Helen Zahos focuses on the really big stuff – bigger than dreading Monday, or an NBN outage. For the last 20 years the specialist disaster trained nurse from the Gold Cost, has volunteered in catastrophic natural disasters, wars, conflict zones and remote Indigenous communities in Australia.
Postcards from the fraying edges
In Greece, 2014 during the nation’s economic collapse Zahos volunteered at the “polyclinic in Thessaloniki”. The following year she was on the Greek islands, but it was no vacation, Zahos worked in the now infamous Moria refugee camp on the island of Lesbos. The camp was packed with refugees and human misery as Zahos worked with Médecins du Monde (MdM), (Doctors of the World), providing medical care to vulnerable populations.
The refugee crisis, when up to a million refugees from war-torn Syria and other combusting parts of Middle East and North Africa entered Greece – a nation itself facing economic collapse.
The same year Zahos was in Nepal, “After the second big quake in Gorka which turned the city into a sea of rubble,” she says.
Then, in 2017, the specialist humanitarian nurse, was in quagmire of Iraq, then under attack from the brutal ISIS. “ISIS still had a stronghold over Mosul working in an internal displaced people camp”. Iraqis and especially minorities like the Yazidis and Kurds were ISIS targets. Those that could, escaped to create mass internal displacement secured by the Kurdish army.
So, it is no surprise that in 2021 that Zahos was on the frontline of Russia’s war with Ukraine, “in Zaporizhzhia, the Red Zone, six months after the Russian invasion.”
Zahos grew up on Groote Eylandt, the fourth largest island in Australia, in the Gulf of Carpentaria , she says she was enveloped by Indigenous culture, and equally connected to her own Greek heritage. A meld she says, that has shaped her worldview.
Zahos’s extensive work in Australia with First Nations people saw her spend time working on Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara, or APY Lands, on the north-west of South Australia.
A new path but, same destination
Zahos, is now the health and disaster management adviser for the Commonwealth Businesswomen’s Network, one of the few accredited civil society organisations in the Commonwealth.
At the recent Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), held in Samoa, she talked about the homegrown crisis of gender-based violence, online bullying, and teen suicide.
Her CHOGM presentation also signals Zahos’s decision to take a different path to humanitarian aid now – as a consultant, specialist and advocate. “I have reached a level where I don’t have to be on the front line to have an impact, I can impact through advocacy, policy and sharing my knowledge by using my expertise to help others, that could be things like guiding policies in organisations, or teams heading out to a disaster,” says Zahos.
Zahos also stressed “education and lifelong learning,” particularly for nurses returning after maternity leave.
Older nurses Zahos says “face challenges keeping up with new digital programs in hospitals and need more training. Many she adds have left the profession, at a time when they are most needed in the health sector. Zahos says we are in danger of losing people with important skills, years of experience, and the ability to pass down knowledge.
She comes at it from a personal perspective and says, “I raised how difficult it is being an older woman and wanting to change the trajectory of my career.
“I returned to university to do PhD full time through receiving a scholarship stipend that does not correlate with the current cost of living.
In fact, at the CHOGM Women’s Forum, “a joint statement was signed” that urges Commonwealth countries to improve workplace respect for women and address violence at work.
Zahos is disturbed by the epidemic of gender-based violence especially in the digital space, and the role of “AI in creating deep fakes used for online bullying”.
“I called for cyber awareness education in early childhood to empower children protect themselves against cyberbullying.”
The number of teen suicides, as well as suicide ideation witnessed in Australia gave her the impetus to warn smaller Pacific Island states about the need to protect their young people. She wants “urgent legislative action to combat the stigmatisation felt by young people subjected to online bullying, and even abuse through “AI generated deep fake” revenge porn.
A very personal impact
From “bombings, to earthquakes,” as well as “children drowning or being severely burned,” Zahos has witnessed too often innocent and vulnerable civilians being targeted by precise and lethal modern weapons. Those that aren’t killed suffer horrific life altering injuries.
As a Greek Australian the Greek Financial Crisis of 2010 to 2017 has a deep impact on her. Zahos’s work with Médecins du Monde sought to help the those elderly suddenly unable to afford medical treatment. The old and frail suffered the worst of the Greek crisis.
“It’s been tough at times, to be so deeply involved, and equally, harder to walk away.
“The mental and emotional toll became very real” Zahos says.
Now in Melbourne she is also undertaking a PhD at Monash University on multi disciplinary emergency medical team management – doctors, nurses and other health professionals.
“This is probably one of the reasons why I’m doing the PhD in this area, looking at how we can improve things for medical teams returning from disaster deployments.
While Zahos has always been the one to offer help, she recently found herself receiving end.
“Now, in academia I am surrounded by supportive people in the MUARC building at Monash constantly guiding me.
“I’m now in the reverse position, listening to others’ advice and being embraced by the community.”
The darker side of humanitarian aid
For all the sense of purpose Zahos derives from her work, she is also wary. Most volunteers “genuinely step up to help”, she says, however she says she has also seen a dark side to humanitarian relief.
“There are sinister people out there who want to steal, cheat, kidnap, and abuse others for money.”
“Instead of reuniting lost children with their families after disasters like earthquakes or floods, they ‘sell them’ in the black market.”
“That was a hard thing to find in the humanitarian field, to realise that there’s a lot of bad people around as well. Not everyone who comes shares an open heart and the same purpose.”
The reward is the giving itself
Despite the physical, mental and emotional strain of these intense, often horrid, events, the experiences were a wake-up call for Zahos.
“I’m forever grateful and love the fact that I have this opportunity to grow up in Australia. And it’s by sheer chance that I was into this life and not somewhere else.”
Being a nurse has allowed her to view “individuals and communities through an empathetic lens.”
“Things that are readily available for some of us may not be for others.”
What motivates her to keep giving back is the “wholesome” experience of “helping humanity.”
“That feeling that you get when you do help people, it is really special and so easy to do…You don’t necessarily need to go to a front line of a war or refugee crisis or a disaster zone after an earthquake to help people. Simple acts, it can just be helping a neighbour, or someone new to the community…”
No mountain big enough
It may come as no surprise then, that Zahos has “travelled a lot.” What may be a surprise is that the nurse who chases some of the most challenging events in the world, war, and natural disasters, also climbs mountains. Few know about Zahos’s intrepid, or “crazy adventures”.
“I climbed to the summit of Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa, and Mt. Olympus. I’ve trekked to Everest Base Camp in Nepal, carrying my own pack. I also rafted the mighty Zambezi River and Franklin River in Tasmania.”
“I think travelling and meeting people and different cultures, opens up your eyes to so many things, and you learn a lot about yourself along the way.”
Shifting focus to leadership and global impact
Looking ahead, Zahos’s shift from frontline work to “leadership, advocacy, education, and support” she hopes as she says, to “motivate others to learn from my mistakes and take action to make a difference”.
One future goal for the specialist in humanitarian health in intense scenarios, is to establish her own NGO, potentially supporting volunteer efforts.
“You can just be an ordinary person and get out there and give back to the community or the Diaspora within Australia and other areas of the world.”
