May 9, 2024 (Baltimore, MD) – Six nurses at Jhpiego were honored with The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses® this week in recognition of the compassionate care they provide to women and their families. Rosemary Njogu from Kenya, Elizabeth Kalunga from Zambia, Dora Lopez from Guatemala, Khotsofalang Komeke from Lesotho, Francois Biziyaremye from Rwanda, and Savita Garg Shukla from India received the award from the DAISY Foundation as part of its mission to acknowledge the exceptional work of nurses around the world.
The DAISY Foundation is a nonprofit organization established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes by his family. Patrick died at the age of 33 from complications of the auto-immune disease Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System). The care Patrick and his family received from nurses while he was ill inspired this unique means of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of clients, patients and patient families.
“These unsung heroes are seldom recognized for the super-human, extraordinary, compassionate work they do,” said Bonnie Barnes, FAAN, co-founder of the foundation. “The kind of work the nurses at [hospital] are called on to do every day epitomizes the purpose of The DAISY Award.”
Jhpiego is a global health nonprofit with more than 50 years of experience supporting high-quality health care in all corners of the world. The organization creates and delivers transformative health care solutions that save lives. In partnership with national governments, health experts and local communities, Jhpiego builds health providers’ skills and develops systems that save lives now and guarantee healthier futures for women and their families.
“As a nurse myself, I know how much dedication and compassion nurses and midwives have for the people they care for,” said Dr. Leslie Mancuso, Jhpiego’s President and CEO. “I’m thrilled these six recipients have received The DAISY Award in recognition of their hard work. Their accomplishments are outstanding and their commitment to Jhpiego’s work and the nursing profession deserves our praise.”
Nurses at Jhpiego were nominated for The DAISY Award through an internal process and winners were chosen by a committee of Jhpiego experts. Each honoree receives a certificate commending her or him as an “Extraordinary Nurse” along with a sculpture of a mother and child, called A Healer’s Touch, hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe.
“With the close of the pandemic, the work of global public health nurses and nurse-midwives has faded from view,” said Pandora Hardtman, Jhpiego’s Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer. “This award is a way to bring their amazing work back into the light while also contributing to the engagement of a healthier work environment and sense of community across the countries that Jhpiego impacts.”
Contacts:
The DAISY Foundation
Tena Carraher, (404) 285-9158,
tenabarnescarraher@DAISYfoundation.org
Jhpiego
Ann Lolordo, Senior Director of Communications,