My Good Deed – Dr Stephen (Steff) Nash (Class of 1970)
Dr Stephen (Steff) Nash, Class of 1970, Consultant in Emergency Medicine for the NHS and CEO of HOPE 4 The World
Steff works four days a week for the NHS and spend the rest of his spare time helping to provide medical training in Burma via the charity he helped to found, HOPE 4 The World.
I have always, since my days at CHS, sought to help others. I am an explorer and a risk taker; I want to get out of the box, take others with me and help those in need who don’t have the capacity or skills to help themselves.
I worked in Israel as a doctor for nine years, learned Arabic and became very familiar with the circumstances of the Palestinian people. On my return to the UK I began visiting other nations and started coming into contact with others who were persecuted for their faith. I sought to help people who were evicted from their families or in danger of their lives.
I was asked to help provide health care to the Karen people of Burma, who didn’t have any health care or education from the government. I made connections and jumped on a plane. It was a strange and wonderful encounter, which resulted in two-week medical training trips with personal friends who were doctors, dentists, nurses and midwives. Twice a year we would go to remotes areas, sometimes in places we shouldn’t be, developing the skills of dedicated Karen and Sham people who were doing their best to provide health care in dangerous circumstances with very limited resources.
As our work grew, we built schools and started teacher training; the educational needs were as great as the health care needs. A massive breakthrough happened in 2010 when a local NGO became aware of what we were doing and allowed us access to the medical facilities in refugee camps to do our training programmes. Suddenly and unexpectedly we had the facilities to do much more effective work. The programme has matured into a 26-week comprehensive programme which trains Emergency Nurse Practitioner equivalents but with a huge scope of practice, from malaria to malnutrition and landmine injuries to a simple laceration.
Being at CHS allowed me to explore and expand my horizons. It was a field in which I could grow. I was like a bird with wings, developing to my full potential and on a journey which continues to this day.
The world is a very dark place and we need the light to shine. We need an army of caring volunteers who will transform the world with love and kindness, not with bombs and hatred. It’s crucial these core values are instilled in all children from an early age.
