About our staff -- Annette Courvoisier from Switzerland
'Dynamite comes in small packages', they say, and this sums up the pioneer missionary Annette Courvoisier. As a twelve year old, she was fascinated and inspired by a movie about Dr. Livingstone. Two years later she had a spiritual encounter and decided to become a missionary nurse in Africa.

She dated a young man for three years and almost missed her call. She broke off her engagement and recommitted her life to the Lord when she was twenty. After training as a Registered Nurse in her home country she went to Portugal to learn Portuguese, in preparation for missionary work in war-torn Angola.

From 1970-78 she worked in a rural hospital. The very day of her arrival in Africa she found herself being the hospital director for 28 in-patients and up to 100 outpatients. Later on she was responsible of a hospital of 200 in patients plus a sanitorium, a leprosy and an outpatient department who would see until 2000 patients a month.

Since 1978 she has been with Youth With A Mission, initially doing a School of Evangelism and staffing a Discipleship Training School. For five years she worked with Cambodian refugees in Thailand where she became the medical co-ordinator.

After doing a Leadership Training School in Hawaii she was seconded to the United Nations in Sudan (1986). From 1987 to 1989, she served as medical advisor to YWAM's Mercy Ministry Office in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Her call to Africa was paramount. In 1989 she went to Kenya and pioneered the 'Introduction to Primary Health Care School' and was responsible for the medical work at Shimba Hills for 5 years.

After a break in Switzerland, she moved to Senegal in 1995 where she pioneered the French and Portuguese speaking IPHC and established the Niakhar base. In 2000 she became a Member of the Counselling and Healthcare Committee (University of the Nations faculty). Annette Courvoisier is the contact person for the faculty (Africa).

As Annette contemplates retirement she reflects on a challenging but fulfilled life as a single missionary in Africa. 'No regrets', she laughs and answers the door to yet another villager who awaits her advice.