Stella Nthiga, a registered nurse from Kenya, shares her motivations for doing humanitarian work.
“I started doing humanitarian work in 2007 after graduating from medical school,” says Stella Nthiga, a registered nurse from Kenya who has been a Doctors Without Borders (MSF) fieldworker for 4 years.
“The reason why I decided to join the humanitarian world is because it is the world that serves the people with the most needs. I joined MSF because I realised it was the organisation that gave the best quality of care and had the interests of vulnerable people as its main priority,” she says.
Stella has worked for MSF in Uganda, Ethiopia and South Sudan.
“While working for MSF in conflict contexts, we have had to work extra hours, and we have had to work with bullets flying all over our heads. This causes you to be alert, to be ready in preparation to serve at any point when you are called. So I can say that I realised I am able to work very well under pressure, and I am able to persist for longer hours than I thought I could.”
“Working with MSF has brought out the real reason why I chose to become a medic,” Stella says. “It’s helped me realise my passion to be able to reach out to the people most in need of care.”
Find out more about MSF's work in Uganda, Ethiopia and South Sudan.