An Australian charity, volunteer-run, fighting where the health system leaves women behind. Founded in Chatswood, Sydney, in 2024. We exist because the gap between what a woman needs and what she can access is widening, and somebody had to put their hand up.
Emma Boulton
I didn’t start NOWSIS because the system was broken. I started it because I was tired of writing prescriptions women couldn’t afford to fill.
I’ve been a clinician at Clinic 66 in Chatswood for years. The conversations that started staying with me weren’t the clinical ones. They were the ones at the end of the appointment: I’d write a prescription for a contraceptive implant, recommend an HPV self-test, or refer a woman for a procedure, and she’d quietly say she couldn’t afford it. Or she didn’t have Medicare. Or her partner controlled her income.
The pattern wasn’t medical. It was financial, structural, and almost always invisible. The healthcare system was working exactly as designed. The women it left behind were doing exactly what they were supposed to do, until it became too late to do anything cheaply.
I started NOWSIS in 2024 because there wasn’t a charity that existed for this specific gap. Between what a woman in my consulting room needed, and what she could actually access. Sydney is full of charities. None of them were standing in that gap. So we started one.
We’re small. We’re volunteer-run. We’re co-located with the clinic that made me start it. We’re not yet a tax-deductible charity, but we’re working on it. Most importantly, we’re transparent about every dollar. If you’re going to ask people to fund what the system won’t, the least you can do is show them exactly what their money did.
The NOWSIS board is six Australian volunteers working day jobs alongside this. Nobody draws a salary. We meet quarterly, scrutinise every dollar, and answer email on weekends.
Emma Boulton
Founder
Clinician at Clinic 66, NOWSIS founder. Started the charity in 2024 after one too many prescriptions her patients couldn't afford.
OLIVIA FALCOMATA
SECRETARY
Olivia works to dismantle financial barriers to essential reproductive healthcare while advocating for gender equity in medical education.
Zac Hucker
Chairman
Zac is a passionate advocate for positive social change, bringing strategic leadership and a deep commitment to strengthening communities across Australia.
Amanda Stott
Board Member
Amanda spent her early career working in, and with the National Health Service in the UK with a focus on promoting, supporting public health…
Steve Dover
Board Member
Steven Dover is an experienced strategic HR leader with a strong background in change management, leadership development, and workforce planning.
If you’re going to ask people to fund what the system won’t, you have to show your work. Here’s exactly how NOWSIS operates.
Six Australians, all working day jobs. Nobody draws a salary or stipend from NOWSIS. Board meetings are quarterly.
Recognised by the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission. Our governance documents are public on the ACNC register.
Every quarter, donors get an email update with real numbers. What we funded. Who it reached. What we're still short on.
Your donation goes directly into your chosen fund, less only the unavoidable payment processing fees from Stripe or PayPal Giving Fund.
Our home is in Chatswood, Sydney, shared with our healthcare partner Clinic 66. No separate rent. No separate utilities.
Our annual financial statements are independently reviewed and published on our website. We hold ourselves to the same standard we demand.
NOWSIS is small. The work isn’t. Two long-term partners do the heavy lifting alongside us.
Our research collaborator on Scan a Sister. UoM provides the scientific framework for HPV self-test distribution and outcome tracking, while NOWSIS delivers the funding and field implementation.
The Chatswood healthcare clinic where NOWSIS is co-located, rent-free. Clinic 66 is where the founding pattern was first identified, and where the majority of our Protect a Sister contraception funding is deployed.
You’ve read who we are, why we exist, and how we operate. The next move is yours. Whether it’s $20, a Tuesday evening, or a forwarded link, every yes counts.
