Hundreds of Canadian nurses go abroad every year, contributing to just as many
humanitarian causes, yet despite our common values, interest and intentions, we are not well connected with each other. For
lack of a structure to bring us together, we have worked in relative isolation. We have founded CAIN because we want to change
this. We believe that by uniting to share our stories, plan together, and learn together, we can enhance the the quality of
our work. By sharing access to preparatory resources, contacts in global health, capacity building and education, and
allying ourselves as a group with humanitarian organizations, educational institutions and nursing associations, we can augment
the efficiency and effectiveness of our projects.
Some of the founding
members were already members of provincial nursing Interest Groups that focussed on international nursing and global health,
but these worked in isolation, with little to no contact with each other and minimal collaboration with the International
Policy and Development (IPD) department of the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA).
When the
Global Health Interest Group of British Columbia co-hosted a workshop with the IPD, and dialogue ensued about potential joint
projects and further collaboration, the need for a national equivalent to the provincial group became apparent. The IPD is
currently working in nine countries around the world, and has vast experience in nursing leadership and capacity building,
so affiliation with this office adds tremendously to our ability to network within Canada and around the world. An excellent
synergy stands to develop as our members inform research and development in Canadian nursing abroad conducted by the IPD,
while the IPD in turn provides informational and educational resources, as well as international contacts in the field.
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