World Humanitarian Day
On World Humanitarian Day, we perhaps allow ourselves a few more minutes to think about others. Perhaps those we often find it hard to think about or to imagine. To remind ourselves that humans, wherever they are, deserve the basic access to freedom, to peace, to equity and to love that many of us enjoy. To have to make a special day each year is both a tribute, and a damning indictment of humankind. On most measures, it has been a relentless and notably horrific few years for humanity.
Moving from the private sector as I have and beginning my first few weeks as CEO of the David Nott Foundation, I have been struck by the unfortunate parallels in the language used. I did not expect to be talking about a “growth market”, but that is indeed what humanitarianism is experiencing.
For the past 12 years, the number of displaced people has increased every year. The number of refugees has tripled in a decade. In 2023, 1 in 69 of us on the planet were forced to leave our homes – 117.3 million people. More specifically to our line of work, conflict related fatalities are also on the rise. The annual number of deaths in conflict since we began our work almost a decade ago has risen by 92% to almost 250,000 this year.
Many of those deaths will be what we call ‘Survivable Deaths’. It is these deaths our teams work tirelessly to prevent by training doctors with the skills they need in conflict and catastrophe.
You can imagine that if we saw these kinds of numbers on a business forecast in a different context, it would be a reason to celebrate. But we are in the business of alleviating suffering. The more suffering there is, the more of a strain and demand it puts on the sector as a whole to meet the vital needs of those we must continuously work to serve.
In a conversation with a Ukrainian diplomat some months ago, I heard her talk of war as “a branding exercise”. She explained to me that Ukraine was not just competing with other wars for international attention and resources, but also with Donald Trump, Taylor Swift and the Climate Crisis. Her point was clear. To win the war, you need to win the media and the requisite public support. It is for this reason that today I believe we should think deeply, not just about the horrors we are seeing on our newsfeed, but to the horrors we are not. With conflicts and catastrophe raging all over the world in Haiti, DRC, the West African Sahel, Afghanistan and Myanmar, to name just a few, we can perhaps be forgiven for feeling overwhelmed and somewhat fatigued. One of our explicit responsibilities at the David Nott Foundation is to think every day about these ‘forgotten conflicts’ and lesser-known catastrophes. Thanks to the incredible generosity of our donors, we are able to consider them in our planning and delivery of vital surgical and medical training. However, the increasing need is so vast, that we and other non-profit organisations worldwide need to think very seriously about how we scale – another regrettable business term that is a sign of our times. Scaling requires funding, partners, innovation, knowledge and an appetite for risk. Many of us do not consider ourselves as direct contributors to humanitarian work, but with the skills and requirements I describe, perhaps today is the day to re-consider. To be more explicit, we certainly wish to hear from you at the David Nott Foundation.
With gratitude, James Gough
CEO
Doctors’ needs in the West Bank
Over 300 days have passed since Hamas’s invasion of Israel and Israel’s retaliatory attacks on Gaza. Gaza is home to many forcibly displaced Palestinian refugees. The 41 kilometers-long Strip has been under siege since 2006, enduring five major wars, with the retaliation of the October 7th conflict being one of the deadliest in recent history.
In the West Bank, Palestinians live under Israeli military occupation, with Israel controlling essential resources like water and electricity. The intensifying Gaza-Israel war has exacerbated these difficulties. On-the-ground reports reveal that those who live in the West Bank face increasing attacks from Israeli settlers, checkpoints, military raids, increase in settlements, and the detention of Palestinian men, women, and children.
We reached out to Dr Mariam Aweidah, a general surgeon and our Faculty Lead for Palestine, to shed light on doctors’ needs in the West Bank. Mariam lives in Ramallah and travels to Jericho to work, a journey that should take an hour but often stretches to several due to road conditions and checkpoints.
"Every day is different. We always check the news before leaving to see if there are settlers or checkpoints on the roads. As Palestinians, this is part of our daily routine to ensure the roads are somewhat safe for travel." – Mariam Aweidah, Faculty Lead for Palestine.
Mariam works at a peripheral hospital in Jericho, where resources, infrastructure, and specialisations are limited. They frequently need to refer patients to the Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah to seek the care they need but face significant checkpoint challenges which can prevent patients from passing through, even in ambulances.
Despite being a general surgeon, Mariam sometimes operates on paediatric cases due to the limited capacity at the Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah. Patients come from across the West Bank, but intensified travel challenges between cities and villages have increased the difficulties for both patients and doctors.
"We don't have intensive trauma training. With more trauma cases and cities isolated from each other, this causes a heavy burden because we aren't all trained for this. We often have numerous gunshot cases, and hospitals can't handle them due to a lack of resources and trained personnel."
Now more than ever, we are committed to training medical professionals in territories that require urgent support such as Palestine. As soon as it is safe to do so, we aim to raise doctors' skills through our training.
"I received training with the David Nott Foundation, which has greatly influenced my ability to manage, stabilise, and save lives quickly”, shared Mariam. “However, not all doctors in Palestine have had this opportunity. I hope to organise another training course to enhance the skills of more medical professionals in the West Bank and in Gaza."
Bringing future humanitarian surgeons together for the first time
This month, we hosted our first annual Trainees of the David Nott Foundation (TDNF) conference. The conference aimed to bring surgical trainees interested in global humanitarian careers together, to learn from our war doctors and take part in bespoke workshops.
Held as a hybrid event at the University of Salford in Manchester, the conference attracted 200 medical professionals from various specialties and international locations, including Yemen, Pakistan, Albania, Nigeria, Poland, UAE, Singapore, Ethiopia, Thailand, Malawi, Libya, and many more.
Dan Lazenby, the president of the TDNF committee and a plastic and burns training registrar, founded our TDNF network in 2023.
“There was a gap in the market for trainees interested in humanitarian work and global surgery education. I wanted to emulate that for trainees. I believe there is a real lack of platforms and communities for junior members to get involved. The more we involve them early, the better they can contribute.” – Dan Lazenby, TDNF President
TDNF has made significant strides since its birth. The committee has 13 members from various specialties across the UK and plans to expand the community. They have hosted two webinars with participation from 50-100 doctors worldwide, providing information to global trainees on how to get involved in humanitarian efforts. Future initiatives include developing a mentorship program, focusing on basic global surgical skills for trainees through online platforms.
“Our dream is to follow in the footsteps of David Nott and other humanitarian surgeons.”
Workshops focus on essential trauma skills
The conference, held on the 13th July, was a full day of comprehensive lectures and workshops. Our faculty trainers provided trainees with insights into working in war zones, sharing experiences from Syria, Afghanistan, and Gaza. The event featured workshops on orthopaedics, vascular surgery and general trauma, where trainees spent hours practicing casting, suturing, and managing major trauma injuries. Networking between trainees and faculty members was also a highlight, fostering vital relationships between peers and building a strong community.
“The hybrid international platform was invaluable, allowing people to join virtually and in person, inspiring the humanitarian surgeons of tomorrow all around the world."
A vision for the future
Looking to the future, Dan shared: “We aim to host annual conferences, develop mentorship programs, and reach people from more diverse backgrounds. We all have the same goal, to treat patients safely and effectively. One of our ideas is to accompany the David Nott Foundation to teach junior members basic skills, which will make a significant difference.”
We will continue to prepare the humanitarians of tomorrow, ensuring safe, skilled surgical care reaches everyone.
"There's no bias towards class, gender, or religion."
Dominic's sister, Lucy Cahillane, passed away on March 12, 2022. After reading ‘War Doctor’ by David Nott, Lucy became a huge supporter of our mission. She was always sharing with Dominic everything she took from the book and all the passion she had for our work.
Dominic shared that Lucy wasn't just a bookworm—she loved helping people, an attitude she would actively look to instil in her daughter on a daily basis. She was especially drawn to the foundation because she believed it was a genuinely inclusive humanitarian organisation that didn't discriminate based on gender, colour, age, or money. Instead, it focused on helping those most in need, like in Syria.
Based in Sussex, Dominic has been working as a musician since the mid-1990s and has a passion for travel. Together with his partner, they decided to honour Lucy's legacy by hiking and raising funds for us.
“The news can be so negative and manipulative; it makes you forget the good in this world and that there are people that just want to help others without seeking reward or notoriety.”
The fundraising challenge
“In 2022 I set up a fundraising page, as my partner Radka Nemcova went on a hike along with her friend Katerina Tumova, through the Himalayas to the Everest viewpoint. Their efforts raised around £2500, which wasn't expected! We were so proud of all we raised for the foundation so this year we wanted to push our limits. Me and my partner travelled this time to South America, we went on a 4-day ascending hike to over 15,000 feet up in the Peruvian Andes to raise money and awareness for the Foundation. To keep our friends, family and other supporters engaged we constantly updated them on where we are and basically how difficult the 4-day hike was going!”
Reaching the top
“Both times when we hit the base financial target and when we reached the top of our hike, we felt a full on emotional outburst, you can imagine what it’s like after hiking for 4 days! There’s an overall feeling of accomplishment but also a feeling of it could have been more, I’m happy with the results but keep thinking let's make the next one bigger and keep pushing. I mean it’s a funny one with the journey being both challenging yet soulfully rewarding”
What's next?
The foundation deserves much more recognition. It sheds a different light on what's happening in places like Ukraine and Gaza compared to what people see in newspapers. It’s a reminder that people do need to help.”
"The foundation's focus is purely on humanitarian conditions, without any bias towards class, gender, or religion."
Dominic is deeply inspired by his sister’s legacy, which really fuels his dedication to the foundation. Her belief in helping anyone in need matches what the foundation stands for.
"I felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment, but it always feels like there's more to do. I'm happy with the results but want to make the next one even bigger and keep pushing forward. I never feel like it's finished; there's always something more that can be added."
Dominic Cahillane's fundraising journey shows how personal connections and community support can really make a difference. His story highlights the importance of humanitarian work and how much of an impact individuals can have with dedication and perseverance.
We’d like to thank Dominic for sharing his experience. To find out more about fundraising events or how to support us in an event you have coming up, get in touch.
Get involved
Friends of David Nott Foundation Conference - leaders of tomorrow
This month, we held our third Friends of David Nott Foundation (FDNF) conference, hosted this year by our FDNF at the University of Cambridge in the Clinical School of Medicine. This event brought together 45 dedicated FDNF members from universities across the UK, including Dundee, Leicester, Nottingham, Manchester, Glasgow,Cork, Bristol, and Cardiff, alongside international attendees from the Czech Republic.
Our Friends of David Nott Foundation societies are made up of medical students who wish to embark on a humanitarian career. By bringing them together for teaching and connection with our trainers, our goal is to nourish the next generation of humanitarian surgeons.
The conference featured four specialised workshops led by our faculty members, focusing on vascular surgery, orthopaedics, paediatrics, and general trauma. These sessions provided students with hands-on surgical experience and insights into the challenging yet rewarding field of humanitarian medicine.
Faculty trainer Dr Mahmoud Hariri, a surgeon who met our Co-Founder David Nott in underground hospitals in Syria, led our final lecture. He shared his experiences from Syria and the difficulties of being a surgeon under unimaginable pressure.
“One of the hospitals I worked in was in a cave in a mountain. There are many hospitals like this in Syria. Some are underground or in a gym. Most of our lives at that time (during the siege), were underground."
"Being a war surgeon is not a funny thing, it is difficult. I have experienced soldiers placing bets on what they could hit each day.” - Dr Mahmoud Hariri, faculty trainer
Our Co-Founder Elly Nott opened the event with an inspiring address, expressing her excitement for this annual gathering and highlighting the critical role it plays in fostering the next generation of humanitarian healthcare professionals.
"Our FDNF conference is a highlight of my year. It’s a joy to meet the next generation of humanitarians and see how enthusiastic they are to use their skills to make the world a better place.” Elly Nott, Co-Founder
Through our FDNFs, students contribute significantly to our work by raising awareness, fundraising for missions, and volunteering on our Hostile Environment Surgical Training (HEST) courses offered in the UK.
They are the future of this world, and now more than ever, we need people who want to help and make a difference.
This conference not only reinforced the commitment of current FDNFs but also inspired new additions to engage deeply our mission in helping to ensure safe surgical skills are available to all.
More on FDNF's
MedGlobal Conference 2023: Building resilience amidst disaster
We’re back from Chicago, after two days at MedGlobal’s Annual Conference 2023. The conference brought together medical professionals, humanitarian aid coordinators, volunteers and students to discuss how we build resilience, protect mental health and utilise the power of artificial intelligence in conflict and disaster.
“We are not immune from conflict and disaster anywhere in the world. Ecuador, Ukraine, Gaza, Yemen, Sudan. Our mission is to ensure the lives of those going through challenge are better.” - Dr Zaher Sahloul, Co-Founder and President of MedGlobal
As conflict and disaster continues to stain our world, humanitarian organisations play a key role in helping communities survive and rebuild, whether by supplying basic resources such as shelter, food, water or clothing, or in the case of our Foundation, empowering doctors with life-saving surgical knowledge.
Despite the importance of humanitarian support, it is critical that communities are empowered to restore and rebuild their own lives - and have the tools to do so.
Local empowerment
Our Co-Founder and CEO Elly Nott spoke on the conference’s opening panel, alongside panellists Dr Omar Lateef, Chief Executive of RUSH University Medical Centre in Chicago, Sarah Eyring, Direction of Operations at the Stirling Foundation, and Sharon Eubank, Director of Humanitarian Services at Latter-Day Saint Charities. The group discussed how we can help communities become more resilient.
Elly shared: “What’s needed is a unified effort and giving locally-led organisations the space to flourish. They are closest to the need and what their communities require.”
For communities to rebuild, four things are vital:
- Humanitarian funding needs to be long-term, not just one to two-year funding cycles
- More funding must reach locally-led organisations, not as sub-contractors, but leaders of their own restoration
- Governance must be front and centre of all efforts
- Our healthcare workers must be better protected
Healthcare is a human right
Speaking about protection, Elly shared: “Healthcare is under attack wherever we look. We’ve seen it in over 900 verified attacks in Syria. The mental health effects on our healthcare workers are immense.”
In addition to advocating for the protection of our doctors, programmes like our Train the Trainers course hand the power to surgeons and anaesthetists in conflict and catastrophe, giving them knowledge and skills they can share with their colleagues. Sharing forms bonds and will help clinical teams make quick, effective decisions together, despite surrounding in chaos.
“Mental health gets better when you believe in what you’re doing. Local empowerment will build improved mental health. If you feel valued, invested in, connected as a team and part of change – mental health will get better.” – Dr Omar Lateef
Lifetime Achievement Award
Outside of relationship building and discussion during panels, our Co-Founder Professor David Nott was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to humanitarian surgery on the frontline. He received a standing ovation from approximately 400 gala attendees, after sharing stories from his time in Aleppo.
"I was operating on a little girl. All of a sudden, we were told to evacuate as the hospital was about to be bombed. I looked at the anaesthetist, and said I wasn't leaving. They didn't leave either. Together, we operated on the little girl - and no bomb came. She survived."
We thank MedGlobal for their generosity and invitation. Together, we will continue to serve, support and empower communities in need.
AIDEX Conference 2023: Joining forces and empowering local communities
In October, our team flew to Geneva to attend this year’s AIDEX Conference, bringing humanitarian leaders, local partners and NGOs together to discuss the world’s forgotten crises and humanitarian needs.
AIDEX presents a powerful opportunity to build collaboration, for common good
- Nicholas Rutherford, Managing Director of AIDEX and Development 2023
This year’s theme at AIDEX, ‘forgotten crises’, was a sobering yet deeply important topic. Discussions and workshops during the two-day conference shone a light on crises that lack prolific media attention, such as in Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen, Sudan, Libya, Chad and beyond.
Without an international spotlight, multiple communities across the globe are suffering the effects of conflict and natural disasters. To meet the growing needs of millions requiring humanitarian aid, we need a step change.
As stressed by Dominik Stillhart from Swiss Humanitarian Aid, “maintaining the status quo is not sufficient”. Together, NGOs and aid organisations must join forces to have greater, collective impact in the communities that need it.
True impact means localisation
Humanitarian action must be shaped by voices within affected communities, to ensure the problem is better understood and met with the right solution. Local communities must be empowered to rebuild their own lives in the long term. To do this, investment in locally-led organisations is crucial.
Local empowerment remains at our heart.
We upskill doctors living and working within conflict and catastrophe zones to become trainers themselves. We have trainers in northwest Syria, Palestine, Sudan, and in due course, Ukraine.
We don’t forget
Syria has long been out of the media spotlight, yet the northwest faces consistent bombardment and indiscriminate attacks, wounding and killing civilians and putting their already-fractured healthcare system under greater strain.
Since 2012, our Co-Founder David Nott has built a long-standing relationship of mutual respect and trust with Syrian doctors, something we sustain to this day. In May, we upskilled surgeons in northwest Syria to treat and rehabilitate those injured during the earthquake. 90% of our trainers were Syrian and the course was taught in Arabic – making our course even more accessible.
The media spotlight may move on, but we will continue to focus our attention and resources on crises for as long as we are needed.