SSO (Malawi) was established in 2021 by health professionals Dr Emmie Malewezi and Dr George Chimatiro. The organization’s mission is to partner with the government in the reduction of stroke burden through prevention, treatment, and long-term care.
Dr Malewezi has recently been recognised for her impactful work, with a Human Rights and Nursing Award 2024.
The Human Rights and Nursing Award, which is run through the Nursing Ethics journal, is presented to any nurse in recognition of an outstanding commitment to human rights and exemplifying the essence of nursing’s philosophy of humanity, to further their work. Dr Malewezi received the Award at the Nursing Ethics conference at Brunel University London at the end of August.
Through her work with the SSO (Malawi) Dr Malewezi is aiming to improve the availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality of stroke care in Malawi, by partnering with the government and other stakeholders, alongside advocating for improvements in stroke care.
Drawing on both her professional and personal experience, Dr Malewezi, along with her key collaborators in Malawi, is at the forefront of championing the role of nurses, the voluntary sector and people with lived experience, in exploring and developing pragmatic solutions to the increasing burden of stroke in the country. As a member of the international research collaboration, Organised Stroke Care across Income Levels, Dr Malewezi is committed to developing a stroke care curriculum for nurses practising in sub-Saharan Africa. Dr Malewezi is also leading work to establish a life after stroke centre in Malawi that will contribute to addressing the gap in community rehabilitation and long-term support for stroke survivors. At the heart of this project is a commitment to ensuring the services are accessible and acceptable in the context of Malawi.
On receiving the Award, Dr Malewezi said ‘It is such an honour and feel truly humbled to receive the 2024 Nursing Ethics Journal Human Rights and Nursing Award for our stroke work in Malawi’.