Welcome to Nurses for International Development, Inc.

Empowering people starts with good health
And healthy people build healthy communities

Nurses for International Development, Inc., is committed to the development of a long-term, self-sustaining nursing and allied health sciences college that will improve the health and well-being of Africans. We work in partnership with an elite faculty of local experts and together have established the Mankon International College for Health Sciences (MICHS) in Mankon, Cameroon.
Our partnership involves a process approach that includes assisting in expanding and strengthening the organizational structure and capacity of this locally managed program. MICHS provides a state of the art nursing program and a new perspective on health care delivery. Africans desperately need good health care. Together, we can empower the people of Africa to live healthier lives.

Nurses for International Development, Inc. was established to create and support a self-sustaining, community-based nursing and allied health sciences college in Africa. Our expected outcome is the improvement in the health condition of the African people through receiving better health care.

The mission of Nurses for International Development, Inc. is to train health care professionals in Africa using state-of-the-art resources from the western world. In a region where training physicians is greatly beyond the scope of most governments, an influx of qualified ancillary health care professionals will improve the quantity and quality of health care delivery.

The underlying principle of this mission is the following: the sicker a people, the less likely they can work and earn a living; the poorer they become. Hence, quantitative and qualitative improvement in health can bring about improved standards of living.

Our goal is to train over the next decade a critical mass of 1500-1800 healthcare professionals to deliver primary health care. Our long term intention is to strengthen and develop the students knowledge, skills, and attitudes to become partners and leaders in improving health care in Africa.

Nurses for International Development, Inc. (NIDI), established in 2005, is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit, non-government organization incorporated under the state laws of Ohio, and is tax-exempt as determined by the United States Internal Revenue Service. All donations to NID are tax-deductible.

NID was established by a group of concerned individuals from Dayton, Ohio to support a self-sustaining, nursing program in Cameroon, Africa. Although there is a worldwide shortage of nurses, Africa faces a nursing shortage much greater than that of the rest of the world. At the same time, the African continent struggles with a disproportionate impact from infectious diseases. Although Sub-Saharan Africa has only 10 percent of the world's population, it carries the burden of 60 percent of the world's AIDS cases, according to UNAIDS. Establishing a nurse training and leadership development program is very important in addressing this serious issue.

A bi-continental approach has been adopted in establishing a nursing school in Mankon, Cameroon. This collaboration between Cameroonian health care professionals and NID, Inc. in Dayton, Ohio has made it possible for the nursing school. It is of utmost importance that the capacity of 150 nurses be reached by the fall 2007. Our partnership involves a process approach that includes assisting in expanding and strengthening the organizational structure and capacity of this locally managed program in a rural area of Cameroon. Our commitment to the long-term self-sustaining program not only improves the health and well-being of Africans but it also reduces global disparities in health outcomes. During the last two years, the Dayton organization has focused on developing partnerships with local and state organizations and individuals to obtain quality educational and administrative supplies and equipment. Shipping these supplies is costly-- $6,000 per container (the size of a rail car).

Dr. Zama Kimbi Ndefru - Founder and President

Mary Johnson; MS, NP: Board Chair - Co-founder

We are funded through colleges, corporations, churches, and individual contributions. Some of our donors include:

• Local School Districts: Bellbrook, Xenia
• Dayton Foundation
• University of Dayton
• University of Cincinnati
• Wright State University
• Thomas More College
• Sinclair Community College

Nurses for International Development, Inc. (NID, Inc.), is incorporated under the state laws of Ohio, and is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt, not-for-profit organization as determined by the United States Internal Revenue Service. All contributions to NID, Inc. are tax deductible.

Servire sine fine means Service Without Limit and is the NIDI motto. This motto is adapted from the theme of a 1979 Silver Jubilee of Bishop Rogan High School alma mater booklet, jointly produced by Dr. Zama Kimbi Ndefru, Dr. Esua Fosung, and George Kevin Mbayu (the latter two of blessed memory) in Cameroon. The theme embraces the inverse of God´s question to Cain, Where is your brother, Abel? I don´t know, he replied. Am I my brother´s keeper? (Genesis 4:9). The necessity of this motto is to change the mindset of the social belief system of the culture. Hence, MICHS is out to put into practice the true notion of service without limit and serve as a model for others to follow. As noted in Hosea 4:6 my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. Most Africans on the continent are destroyed from lack of knowledge. We can jointly stop this from continuing. Support the NIDI initiative.