje also served as traveling staff from 1987 until 1995. The first Zambian General Secretary was Mrs. Elizabeth Chirwa currently serving as a missionary in Jamaica In 1995, Miss Loice Chipere joined NCF taking over from the late Ms Catherine Namonje and in 1998 she became General Secretary of the organization and served till 2017. Currently we have a part-time staff worker.
Uganda
Nurses and Midwives Christian Fellowship Uganda (NMCFU) seek to see Christian nurses and midwives in Uganda living out their faith in their professional practice.
Activities include: bi-weekly Bible studies and clinical topic discussions, monthly fellowship meetings, focused webinars on various topics, Short-term medical missions, and Prayer Days.
NCFI Africa also has contacts in
The establishment of NCFI Regional work in Africa.
The Fellowship of Christian Nurses in Nigeria was established in 1960. Eight years later Micah Tswabki became the first indigenous staff member of FCN in 1977. He was appointed as the General Secretary when Grace Stokes, the previous General Secretary was about to return to England. Between 1983 and 1985, Micah gave strong leadership to FCN Nigeria as the National President and was later appointed as General Secretary.
In his role as General Secretary Micah was an active member of the NCFI Executive and Board member. Later he accepted a staff position as the NCFI African Regional Coordinator, having previously carried out this role on a volunteer basis. In this position he travelled extensively in Africa working with missionary zeal to reach nurses and support Nurses Christian Fellowship groups across the vastness of Africa. Despite the difficulties of travel, he organized numerous visits to several countries taking him to Ghana, Zambia, Kenya, Niger, Uganda and Ethiopia.
Having Micah as an NCFI staff member working in Africa enabled the NCF groups in the continent to access programs and information about NCFI, and a strong NCFI region was established.