Maybe you had the flu, or maybe you were scared because a lump had suddenly appeared where before there was none. Whatever it was, chances are that last time you were really sick, you found yourself under the care of a nurse.

At IntraHealth International, we celebrate health workers every day, and that includes nurses. They are the single largest group of health professionals in the world. And they provide all kinds of services, from flu relief to family planning. They can be the difference between a joyous birth and a day of mourning. They can perform surgery, provide palliative care, and tell us just what to do about that lump.

Today, we’re joining the rest of the world in honoring nurses everywhere.

They may even be the key to universal health coverage, a lofty-yet-achievable global goal that is at the heart of our mission here at IntraHealth.

So today, we’re joining the rest of the world in honoring nurses everywhere during International Nurses Day. And yes, it’s Florence Nightingale’s birthday, but it’s also a time reflect on just how much this group of health workers holds our global health systems together.

Thank you, nurses everywhere, for all you do big and small.

Want to know more about what work is like for nurses around the world? Take a peek at these stories and share with a nurse close to you:

• Nurses Will Take Zambia to Universal Health Coverage
• Community Nursing through the Eyes of a NurseCervical Cancer Screening Uncovers a Great Need in Kenya
• I Am a Midwife and These Are Our StoriesIn Tanzania, Medical Circumcision Services Rely on a Predominantly Female Nursing Workforce
• From Cholera to Scholarship: How a Turkana Boy Became a Nurse When She’s Not Ready for Another Baby Yet
• Who Keeps Health Services Running in Kokwanyo Village?

Help these and other nurses in low-income countries get the training and support they need. When you donate to IntraHealth, you give the gift of health care to a community in need.