Close to 150 people attended the Everyday Heroes Awards last Friday in Brisbane.
Organised by the QBANK financial institution for the past nine years, the awards honour Queenslanders who serve and protect, including frontline workers from the police, fire, health and justice sectors.
Greek Australian nurse Helen Zahos is among those recognised this year, however she could not attend the ceremony as she was doing what she was recognised for, volunteering for an NGO in a nursing program overseas.
“It was an honour to have won the award, seeing all the people nominated and the calibre of their work in emergency services, it was an honour just being nominated,” Zahos told Neos Kosmos.
The nurse was awarded in the ‘Excellence’ category which organisers say recognise “innovation, independence & forward-thinking” in community service.
“Sometimes, the initial feeling after a nomination can be uncomfortable for people volunteering, because you’re not supposed to expect anything in return. However, I think it’s important to acknowledge them, because it encourages others to do similar things and it raises awareness about causes.”
Zahos, a registered nurse on the Gold Coast, has spent the last 20 years servicing communities in need both at home and abroad. She has worked in natural disasters, war zones, as well as places where international development organisations operate, including in Nepal, the Philippines, Iraq, Syria, Ukraine and Greece.
“My passion is humanitarian nursing and assisting in disasters or humanitarian crises,” she says.
In western Kenya, where she is currently, Zahos has travelled with a charity-run nursing program.
“This is the second time I’ve come to Kenya for the Nurses in Action program and it’s a three-month stint. This time, I’m in charge of two separate groups of nurses.”
The Mamma Ann’s Community Health Center, where Zahos is based, is a community-driven clinic in Odede, Siaya county, Western Kenya. They also offer medical services as community outreach.
“We often we go to schools for treatments or education, like programs on hygiene and sexual health.
“Now that schools are closed for holidays, we’re heading out in teams of two doing outreach work in nearby villages. In the last week we’ve seen 465 patients.”
Sometimes the care they offer is basic, Zahos says, other days more demanding.
“But for the people who receive it it’s a big deal, because otherwise in some cases they wouldn’t be able to access it or afford it.”
Although volunteers come and go after a few weeks at a time, the organisation they volunteer with, World Youth International, is established for many years in the area, Ms Zahos says.
“They’re quite well-known and yes, the issue with long-term impact is that you need staff to stay for a long period of time, because it’s hard to establish rapport and trust when you just come for a couple of weeks.
“The centre runs independent from us and we work closely with locals here, they’ve got skilled staff, we just come here to support. But, there’s a lot of fundraising and hard work that goes into keeping these clinics open.”
Zahos says volunteering is rewarding however, she advises people keen to volunteer their skills, to do so in a responsible, and ethical way.
“You want to have some training before you go out to volunteer, for your safety, and you don’t want to be a burden to the place you’re going to. You want to be part of a program that has been screened to know everything is done properly”.
Interested in volunteering in an aid program overseas?
- Check whether your skills can be matched to a development program overseas via the Australian Volunteers government-funded program
- Check that the organisation you will be volunteering with is registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC)
- Read the Australian government advice for Going overseas to volunteer
