ICN awards its first ODENNA programme funding prizes after stiff contest between participating National Nurses Associations

ICN’s Organizational Development of National Nurses Associations (ODENNA) programme has awarded its first funding prizes to four participating National Nurses Associations, following intense training and a rigorous competition during May and June 2024.

The training and subsequent pitching exercises, which involved participants presenting their projects in simulated, three-minute pitches to would-be funders, led to significant positive outcomes for participants and NNAs, including:

• Improved ability to articulate project ideas and their value to funders.
• Enhanced clarity on their project’s scopes, budgets and messaging, and improved overall planning and presentation skills.
• Increased ability to pursue additional funding, with many teams actively engaging new funders in real life, based on their refined proposals.
• Transformative professional development gains for the participants.
• The provision of cash awards and seed funding for teams meeting specific performance criteria, supporting the progress of their projects and reinforcing the programme's role in building sustainable NNA operations.

Nursing Associations representing 23 countries (see below), four French speaking and 19 English speaking, took part in training on articulating project ideas and enhancing their clarity when describing the scope of their projects and budgets, their messaging, and their overall planning and presentation skills.

Participants from the four winning countries, Somaliland, Tanzania, Rwanda and Ghana, expressed their gratitude for the important lessons learned in the pitching process.

Asma Hassan Ahmed from the Somaliland Nursing and Midwifery Association said preparing for the pitching exercise and the help she received from the ODENNA Team has enabled her to realise her strengths and put them into practice. The Somaliland project will see nurses trained as ‘clinical teachers’ who will pass on their skills to nurses in their everyday practice.

All the doubts and the fears that I had, and the hesitation are gone, and now I have a stronger drive to apply for further funds for my projects. I feel like I'm unstoppable, and people tend to see now that I'm more confident. Somaliland has been struggling with civil war for 30 years and we lost a lot of our infrastructure during the war, and so what we have is not enough. Our nurses have felt left out for years, that they are the forgotten soldiers. Our project means that they feel seen for the first time.

‘I want to thank the ICN for giving me the opportunity to be part of the project and joining them for the two Leadership for Change workshops, and I think I would advise anybody who is from any NNA to take part in the ODENNA Programme: it is a very effective programme that has changed my life. And not only that - it's going to change other people's lives, my community, and it has already changed the nurses at the hospital. ICN might not see it, but ODENNA has a huge umbrella of change. So, thanks to the ICN.

Kija Malale from the Tanzania National Nurses Association said the whole ODENNA experience, including the pitch exercise, has transformed the way he works. He said he hopes to pass this transformation on to his colleagues in the NNA and in nursing more widely. Dr Malale said:

Through the ODENNA programme I have come to realize that leadership has a significant impact in health care delivery. All changes start from the leaders, and if we have transformative leaders in the country, that means we are going to have policies that will address the needs of our citizens.

‘This transformation starts from the person, and starting from myself, I see the difference since I took part in the ODENNA programme. Now I'm becoming a transformative leader, and I am speaking positively about change.

‘On behalf of the NNA in Tanzania I would like to say that we are grateful for the award that ICN gave us, and we hope that we are going to be able to implement what we promised in out pitch: to develop a Strategic Plan for our NNA to strengthen advocacy for nurses’ practice autonomy in Tanzania.

Madeleine Mukeshimana from the Rwanda Nurses and Midwives Union said she had developed a number of new skills and learned a lot personally about leadership during her contacts with ODENNA and the How to Fundraise and Pitch course.

Our project is to produce a strategic plan for nursing and the pitching exercise has taught me how to present my ideas more clearly and describe the road map we are developing. But I also learned a lot from the whole ODENNA experience about leadership and how it is important to be realistic, and to realise that leadership does not define you: instead, you should define leadership and not let it take over your life. The seeds planted by the ODENNA programme will continue to grow.

Perpetual Ofori-Ampofo, from the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association said the pitching exercise was extremely helpful because the skills learned will allow the NNA to access more funds for various projects:

We conduct research, and sometimes you need funding, or we are going to do some specific projects related to our five year strategic plan, and you need some funding from one entity or the other. Knowing how to package your information to allow an entity to buy into it and support you is very important, and I think that is what I'm taking with me going forward. The pitching skills are going to be very important for me to lead my organization and to also to train others in the various heads of specialized societies, our standing committees and other national executives on how we can actually get support from elsewhere.

‘I just want to say a big thank you to the ICN team for the wonderful job they have done for us in terms of strengthening NNAs in Africa, and to assure them that the process has been wonderful. We've learned a lot. We are going to apply what we have learned and grow the nursing profession in Africa for the good of the whole world.

‘I want to encourage them and other sponsors to position themselves to support our projects beyond the support that we've already received, because I believe that if each NNA that participated in the ODENNA project is able to execute their project to a successful end, it impacts the nursing and midwifery workforce. It impacts the health systems, and of course, the ultimate beneficiary will be the patients and clients that we take care of.

ICN Head of Leadership and Organizational Development Programmes Jody Temple White said:

The recent fundraising and pitch contest marked a transformative milestone for the ODENNA participants. Their commitment and growing confidence shone brightly as they presented their impactful projects to an audience of eager supporters and potential funders. This event is just one of many that showcase the remarkable evolution these leaders are experiencing through the programme.

‘ODENNA, launched by ICN in 2021, is making strides in empowering National Nursing Associations across Africa by focusing on leadership development, assessment, and mentorship. By equipping these teams with the skills needed to effectively raise funds, we're not only enhancing their ability to lead but also strengthening their associations. This, in turn, is set to make a lasting impact on the way healthcare is delivered in their communities. I'm excited to see how these experiences propel them forward in their future endeavours.

To find out more about the ODENNA programme please visit its website here