Many women working in Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) medical projects have had to overcome barriers to be leaders, including gender stereotypes. Yet they stand out as change-makers and advocates in MSF and their communities, transforming perceptions about women and ensuring their voices contribute to making our programs inclusive and accessible to all.

Over 90 per cent of MSF staff are recruited locally. From drivers to nurse supervisors to finance coordinators, women leaders are critical to sustaining MSF’s commitment to high quality, patient-centred care. With women’s leadership, we can ensure a more diverse and balanced perspective on everything from program design, through field-level implementation, to setting the future direction of the organisation.

So to mark International Women’s Day 2022, inspired by their diversity and their individual strength, we asked some of our unrecognised women leaders, “What can we learn from you?” Here’s what they told us.