Every Day Is Women’s Day – Hear from Those Shaping Women’s Care Around the World
Every year on International Women’s Rights Day, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reflects on the women at the heart of our work — as patients, as caregivers, and as leaders within their communities. In 2024, sexual violence in conflict zones rose by 25 per cent compared to the previous year, with women and girls targeted in 92 per cent of cases. Today, 1.63 million women and girls of reproductive age urgently need healthcare. Among them are more than 160,000 pregnant women, with an estimated 54,000 births expected in the next three months.
At a time when reduced global aid and increasing hostility toward gender equality threaten hard-won progress, women’s health needs are too often marginalised. Although MSF is not exclusively a women’s healthcare organisation, most of our patients are women and children. In conflicts, epidemics, and natural disasters, women are disproportionately affected and face heightened barriers to care. That is why we adapt our services to local cultures, bring emergency obstetric and reproductive healthcare closer to communities, and provide treatment free of charge.
In this special feature, five MSF healthcare workers from around the world share their first-person testimonies, reflecting on the challenges women face in accessing care and the strength they witness every day. Because for the women we serve — and those who care for them — every day is Women’s Day.
My name is Farah Nasser. I am the medical coordinator of MSF in Syria.
My dream as a woman is to be able to reach many communities and to have an impact on those communities.
I wish for women around the world to have equal opportunities in the society - to be able to achieve their ambitions without discrimination.
A woman from the world who inspired me is a woman who had the ability and courage to talk about her principles and defend them despite what might happen due to such defence.
My name is Victorina Alaiha and I work as a nurse.
My dream as a woman is to one day be in a position where I can inspire other women (leadership, management, etc.).
During the time I worked as a nurse in communities, there were situations that shocked me greatly in relation to women's health. They (women) could not make decisions about their own bodies, even though there were no physical or psychological impediments. Their husbands decided when to have children, when to have abortions, and if they were ill, what procedures they could undergo, even if their lives were at risk. Not to mention the choice of contraceptive methods that some of them (women) used secretly because their partners and families did not want them to. They only use contraception if their husbands allow it, and usually they never do. These scenarios were extremely shocking to me. One challenge I would like to share from my professional journey was related to the sexual and moral harassment we suffer in the workplace. They treat your body as if it does not belong to you. If you set boundaries, you are labelled as annoying and isolated from the group. If you are in a leadership position, it is because you are friends with so-and-so, or the girlfriend of such-and-such, and you are not capable of doing the job. They attribute all your success to a male force behind you or something other than your own efforts, simply because they consider you inferior for being a woman.
One woman who inspired me was Enrica Colazo, who was the coordinator of the Mueda project, Mozambique. Enrica inspires me because I see in her a reflection of what I would like to be one day (an inspiring woman, even if only in my community). The way she solves her problems, her confidence, motivating energy and the trust she conveys make me think, ‘Wow, this woman is so good at what she does! Will I ever be able to do half of what she does?’
My name is Judith Elavian. I work in humanitarian health with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), supporting the Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) Working Group in advancing learning initiatives across our programs.
My work focuses on ensuring that healthcare workers receive training that is adapted to their context and delivered in ways that support how they learn best, so they can provide quality essential health services to the communities they serve.
My dream as a woman is to see a world where women and girls can access quality healthcare without fear, stigma, or financial barriers. I dream of a future where women are decision-makers in health policies, where maternal deaths are preventable and prevented, and where young girls ( adolescents) grow up knowing their voices matter and their health is a priority.
One of the biggest challenges in women’s health is access — not just to facilities, but to accurate information, respectful care, and the autonomy to make informed decisions. Many women still face financial dependence, stigma around reproductive health, and limited awareness of their rights. My goal is to promote respectful maternity care through education and awareness, ensuring women are not just patients, but active partners in their healthcare. Women’s health is not only a medical issue — it is a matter of dignity and social justice
I draw inspiration from two groups of people. First, our locally hired female staff who show up day after day to serve their communities, even when their own circumstances are challenging. Their resilience, dedication, and courage form the true backbone of humanitarian work. Second, the remarkable women in Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) — from medical staff to logisticians, human resources, finance, communications, fundraising, EDI, coordinators, Advisors and Heads of Mission — who quietly lead in complex, often insecure contexts.
Their leadership and compassion remind me that humanitarian work is not just about responding to emergencies, but about upholding dignity, persistence, and humanity. They show that leadership does not need to be loud; steady, consistent service often leaves the greatest impact.
My name is Cynthia Matildes. I am a psychologist and work as a mental health activity manager on projects run by Médecins Sans Frontières in Nigeria.
Most of my experience comes from contexts of armed conflict and situations where people are exposed to violence, displacement and other crises. I accompany people who have had traumatic experiences and offer them psychological care using a trauma-informed approach that focuses on their dignity and safety.
My dream is for all women to be able to live in a world where we feel safe, without fear and with full respect for our rights. I dream of continuing to support women and girls around the world, especially those who live in contexts where violence prevails or their dignity is constantly violated. I want us all to have access to basic services that enable us to live in autonomy and dignity, including free health care services. I also dream that the mental health of women and girls will be seen as a priority: that our emotional well-being is important, that suffering is not hidden, and that it is always safe and possible to ask for help.
In my work with Médecins Sans Frontières, I am often in close contact with girls and women who experienced sexual and gender-based violence. I have accompanied women and girls who have had deeply painful experiences, including assaults by multiple perpetrators and, in many cases, revictimisation by members of their community, authorities and even health workers.
This is a major challenge, as in many of the contexts in which we work, there is a significant lack of resources and safe spaces for survivors. In situations of active conflict and displacement, women continue to be at constant risk and face not only violence and the associated trauma, but also stigmatisation and silence.
One of my goals is to strengthen safe, confidential and culturally sensitive care models and ensure that women have access to comprehensive health services that care for both their physical and mental health. I also believe it is essential to continue working with other organisations to advocate for the human rights of all women and promote an environment where their dignity is protected and respected.
At Médecins Sans Frontières, there have been and continue to be many women who inspire me. They have been and continue to be mentors, companions and friends, and I have learned something valuable from each of them. I have had the opportunity to work with extraordinary women: psychologists, doctors, health promoters, midwives, nurses and community leaders. I am deeply impressed by the empathy with which they work, their commitment to their patients and the strength they show even in the most complex situations.
On International Women's Day, I think of them. Of their resilience, their often quiet leadership, and the way they support other women even in the midst of war, displacement, and crisis. They remind me that the impact we make as women is not always visible, but it is profound and transformative.
My name is Victória Bertina Francisco and I work as a Psychologist with Médecins Sans Frontières on the emergency project in Erati, Mozambique.
My dream as a woman is to live in a society where gender differences are not used as a limiting factor, but rather as a force for empowerment, equality and unity.
One of the biggest challenges in women's health is the normalization of gender-based violence by the survivors themselves. Many grow up believing that certain types of violence, especially within marriage, are normal. This makes it difficult to seek support and perpetuates cycles of silent suffering, profoundly affecting mental and physical health. In addition to responding to cases, it is essential to invest in prevention and awareness strategies that begin in adolescence.
What inspired me most at MSF was seeing several women in leadership positions, something that is still not very common in our reality. This reinforced my belief that we can indeed occupy decision-making spaces. In particular, I would like to highlight Sara, who was the coordinator of Mueda project, for the firm and strategic way in which she led the closure of a long-running project. Her leadership was truly inspiring.
