http://www.msf.org.uk/blogs.aspxGet insights into working overseas for an international aid organisation by subscribing to MSF's blogs. MSF international staff write blog entries covering everything from treating wounded in conflict zones to how to battling epidemics in refugee camps.Copyright 2012 MSF. All rights reserved.TB DOC IN TAJIKISTAN Kartik Chandaria is an MSF doctor working in Tajikistan, specialising in treating children with tuberculosis Read his blog A DOCTOR IN EASTERN DRC (CONGO) Jennifer Turnbull is a pediatric emergency physician currently working for Médecins Sans … Continue reading →http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb284b2c-f375-446c-a7a0-235fa5345fd0&eId=b579f471-14e4-4279-aca6-ee8c15b56a4chttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb284b2c-f375-446c-a7a0-235fa5345fd0&eId=b579f471-14e4-4279-aca6-ee8c15b56a4cSun, 11 Dec 2011 17:02:42 GMTI learn that Christina has delivered from David the Lay Counsellor, who calls me to tell me so. The line is bad, and although I establish that she delivered at Ipusukilo rural health centre on 3rd June, that the baby … Continue reading →http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=4d055900-1f4e-4b91-baf9-0393f0161a71&eId=5dda7fa8-48dd-42e6-8129-21194289374fhttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=4d055900-1f4e-4b91-baf9-0393f0161a71&eId=5dda7fa8-48dd-42e6-8129-21194289374fTue, 13 Sep 2011 10:10:48 GMTTukul Building in the TB Village. A few weeks ago, we had a team meeting and HR workshop about what we thought the potential bad and potential good things were about MSF here in Lankien. This project has been here (between emergency evacuations) for many years, and has become a real hub. We often deal [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe&eId=499bd467-96d9-448e-929c-e9e6e84e75c3http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe&eId=499bd467-96d9-448e-929c-e9e6e84e75c3Thu, 11 Aug 2011 16:57:00 GMTIn just a few hours we will be cramming into the car and driving 2000km due north to the Yukon for 3 weeks of hiking in a tiny corner of Canada’s immense northern wilderness. 20kg of dehydrated food, 4 topographical maps for route finding and brand new neoprene socks for river crossings. Needless to say, [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=efa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81&eId=dbe49707-ee98-4a15-bd49-a5d27f9600dfhttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=efa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81&eId=dbe49707-ee98-4a15-bd49-a5d27f9600dfTue, 09 Aug 2011 09:49:26 GMTWhen a Cholera outbreak happens, everybody turns into a ‘WatSan’ officer, even the medics. But even under everyday circumstances, 70% of all of my activity has a ‘WatSan’ agenda. Water supply is our biggest issue. The stuff we can do is all in hand (preparation of pit Latrines, soakaways, etc) is arranged around a bag [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe&eId=bf58d9ec-07ce-49d4-9cfb-86659c61e59fhttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe&eId=bf58d9ec-07ce-49d4-9cfb-86659c61e59fSat, 06 Aug 2011 12:06:43 GMTIt’s Friday afternoon and Ajoy, visiting Water/Sanitation advisor, new to South Sudan, is shouting at Makuach, my right hand man, about ‘Behpar’. Ajoy is animated. He is an MSF ex-pat from India, with a strong West Bengali accent. I can’t understand him. He is in an authority position amongst my men. And he is shouting. [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe&eId=87e58213-dcc2-4a90-81fd-8644b28b4024http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe&eId=87e58213-dcc2-4a90-81fd-8644b28b4024Wed, 03 Aug 2011 16:06:15 GMTIt kills me to have to write this blog. On a personal level, the whole reason why I am here is to chip away at my own ignorance and try to understand all the perceptions and misconceptions, realities and reasonings that make up this place that so kindly hosts me.   Both in my own mind [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=efa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81&eId=a41662b4-7975-43b4-a760-2865f1f0259ahttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=efa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81&eId=a41662b4-7975-43b4-a760-2865f1f0259aTue, 28 Jun 2011 16:31:38 GMTWe all agree that the dog looks like Tin Tin’s dog, but nobody can remember his name. There is silence while we rack our brains, and suddenly Agnès blurts out ‘MILOU!’ Yes. Milou. In English translations of Tin Tin, he’s … Continue reading →http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=4d055900-1f4e-4b91-baf9-0393f0161a71&eId=1a94078f-edaf-4da7-800f-63f6188092f8http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=4d055900-1f4e-4b91-baf9-0393f0161a71&eId=1a94078f-edaf-4da7-800f-63f6188092f8Thu, 02 Jun 2011 11:57:42 GMTWho would have thought I’d be sitting around under the starry dome of South Sudan, learning the names and stories of the stars from Nuer Warriors in the quiet of the night? A more gentle and hapless bunch of guys you couldn’t invent, but in the ways of spear-fighting, bushlore, and cattle-defence, the MSF guards [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe&eId=4556570d-357d-48fd-bd4b-5231023277d1http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe&eId=4556570d-357d-48fd-bd4b-5231023277d1Tue, 31 May 2011 12:19:48 GMTAs I have mentioned before, our cargo plane days are quite a pleasure. There is always lots to do, but the Dornier planes that come are crazy old buses, and the pilots always old-school mavericks who have been on the Central/East Africa circuit for years. They have many stories to tell, but they don’t volunteer [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe&eId=56350869-a653-4d8c-abf5-f327b3212ba8http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe&eId=56350869-a653-4d8c-abf5-f327b3212ba8Mon, 09 May 2011 09:53:15 GMTOne of my Carpenters, John Both, couldn’t be a keener or more friendly guy, but as I tried to explain how frustrating it was to try and get him to do what I wanted to a Lankien outsider, it became clear to me how much I am up against here. It has not been unknown [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe&eId=1c65cd18-12c8-477b-ad4f-51383df8f958http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe&eId=1c65cd18-12c8-477b-ad4f-51383df8f958Tue, 03 May 2011 10:56:01 GMTWell, enough about all the wonderful things that everyone else is doing here in Chad….let me tell you about all the wonderful things I have been doing lately. As you may recall, I am the Watsan for the mission – responsible for water, sanitation and hygiene.   Burning garbage, emptying latrines, surveying drainage paths, testing water [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=efa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81&eId=62dc66ab-b873-4f45-b167-5bbdfd915d90http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=efa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81&eId=62dc66ab-b873-4f45-b167-5bbdfd915d90Fri, 29 Apr 2011 11:57:19 GMTMy mission is now over and I write this from London, UK, where I’ve been fortunate enough to get a free bed and room as my old friend’s flat-mate is on holiday.  She returns tomorrow and I’m relegated back to the floor.  It’s been great to catch up on sleep, although I can’t shift the [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=9a3c1ec3-a5db-4bd6-888d-09f1bad7dbc2&eId=e68d8b8b-3ee7-4d09-90dd-cbb306090f47http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=9a3c1ec3-a5db-4bd6-888d-09f1bad7dbc2&eId=e68d8b8b-3ee7-4d09-90dd-cbb306090f47Tue, 19 Apr 2011 10:00:28 GMTI have just had my first support visit from our operational centre in Amsterdam, in the form of two Field Support Supervisors. After an amazing first leave, I came back to analysis and discussion of efficiency and effectiveness. This was followed by a short training at our Field HQ in Loki, where all the Logisticians [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe&eId=d0d50c1f-3a06-4f7b-b114-d71bff8e25aahttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe&eId=d0d50c1f-3a06-4f7b-b114-d71bff8e25aaMon, 18 Apr 2011 10:59:59 GMTThere is a very strange phenomenon which happens in this part of the world. Everything in the Nuer culture relates to a certain investment. Love, Land, Water, Food, Sex, Mythology. It all comes back to the only certainty in life. The Cow. The Cow is everything. It is what buys you wives, gets you out [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe&eId=4cb3fd07-3e21-4f6d-bfa7-9ba6013ba68dhttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe&eId=4cb3fd07-3e21-4f6d-bfa7-9ba6013ba68dFri, 15 Apr 2011 16:17:10 GMTOn Wednesday 16th March, Christina is due for her next appointment at Ipusukilo rural health centre. I travel with our medical team, arriving before 9 o’clock, and scan the faces of the women who are already waiting. I can’t see … Continue reading →http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=4d055900-1f4e-4b91-baf9-0393f0161a71&eId=9bd999f0-648b-4851-b665-e99d526f9a3ehttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=4d055900-1f4e-4b91-baf9-0393f0161a71&eId=9bd999f0-648b-4851-b665-e99d526f9a3eFri, 15 Apr 2011 09:48:58 GMTFor anyone reading, my Blog entries may appear to have been thinning-out a bit recently. Computer access here has become severely restricted, and my own computer has now, quite literally, ‘bitten the dust’ of South Sudan. Nevertheless, there is an occasional opportunity to get to a ‘shared machine’, and so I write on tenterhooks. It [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe&eId=49536037-ed8e-40dd-b588-3dec5ab2b959http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe&eId=49536037-ed8e-40dd-b588-3dec5ab2b959Tue, 12 Apr 2011 12:47:53 GMTIn our last mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, I wrote extensively about our fistula campaign. A vaginal fistula results from prolonged and obstructed labour, when the baby’s head pushes against the wall of the vagina for an extensive period of time, cutting off circulation to the tissue, which then dies. The resulting hole, [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=efa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81&eId=b2b83f0f-6759-42aa-8691-e40899921e1ahttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=efa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81&eId=b2b83f0f-6759-42aa-8691-e40899921e1aMon, 11 Apr 2011 11:41:55 GMTThings have been busy. So busy, that I have neglected writing this blog. Since I last wrote, our team has dealt with Cholera in 3 of the 4 states we work in. The cholera happened during the flooding, so that presented us with a double emergency. Testing times… Extra international staff arrived and set up [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=9a3c1ec3-a5db-4bd6-888d-09f1bad7dbc2&eId=4a9f2dc5-e33e-466a-a893-17ee6e88c7b2http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=9a3c1ec3-a5db-4bd6-888d-09f1bad7dbc2&eId=4a9f2dc5-e33e-466a-a893-17ee6e88c7b2Tue, 05 Apr 2011 22:31:11 GMTI will call her Christina. We are almost the same age – she’s 31 and I’m 32. Beyond that, we don’t have much in common. Christina completed 7 years of schooling and is now a married woman with three children … Continue reading →http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=4d055900-1f4e-4b91-baf9-0393f0161a71&eId=5baa5e52-4fe7-4541-908d-ca67de55e892http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=4d055900-1f4e-4b91-baf9-0393f0161a71&eId=5baa5e52-4fe7-4541-908d-ca67de55e892Wed, 30 Mar 2011 17:00:30 GMTFollowing a period spent in the UK and on mission with Merlin in Haiti after her MSF mission to Liberia, Emily is back working for MSF in Zambia. Her new blog Following Christina follows the progress of Christina, an MSF … Continue reading →http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=4d055900-1f4e-4b91-baf9-0393f0161a71&eId=151ce9db-053d-4b8d-8898-2918c4c99451http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=4d055900-1f4e-4b91-baf9-0393f0161a71&eId=151ce9db-053d-4b8d-8898-2918c4c99451Wed, 30 Mar 2011 16:57:40 GMTOn a 7 hour car ride straight north into the expanding reaches of the Sahel desert, I try in vain to snooze in the back seat.  Every now and then, I open my eyes to the marvels of a camel caravan as it crosses the sea of sand, methodically and purposefully.   Both the method and [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=efa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81&eId=936b93e2-ffd8-4bcf-a2e9-fcab64556757http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=efa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81&eId=936b93e2-ffd8-4bcf-a2e9-fcab64556757Mon, 28 Mar 2011 15:24:24 GMTGuillaume is one of five Congolese expats currently working in our Chad program – two doctors, two nurses and our interim Medical Coordinator.  Like the Canadians, the Congolese easily outnumber any other nationality here.  Unlike the Canadians, however,  these stats results only because MSF has had a long, expansive history in the Democratic Republic of [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=efa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81&eId=0be6b38b-887e-4f19-af8c-481f1327959bhttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=efa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81&eId=0be6b38b-887e-4f19-af8c-481f1327959bThu, 17 Mar 2011 12:27:44 GMTThe end of today came about with, quite literally, a “buzz” of excitement. It was quite an event: a fire up a tree, with children and patients milling about, fascinated, whilst my Log guys got rid of the pest. Destroying the African bees nest had to be done once it was dark or, as Gatkoor [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe&eId=f0265d44-75fb-4cbd-a96b-e883a8773f2bhttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe&eId=f0265d44-75fb-4cbd-a96b-e883a8773f2bWed, 16 Mar 2011 11:28:25 GMTThis week started off rough. It is an emotional rollercoaster here, our project has a lot of visitors, and visitors always come from the capital with their own need to achieve interactive project results. Whether it be advising, assisting, or monitoring, it is always developmental, and always takes up our time. We have such limited [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe&eId=1187b281-d829-4b46-8e02-237ac4d33a37http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe&eId=1187b281-d829-4b46-8e02-237ac4d33a37Wed, 09 Mar 2011 10:42:42 GMTI was truly surprised by the men of Karakalpakstan today! Lunch time in our office is one of my favourite parts of the day for me here. At one pm our cook shouts “Abyet/Lunch” and everyone pours down into the lunch hall where we feast on delicious plov with Kim-Chi, accompanied by one of the [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=b162d843-8a35-4452-bc15-9b6ccb150a25&eId=959dec17-55c8-449d-87f5-f5385ccb5d45http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=b162d843-8a35-4452-bc15-9b6ccb150a25&eId=959dec17-55c8-449d-87f5-f5385ccb5d45Tue, 08 Mar 2011 16:13:48 GMTIs it really International Women’s Day if you have to wear a skirt to participate??http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=efa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81&eId=656159b0-ffde-464a-9b9e-39c133e84e8fhttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=efa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81&eId=656159b0-ffde-464a-9b9e-39c133e84e8fTue, 08 Mar 2011 08:54:34 GMTOK, I think we are all agreed here: the dry season is starting. For fun, we got the thermometer out today. 110 in the shade. Nevertheless, we are still cut-off from supply by – incredibly – water! Most of my time now is taken-up with water management. Whether it be trying to get my guards [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe&eId=a3bea575-3dac-4f68-95f4-4d345f39f438http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe&eId=a3bea575-3dac-4f68-95f4-4d345f39f438Wed, 02 Mar 2011 13:12:54 GMTThe French word for midwife is “sage femme”, which translates literally as “wise woman”.  Nothing could better describe our sage femme here in the Am Timan, the expat supervisor for the maternity department. Born in Kenya in 1956, Marisa considers herself of the “post-colonial generation”, having witnessed both the triumphs and tragedies of successive post-independence [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=efa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81&eId=d15db78f-e128-4207-b743-c1aaa72733d4http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=efa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81&eId=d15db78f-e128-4207-b743-c1aaa72733d4Tue, 01 Mar 2011 14:45:32 GMTThe last few weeks have been very up and down. I’ve gone from feeling extremely frustrated to excited and motivated. I find it amazing how quickly the mood of the project can change. A series of frustrations crept up on me lately- it can be extremely difficult to find out what is happening here. It’s [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=b162d843-8a35-4452-bc15-9b6ccb150a25&eId=374515aa-647c-45d4-b1ae-ff0b5556e55bhttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=b162d843-8a35-4452-bc15-9b6ccb150a25&eId=374515aa-647c-45d4-b1ae-ff0b5556e55bSat, 26 Feb 2011 08:55:30 GMTIn my blog, I have seldom yet taken the opportunity to actually talk about, or describe, the medical work we do here. I am slightly sceptical of emotive ‘aid images’, so have maybe shied away from too many ‘MSF t-shirts on doctors’ photographs. And in this sense, it has been good that images are so [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe&eId=0a786150-a54e-4fe0-984a-258de9aabb1dhttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe&eId=0a786150-a54e-4fe0-984a-258de9aabb1dFri, 25 Feb 2011 10:01:34 GMTOne of the abiding memories of Christmas for me, from amongst the chaos of Cargo, Air-Traffic Control, and Security Management, was my first delivery. Ever since being once denied the chance, I have always wanted to witness a birth, and when I first came, Sheila was very keen that I come and be there one [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe&eId=79612b9b-d3db-4d59-b77b-774af995b4b1http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe&eId=79612b9b-d3db-4d59-b77b-774af995b4b1Wed, 23 Feb 2011 10:45:05 GMTThank you, everybody who has replied to this blog. Times here recently have been full of uncertainty. Things for me, if I’m honest, have been tough. It has been so frantic with E-Prep (Emergency Preparedness), and everybody being on leave, that time has flown, and I have been completely frenetic.  I am hoping to return [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe&eId=f61d3b9e-da45-4b16-a112-71a117907189http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe&eId=f61d3b9e-da45-4b16-a112-71a117907189Fri, 18 Feb 2011 10:44:08 GMTIn MSF, we are thrown into situations that, in the short slice of time that we witness, seem quite bleak and often hopeless.  I am slowly understanding that this outlook results more because we automatically compare what we see to what we know, whether that is the comforts of home or previous international abodes.  We [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=efa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81&eId=b8a6e428-c538-4d06-8ab2-d44f0ede54d9http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=efa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81&eId=b8a6e428-c538-4d06-8ab2-d44f0ede54d9Mon, 14 Feb 2011 09:07:43 GMTIn Lankien, life is very very busy. Being TechLog means that one can rarely leave the confines of the Clinic Compound, as generators, water pumps, and everything else depends on constant attention. None of us ex-pats get out more than once a week, except to go to the airstrip and receive a plane, or for [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe&eId=450ad5d2-42f6-4cd5-ae9e-53de6d9e7c51http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe&eId=450ad5d2-42f6-4cd5-ae9e-53de6d9e7c51Thu, 10 Feb 2011 07:41:03 GMTSouthern Sudan has fought on-and-off for the last century both amongst its own tribes and over issues of North and South division. Today is a very quiet day both in the Hospital, and in Lankien in general. There has been no drumming, singing, or dancing, none of the usual Sunday parades. It is a bit [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe&eId=0113c5ff-4c9f-4441-b9d6-abccff75e969http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe&eId=0113c5ff-4c9f-4441-b9d6-abccff75e969Fri, 04 Feb 2011 12:23:36 GMTA nutrition program is a bit different that other medical programs in that the patients don’t necessarily feel sick.  They may not even feel hungry if there is something in their belly, nourishing or not.  So, in many cases we have to go find them.  We have teams of Community Health Workers who comb through [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=efa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81&eId=e8d8c2ae-b5d5-4acc-9004-5041b7fa6272http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=efa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81&eId=e8d8c2ae-b5d5-4acc-9004-5041b7fa6272Wed, 26 Jan 2011 17:33:46 GMTJanuary has been a marathon month of never ending data requests, summarising the project we just handed over to the Ministry of Health, summarising the last year of work, estimating how many patients we will have for the next four years, estimating how many samples the lab is going to have to process from now [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=b162d843-8a35-4452-bc15-9b6ccb150a25&eId=9e7399d5-4ebc-42b6-a4e4-bde6a7ed45c8http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=b162d843-8a35-4452-bc15-9b6ccb150a25&eId=9e7399d5-4ebc-42b6-a4e4-bde6a7ed45c8Thu, 20 Jan 2011 10:58:15 GMTAnybody who remembers the first Star Wars movie will recall the monster in the sewage-crusher that our heroes got trapped-in. I went to check up on a latrine which we were decommissioning in our ‘TB village’. This is a compound of  some twenty tukuls, mainly residential, where patients suspected of having tuberculosis live, whilst being [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe&eId=41fa5679-a93d-441a-857c-bfc99c66ef96http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe&eId=41fa5679-a93d-441a-857c-bfc99c66ef96Fri, 14 Jan 2011 10:08:10 GMTThe Irony I fear I am getting fat.  It is always a danger on a MSF mission, where you have little control over food, little opportunity to exercise, and mealtime is the main social activity. And of course, where you rely on Pringles as a stress-management strategy.  It’s ironic, though, as Grant is under the [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=efa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81&eId=ca54e1bc-87a1-464a-bace-551253a41f56http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=efa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81&eId=ca54e1bc-87a1-464a-bace-551253a41f56Wed, 12 Jan 2011 15:28:06 GMTTonight, I walked home from work in arctic conditions (-15C), clad in my balaclava it was difficult to breath. At first through my nose, but it felt like the contents were freezing…then through my mouth and my teeth began to hurt like I was eating ice cream. It’s a different kind of cold than I’ve [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=b162d843-8a35-4452-bc15-9b6ccb150a25&eId=910f3272-e499-4e87-b90c-9a19a4ae48a8http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=b162d843-8a35-4452-bc15-9b6ccb150a25&eId=910f3272-e499-4e87-b90c-9a19a4ae48a8Mon, 10 Jan 2011 17:56:30 GMTThe excitement built up towards the end of December as I went home for Christmas! I couldn’t wait to see my family and friends, eat a Christmas goose and relax with all the home comforts. It was touch and go whether I would get home at all, Dublin airport teetering between open and closed with [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=b162d843-8a35-4452-bc15-9b6ccb150a25&eId=a00e9373-38e4-4f51-9c75-40c5c529e968http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=b162d843-8a35-4452-bc15-9b6ccb150a25&eId=a00e9373-38e4-4f51-9c75-40c5c529e968Sat, 08 Jan 2011 17:53:40 GMTBore-Da= Shaba-ka-Mahl Prynhawn-Da= Shaboot-ka-Mahl Da-Iawn= Mahleh-magua Sit wyt ti?= Gin-nasin? Mae ‘n iawn ‘da fi.= Ah- nasinhttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe&eId=ea5f01f5-0aa4-462e-a472-7deebd662f4dhttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe&eId=ea5f01f5-0aa4-462e-a472-7deebd662f4dThu, 06 Jan 2011 11:10:40 GMTWritten by Grant… Old Story with a New Twist Did you know that some girls here in Chad are expected to be married and out of their father’s home by the time they have their first period!?  Imagine.  Actually, it isn’t something I can even come close to imagining – and I see it every [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=efa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81&eId=dac403fc-b05d-4550-a63a-43be0c227bbbhttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=efa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81&eId=dac403fc-b05d-4550-a63a-43be0c227bbbWed, 29 Dec 2010 11:12:48 GMTCrikey, this is an inhospitable and unlikely place for people to have a settlement. The only water here has to be pumped up from boreholes nearly 500 feet deep in the earth’s crust. Holes used to get dug by hand, apparently, desperate nomadic cattle-herders frienziedly chasing the receeding river-flood, grubbing for dampness in the blinding [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe&eId=e4d06169-1b85-4a30-a8f3-89694f84463fhttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe&eId=e4d06169-1b85-4a30-a8f3-89694f84463fThu, 23 Dec 2010 15:58:49 GMTFinally I’m to leave for my project. With a weight limit Ryanair would be proud of, I’m forced to split my luggage leaving a portion to follow me. I will be taking one of the humanitarian flights, of which a network exists across Chad. The security checks before entering departures seem purely perfunctory – the [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=271cfce5-f09b-4628-952b-424330fbc87b&eId=112be6dc-ffb0-4659-8ace-84b1b0e62a86http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=271cfce5-f09b-4628-952b-424330fbc87b&eId=112be6dc-ffb0-4659-8ace-84b1b0e62a86Wed, 22 Dec 2010 16:07:20 GMTYesterday, I was teaching Malo, my generator man, and electrical know-how worker about percentage. The generator fuel reads as percentage on the little control screen, and I was trying to explain that one of our generator readings jumped around between 0 and 86% when it was running. I think he understood, ‘de facto’, but not, [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe&eId=c4a24388-9b92-4ef9-80a1-0db8a89a07e3http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe&eId=c4a24388-9b92-4ef9-80a1-0db8a89a07e3Tue, 21 Dec 2010 08:45:28 GMTGrant told me I have to write about something positive for the next blog.  No more vomiting cholera patients or corrupt shopkeepers.  So the most positive thing I could possibly think of is R&R  [rest and recreation]!  A long weekend in the capital city (N’Djamena), promised to each expat after 6-8 weeks in the field.  [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=efa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81&eId=76ae79ac-b2e0-4697-8054-bd520b7410b8http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=efa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81&eId=76ae79ac-b2e0-4697-8054-bd520b7410b8Thu, 16 Dec 2010 15:24:02 GMTI’ve been to lots of developing countries, but have never seen anywhere like this. Walking into the centre is disconcerting – in any capital city you expect a minimum level of traffic and infrastructure, but here there is virtually nothing. The odd person walking along, a couple of motorcycles and shops, but that’s all. Avenue [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=271cfce5-f09b-4628-952b-424330fbc87b&eId=b67d436c-f809-4db9-bc37-b6d31fdd7195http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=271cfce5-f09b-4628-952b-424330fbc87b&eId=b67d436c-f809-4db9-bc37-b6d31fdd7195Thu, 16 Dec 2010 14:25:14 GMTMonday morning was the most daunting morning so far. The drums have been constant this week. I wondered how one man could keep the same rhythm through the night and well into the afternoon of the next day. Sundays are the most tuneful days, though, with church harmonies and drumming drifting across from the church. [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe&eId=be6355b4-aefc-4448-866b-6568750a97aehttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe&eId=be6355b4-aefc-4448-866b-6568750a97aeTue, 14 Dec 2010 09:41:00 GMTExplaining to family and friends I’m going to be a logistician in Chad for 9 months is invariably met with either “Where’s that?” or “Who’s he?” About to start my first mission with MSF, I have no idea what to expect of the country or the job, the only clue being the word “flexible,” which [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=271cfce5-f09b-4628-952b-424330fbc87b&eId=a4d20e8d-5fbf-407e-920f-443e0e13106chttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=271cfce5-f09b-4628-952b-424330fbc87b&eId=a4d20e8d-5fbf-407e-920f-443e0e13106cThu, 09 Dec 2010 14:18:04 GMTI grew up abroad and have spent a large part of my life living and working in different cultures. Studying physics, working as software engineer, owning a bar in Paris and running a security company in the Middle East seem to make me a typical log with a wide range of experience in different environments. [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=271cfce5-f09b-4628-952b-424330fbc87b&eId=234e8a7e-5915-4a9f-82da-723c429658echttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=271cfce5-f09b-4628-952b-424330fbc87b&eId=234e8a7e-5915-4a9f-82da-723c429658ecThu, 09 Dec 2010 14:13:00 GMTArriving at Jomo Kenyatta was a proper re-introduction to Africa. Plywood-painted booths on a little concours, which sell mainly mobile phone credit, which was handy, as I had instructions to get a local SIM card. Subsequently a call to ‘Vincent’, the MSF-contracted taxi-driver, and then meeting with his deputy, Danson, who took me to a [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe&eId=23e7fdfd-03ea-40de-8a9e-c1b8670731d6http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe&eId=23e7fdfd-03ea-40de-8a9e-c1b8670731d6Thu, 09 Dec 2010 09:33:40 GMTTo every one’s relief, the rains have continued since the first, sharp showers of last month.  The previous few years have been dry years, with the rains coming late, or not at all.  After preparing the soil at the first sign of rain, people plant their land with food for the future.  If further rain [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb280b8b-c472-4b64-b3ec-beb66d42d12f&eId=733db6a1-fa43-4e88-ac5c-8c8f5a91b263http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb280b8b-c472-4b64-b3ec-beb66d42d12f&eId=733db6a1-fa43-4e88-ac5c-8c8f5a91b263Wed, 08 Dec 2010 13:52:39 GMTWell, 4 weeks later I am still in cholera country.  What were originally instructions to “go check it out for a few days to ensure the watsan components are in place” has turned into a month of building fences and latrines, setting up tents, negotiating with donkey-cart owners for water transport, choking on fumes as [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=efa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81&eId=e439892c-28f0-46ca-b70b-42115582f970http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=efa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81&eId=e439892c-28f0-46ca-b70b-42115582f970Wed, 08 Dec 2010 08:26:50 GMTThis may be a good time to stop, think and reflect. This past month has been a very difficult one for our project both on a personal and professional level. One of our dear colleagues passed away most unexpectedly after a heart attack. He worked as part of the team for the last ten years, [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=b162d843-8a35-4452-bc15-9b6ccb150a25&eId=76cd38ce-d38a-40e3-a1db-377e94da44bahttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=b162d843-8a35-4452-bc15-9b6ccb150a25&eId=76cd38ce-d38a-40e3-a1db-377e94da44baFri, 03 Dec 2010 08:42:59 GMTI have to be honest. Writing a blog is hard sometimes.  There seem to be a few traps. First of all, there is the danger of reinforcing stereotypes.  We are all guilty.  We seek out our preconceptions and our stereotypes and look to validate and reinforce them as truths.  We immediately pull out our cameras [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=efa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81&eId=07970604-eb54-4625-a49a-45f632ef182bhttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=efa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81&eId=07970604-eb54-4625-a49a-45f632ef182bTue, 30 Nov 2010 15:04:17 GMTWhile Chantelle has been busy exploring the world of Cholera in the southwestern corner of Chad, I have immersed myself in the increasingly complex project of Am Timan.  It has been intense, to say the least, and after 7 weeks in country I am only today enjoying my second full day off! Regardless, I am [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=efa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81&eId=692ea4e6-03f6-4fc5-a40e-9b171cf13780http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=efa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81&eId=692ea4e6-03f6-4fc5-a40e-9b171cf13780Thu, 25 Nov 2010 15:00:23 GMTIn theory it makes sense, but man oh man, in practice – it has the potential to be a real circus. For example, we have tents set up in essentially an open field, with plastic sheeting floors.  Have you ever tried washing a plastic sheeting floor in a dirt field with patients and vomit buckets [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=efa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81&eId=4f949765-2437-426a-a431-c6d47efb7bb9http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=efa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81&eId=4f949765-2437-426a-a431-c6d47efb7bb9Thu, 18 Nov 2010 14:00:08 GMTI’m standing in the rain outside a cinder block house in Mkoba listening to the sound of drums and funeral songs escaping from the open doors and windows. The rain has finally come and shattered the heavy heat that has been hanging over us all.  The storms are spectacular.  The sky turns a sudden, menacing [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb280b8b-c472-4b64-b3ec-beb66d42d12f&eId=e7d85ba2-d294-40b4-b2ba-b13d1ad4c604http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb280b8b-c472-4b64-b3ec-beb66d42d12f&eId=e7d85ba2-d294-40b4-b2ba-b13d1ad4c604Thu, 18 Nov 2010 13:33:59 GMTWe first heard of cholera cases in neighboring Cameroon in August and we began monitoring the situation in the corresponding border areas of Chad.  By September there were cases reported here, but it seemed the Ministry of Health, with supplies from UNICEF and WHO and logistics support from Oxfam, were managing and the case numbers [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=efa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81&eId=65ef5d03-06a1-4571-9510-1c25b9a1e732http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=efa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81&eId=65ef5d03-06a1-4571-9510-1c25b9a1e732Wed, 17 Nov 2010 14:57:13 GMTGreeting!  Chantelle here, reporting live from my first ever cholera outbreak.  Infection control is paramount in cholera epidemics, and where there is chlorine, there is always a watsan nearby!  So, myself and my national staff counterpart were sent to Fianga, where MSF has been intervening for the past few weeks. I wish I could search [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=efa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81&eId=6d018192-9dd0-492d-bb43-1efa3b15dfcehttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=efa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81&eId=6d018192-9dd0-492d-bb43-1efa3b15dfceFri, 12 Nov 2010 13:23:38 GMTIt’s been a long time since I’ve written.  The seasons have changed here in Zimbabwe and Gweru is now dripping with heat and jacaranda blossom.  In town, the sun ricochets off glass and metal and soaks into the tarmac.  In the countryside of Lower Gweru, a warm wind whips up the dust and makes our [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb280b8b-c472-4b64-b3ec-beb66d42d12f&eId=0bff7b2c-058b-4d14-9a2e-b39e6d3e60f8http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb280b8b-c472-4b64-b3ec-beb66d42d12f&eId=0bff7b2c-058b-4d14-9a2e-b39e6d3e60f8Wed, 10 Nov 2010 16:38:35 GMTWhen we were told that we would be going to the city of Am Timan, we were quite impressed that it actually appeared on the map.  Forth largest city in Chad, apparently.  We were certain that if nothing else, it must at least have one dingy restaurant that sells deep-fried chicken and fries, served with [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=efa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81&eId=b45ae0a7-aef3-465d-8c52-6080bef5f709http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=efa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81&eId=b45ae0a7-aef3-465d-8c52-6080bef5f709Mon, 08 Nov 2010 16:21:25 GMTAdmittedly, when we learned that we were being sent to Chad, we also had to look on a map to see exactly where it is.  Thanks only to previous MSF exposure, we knew it was in northern Africa, Muslim, French-speaking, hot, and has had difficulties finding qualified local staff.  According to my atlas, there is [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=efa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81&eId=0425f185-362c-4558-ab54-75381c23e646http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=efa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81&eId=0425f185-362c-4558-ab54-75381c23e646Thu, 04 Nov 2010 19:14:48 GMTI headed to Canada for my holidays full of enthusiasm, ready to meet the parents of my long-suffering girlfriend.  Turns out it wasn’t just enthusiasm I was full of.  I was unlucky enough to have 2 different types of malaria at the same time, including the most dangerous Falciparum strain. At first I didn’t even [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=9a3c1ec3-a5db-4bd6-888d-09f1bad7dbc2&eId=6fdd5f3d-b9d2-45fb-b428-d38cf01b7726http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=9a3c1ec3-a5db-4bd6-888d-09f1bad7dbc2&eId=6fdd5f3d-b9d2-45fb-b428-d38cf01b7726Wed, 20 Oct 2010 00:07:17 GMT“You’re going where?” “Uzbekistan”, I repeat. “Pakistan” “No, not Pakistan, Uzbekistan.” “Where is that, and why mumblemumbleStan- what are you going to do? Do you have to go there?” For the few weeks I had in Dublin to get ready for my mission in Uzbekistan, this was the recurring conversation. Having worked for the past [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=b162d843-8a35-4452-bc15-9b6ccb150a25&eId=de1204de-c21e-4741-b6bf-3f551d4177e5http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=b162d843-8a35-4452-bc15-9b6ccb150a25&eId=de1204de-c21e-4741-b6bf-3f551d4177e5Tue, 19 Oct 2010 23:50:09 GMTLast weekend, we baked in the sun within the inner walls of the city of Khiva- an ancient city on the silk route. On our return journey, bumping along the road through the desert, the wind picked up, the sky darkened and the season changed. It’s the season of visitors for the Nukus project. As [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=b162d843-8a35-4452-bc15-9b6ccb150a25&eId=d80b5189-3c49-41d3-8fb1-db3f79bf799chttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=b162d843-8a35-4452-bc15-9b6ccb150a25&eId=d80b5189-3c49-41d3-8fb1-db3f79bf799cSat, 09 Oct 2010 22:49:41 GMTThis morning I joined one of the doctors at the MDR-TB hospital, which is set on the outskirts of Nukus on the edge of the desert. We arrived at the hospital, met the other doctors, and set off to do the rounds. Standing outside the hospital, I fitted a mask to filter the air I [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=b162d843-8a35-4452-bc15-9b6ccb150a25&eId=a9e7daa4-26bd-44c2-8659-ea5aee73d2dbhttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=b162d843-8a35-4452-bc15-9b6ccb150a25&eId=a9e7daa4-26bd-44c2-8659-ea5aee73d2dbFri, 17 Sep 2010 22:48:27 GMTAfter a very busy week responding to the Kagara flood on September 1st, my heart sank at news of more flooding on the 9th of September. A doctor and I went to investigate. Last week Kagara was chest deep in water, with all the surrounding crops and food storage destroyed. This time, we saw village [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=9a3c1ec3-a5db-4bd6-888d-09f1bad7dbc2&eId=4834e0a5-69bc-4694-a1c6-c21ab01f9f81http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=9a3c1ec3-a5db-4bd6-888d-09f1bad7dbc2&eId=4834e0a5-69bc-4694-a1c6-c21ab01f9f81Mon, 13 Sep 2010 16:31:32 GMTWednesday 1st September 2010, 10:30am. The coordinator of our mother and child centre in Goronyo called. She had received reports of 200 deaths in nearby Kagara village, caused by flooding. The immediate needs were shelter, food and water. By 1:30pm I was half way there, with a 10-ton truck laden with tents, water tanks, pumps, [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=9a3c1ec3-a5db-4bd6-888d-09f1bad7dbc2&eId=8c6cb770-e00e-415f-9b3b-3d900a2e7525http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=9a3c1ec3-a5db-4bd6-888d-09f1bad7dbc2&eId=8c6cb770-e00e-415f-9b3b-3d900a2e7525Fri, 10 Sep 2010 15:12:33 GMTThe closure ceremony was a great success – 350 people, traditional folk musicians (with the real one metre long Vuvuzelas, not the little ones we saw at the televised world cup matches), and the opportunity to remind the community of MSFs new role here in Bunia. The hospital Bon Marché exists no more – except [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=04f97963-bd46-4bd7-b01e-002a5bed5f00&eId=6e71c83a-90eb-44b1-8ee9-24c8220cbd85http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=04f97963-bd46-4bd7-b01e-002a5bed5f00&eId=6e71c83a-90eb-44b1-8ee9-24c8220cbd85Thu, 02 Sep 2010 09:37:24 GMTI suppose the last few weeks have turned out more or less as I had imagined. As we have ceased to admit new patients or transfers (all are now managed at the general hospital), the wards have become emptier, the staff more melancholy, and the atmosphere a little strained. Project closures are not reputed to [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=04f97963-bd46-4bd7-b01e-002a5bed5f00&eId=0e2b08f8-761e-4cb5-bc5a-bd54737892c9http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=04f97963-bd46-4bd7-b01e-002a5bed5f00&eId=0e2b08f8-761e-4cb5-bc5a-bd54737892c9Wed, 25 Aug 2010 17:39:19 GMTMy first weekend in Nukus all the expats that work for MSF were invited to the TB hospital’s Chief doctor’s birthday party. We arrived at midday, and sat down around a huge dining room table laden with fish, salads, cold meat, fruit and nuts. We each had a small porcelain bowl which was filled up [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=b162d843-8a35-4452-bc15-9b6ccb150a25&eId=bdf5abdb-ad1b-41a2-8a7b-27d33eb5a679http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=b162d843-8a35-4452-bc15-9b6ccb150a25&eId=bdf5abdb-ad1b-41a2-8a7b-27d33eb5a679Sat, 21 Aug 2010 22:45:46 GMTEmergency Planning.  That could be the title of just about every blog I write in the next year, I think.  Almost everything I am doing is planning ahead for emergencies.  Some more likely to occur than others.  It rained heavily today.  I was woken at 6:15 by the rain pounding the tin roof like a [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=9a3c1ec3-a5db-4bd6-888d-09f1bad7dbc2&eId=84211304-6a1e-441e-905a-54cb7f1531f5http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=9a3c1ec3-a5db-4bd6-888d-09f1bad7dbc2&eId=84211304-6a1e-441e-905a-54cb7f1531f5Thu, 19 Aug 2010 22:51:00 GMTYesterday I transferred a 3 year old boy from the General Hospital to 
the MSF hospital (Bon Marché) – although most of the paediatric care
 now takes place at the general hospital, we have retained Intensive
 Care at Bon Marché for the time being. The boy was gasping, and had 
that familiar terrified stare that [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=04f97963-bd46-4bd7-b01e-002a5bed5f00&eId=97e6781c-834c-4b7b-a62e-df1dc5b6fb49http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=04f97963-bd46-4bd7-b01e-002a5bed5f00&eId=97e6781c-834c-4b7b-a62e-df1dc5b6fb49Thu, 19 Aug 2010 14:41:09 GMTAboard the 21 hour train from Tashkent to Nukus, where the MSF program is located, the sweat poured off me as I sat alone in my own compartment in 40+ degrees heat wondering what lay ahead of me. There was no going back now. Destination: my first assignment with MSF, a program for drug-resistant tuberculosis [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=b162d843-8a35-4452-bc15-9b6ccb150a25&eId=edb5a61a-ed50-414e-aada-ccf91e578ec0http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=b162d843-8a35-4452-bc15-9b6ccb150a25&eId=edb5a61a-ed50-414e-aada-ccf91e578ec0Fri, 13 Aug 2010 18:08:42 GMTDespite the surprise of finding Gweru recently on a world map (in the absence of the likes of Harare and Bulawayo) the fact remains that Gweru is, in reality, a small town that feels like a large village.  I’m certain that I could walk from one side to the other (and probably back again!) in [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb280b8b-c472-4b64-b3ec-beb66d42d12f&eId=80674629-7052-4406-a73e-32986bc5aa8bhttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb280b8b-c472-4b64-b3ec-beb66d42d12f&eId=80674629-7052-4406-a73e-32986bc5aa8bFri, 06 Aug 2010 23:56:23 GMTOnce again I find myself wondering what drives us to undertake this sort of work. I remember my friend Daniel saying that there are 4 motivations for working with MSF – escape, adventure, money and idealism. In talking of escape, he was referring to the fact that many undertake this sort of work when they [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=04f97963-bd46-4bd7-b01e-002a5bed5f00&eId=6f396502-654a-4d92-8da6-64114f890d08http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=04f97963-bd46-4bd7-b01e-002a5bed5f00&eId=6f396502-654a-4d92-8da6-64114f890d08Mon, 02 Aug 2010 13:17:02 GMTAt first I felt that one of the risks in this job was that you can spend too much time talking.  At present I feel as if there’s not enough time to talk. It’s currently time to reflect, to identify how far we have got in achieving our objectives for the year, to identify which [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=04f97963-bd46-4bd7-b01e-002a5bed5f00&eId=277a1550-4818-43d8-aef8-ba6cba9ccd79http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=04f97963-bd46-4bd7-b01e-002a5bed5f00&eId=277a1550-4818-43d8-aef8-ba6cba9ccd79Fri, 30 Jul 2010 13:13:28 GMTThe team were very busy prior to my arrival and with no NERU emergencies (another MSF team were dealing with lead poisoning) in our 4 North-West states being self-sufficient, they decided to take the full weekend off for the first time in months. Having only been here for a few days, I didn’t feel like [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=9a3c1ec3-a5db-4bd6-888d-09f1bad7dbc2&eId=5242059a-aa39-4c57-afbb-9a56b9cd3f69http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=9a3c1ec3-a5db-4bd6-888d-09f1bad7dbc2&eId=5242059a-aa39-4c57-afbb-9a56b9cd3f69Sun, 25 Jul 2010 21:30:54 GMTEach day brings an unpredictable variety of events. Last Sunday I woke to the news of an outbreak of viral hemorrhagic fever, which by lunchtime had turned out to be a false alarm (a snake-bite, I think). I spent the afternoon in a plane carrying out a medical evacuation, and the evening at an (informal) [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=04f97963-bd46-4bd7-b01e-002a5bed5f00&eId=462a14f0-21e5-43a8-9934-a13b557293eehttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=04f97963-bd46-4bd7-b01e-002a5bed5f00&eId=462a14f0-21e5-43a8-9934-a13b557293eeFri, 23 Jul 2010 10:58:56 GMTAfter numerous warnings about the problems that me and my luggage might face on our journey from London to Sokoto, via Abuja, I was pleasantly surprised by the efficiency and friendliness I encountered at all stages of my flights to Nigeria.  An immigration officer even walked me through to the departure lounge to show me [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=9a3c1ec3-a5db-4bd6-888d-09f1bad7dbc2&eId=c398e0c1-abea-4f03-9602-e6548d128e2dhttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=9a3c1ec3-a5db-4bd6-888d-09f1bad7dbc2&eId=c398e0c1-abea-4f03-9602-e6548d128e2dWed, 21 Jul 2010 17:12:16 GMTAfter Chris’s end of mission in Papua New Guinea, he has decided to take on a new challenge by working as the logistician for MSF’s Nigeria Emergency Response Unit. The NERU as it’s known in MSF, specializes in sending its emergency team, composed of doctors, nurses and logisticians, to respond to epidemics in the northwestern [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=9a3c1ec3-a5db-4bd6-888d-09f1bad7dbc2&eId=eb5b2a5e-eceb-45a6-b78c-2f60acf147a5http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=9a3c1ec3-a5db-4bd6-888d-09f1bad7dbc2&eId=eb5b2a5e-eceb-45a6-b78c-2f60acf147a5Tue, 20 Jul 2010 16:30:29 GMTI remember a public health colleague once saying to me “Know what it is that you do, and be able to sum it up in 1 minute when asked”. Yet the report I submitted this month was 19 pages long, and I’ve just not been able to cut it down any further. Basically, the programme [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=04f97963-bd46-4bd7-b01e-002a5bed5f00&eId=10f9134f-f5c1-4d4c-9cbc-1d611d505d78http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=04f97963-bd46-4bd7-b01e-002a5bed5f00&eId=10f9134f-f5c1-4d4c-9cbc-1d611d505d78Thu, 15 Jul 2010 14:08:22 GMTOn the evenings when meetings don’t run over and patients don’t arrive too late, I like to walk home from the office. It’s a golden walk, with the sun low in the sky behind me and my lengthening shadow ahead. After leaving the office compound on the main street of Gweru, the town quickly peters [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb280b8b-c472-4b64-b3ec-beb66d42d12f&eId=f204dad3-141d-4025-b3b3-20d3d875be8bhttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb280b8b-c472-4b64-b3ec-beb66d42d12f&eId=f204dad3-141d-4025-b3b3-20d3d875be8bTue, 13 Jul 2010 11:48:53 GMTOn certain days I ask myself if we were right to get involved in Bunia in the first place. There are hundreds of NGOs here, many of whom are now thinking of leaving. Since 2003 this temporary community has built hospitals, reunited families, dug wells, and completely overturned the economy. People have given up farming, [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=04f97963-bd46-4bd7-b01e-002a5bed5f00&eId=ef0e2bcd-2b17-4a20-8767-a0c3eaca9d8dhttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=04f97963-bd46-4bd7-b01e-002a5bed5f00&eId=ef0e2bcd-2b17-4a20-8767-a0c3eaca9d8dWed, 07 Jul 2010 14:06:31 GMTWhite noise.  I’m hunched over the radio, but however close I lean to the receiver, I just hear white noise.  I’ve got my eyes closed and I’m frowning.  I’m actually trying to squint with my ears.  It sounds like a mouse has crept into the microphone and is scrambling around in there.  Some small creature, [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb280b8b-c472-4b64-b3ec-beb66d42d12f&eId=9181de6d-86d2-411e-b12c-87f1b3db5a6ehttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb280b8b-c472-4b64-b3ec-beb66d42d12f&eId=9181de6d-86d2-411e-b12c-87f1b3db5a6eWed, 30 Jun 2010 09:49:12 GMTThe Congolese give their children the most wonderful names – Dieu-donné (God-given), Dieu-Merci (Thank you, Lord), Glorieuse (Glorious), Desiré (much-desired). And usually everyone knows why they have the name they have. Dieu-donné, for example, may have been born 15 years after the previous sibling, such that the mother believed she could not conceive again, making [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=04f97963-bd46-4bd7-b01e-002a5bed5f00&eId=694901b8-46cf-4f55-8edb-2f3b80ff5a4ahttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=04f97963-bd46-4bd7-b01e-002a5bed5f00&eId=694901b8-46cf-4f55-8edb-2f3b80ff5a4aMon, 28 Jun 2010 11:12:27 GMTI have now discovered a little circuit that I walk each weekend. It’s not much to get excited about – I walk from the compound to the MSF hospital, then to the General Hospital, and then home again. In some ways it can be a bit repetitive – particularly the predictable conversation with the motorcycle [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=04f97963-bd46-4bd7-b01e-002a5bed5f00&eId=88d58023-6a68-4d74-8f4a-44995bf13a20http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=04f97963-bd46-4bd7-b01e-002a5bed5f00&eId=88d58023-6a68-4d74-8f4a-44995bf13a20Mon, 14 Jun 2010 08:57:00 GMTNtabamhlope is one of my favourite clinics. And it’s not just the fascinating name that I enjoy. It’s the cross-country journey we take to get there. It’s the ancient, broad trunked tree in the corner of the compound. It’s the way someone has planted flowers around its base and is taking the trouble to tend [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb280b8b-c472-4b64-b3ec-beb66d42d12f&eId=f69db59a-9bb4-47b5-99e7-24abc50bbc22http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb280b8b-c472-4b64-b3ec-beb66d42d12f&eId=f69db59a-9bb4-47b5-99e7-24abc50bbc22Tue, 18 May 2010 19:48:08 GMTAt certain moments it feels as if we are walking a tightrope, struggling to retain our equilibrium in the face of a constant barrage of destablising events. Each day poses new challenges for the transfer of activities – a threatened strike by the nurses at the general hospital, the discovery of bats in one of [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=04f97963-bd46-4bd7-b01e-002a5bed5f00&eId=1bae2b7f-630f-4f71-9f1e-7dd2396100c8http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=04f97963-bd46-4bd7-b01e-002a5bed5f00&eId=1bae2b7f-630f-4f71-9f1e-7dd2396100c8Fri, 14 May 2010 10:09:27 GMTThe mango season is over here in Gweru, but everything else, for me, is just beginning.  The slow learning of language and landscape that makes me feel like an infant again.  Adjusting to a climate that finds me shivering in the early hours and then hurrying towards the shade at noon.  Recognising faces, remembering names [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb280b8b-c472-4b64-b3ec-beb66d42d12f&eId=ca897202-b3d0-4c0b-a628-c8b82b25514chttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb280b8b-c472-4b64-b3ec-beb66d42d12f&eId=ca897202-b3d0-4c0b-a628-c8b82b25514cThu, 13 May 2010 10:13:11 GMTAfter completion of her nurse training at King’s College, London, Jess specialised in caring for those with HIV/AIDS, working at the infectious disease unit in St Bartholomew’s Hospital, London. In 2002 Jess was awarded the Diploma in Tropical Nursing from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She then went on to work as [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb280b8b-c472-4b64-b3ec-beb66d42d12f&eId=3ebcffc2-f86b-44a5-9e9a-5eb26036210ehttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb280b8b-c472-4b64-b3ec-beb66d42d12f&eId=3ebcffc2-f86b-44a5-9e9a-5eb26036210eThu, 13 May 2010 10:12:10 GMTDemand for health care is not unlike demand for any household service – plumbing for example; we base our choice of provider on numerous factors including cost and reputation, and if the barriers are too high we are quite likely just to try and do it ourselves – sometimes with disastrous consequences. With this in mind, [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=04f97963-bd46-4bd7-b01e-002a5bed5f00&eId=fe95946d-a05b-4d7a-b092-27c2736e281chttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=04f97963-bd46-4bd7-b01e-002a5bed5f00&eId=fe95946d-a05b-4d7a-b092-27c2736e281cThu, 06 May 2010 09:41:44 GMTIt is sad, it never ceases to be sad, working in hospitals. Working with the mothers, their fatigued, careworn faces, the infrequent tears, the resigned, long-suffering poise, concealing hearts that are heaving with sadness. The world feels sad some days, a palpable sadness like a cloud spreading out from the feverish body of the sick [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=04f97963-bd46-4bd7-b01e-002a5bed5f00&eId=c47ca284-6e93-47c7-a2e7-7aaf93a5a823http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=04f97963-bd46-4bd7-b01e-002a5bed5f00&eId=c47ca284-6e93-47c7-a2e7-7aaf93a5a823Sun, 02 May 2010 09:40:08 GMTIt’s hard to contemplate Bunia without MSF. Bon Marché (the MSF hospital) is truly an institution – everyone I meet has either worked there or been a patient there – usually both.  The community was initially devastated to learn that Bon Marché would be closing, and the fact that we will be here for some [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=04f97963-bd46-4bd7-b01e-002a5bed5f00&eId=b649a6ae-305c-4763-bdff-97d4b16b71a0http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=04f97963-bd46-4bd7-b01e-002a5bed5f00&eId=b649a6ae-305c-4763-bdff-97d4b16b71a0Wed, 28 Apr 2010 09:39:22 GMTWhen you are accustomed to living in closed compounds, you develop a long-distance stare; a meditative gaze you adopt automatically when left to yourself. This abstracted state serves two purposes – it allows you to take a little break, to escape for a moment without physically leaving the property; and it helps you overlook the [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=04f97963-bd46-4bd7-b01e-002a5bed5f00&eId=71e96649-7390-4f68-bbe4-4a3ee4a2c434http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=04f97963-bd46-4bd7-b01e-002a5bed5f00&eId=71e96649-7390-4f68-bbe4-4a3ee4a2c434Thu, 22 Apr 2010 09:21:00 GMTSince 2007 I have been working as a doctor with MSF in Somalia, Kenya and Niger, and am currently Project Coordinator of the MSF Hospital (Bon Marché) at Bunia, DRC. I am writing this blog for family and friends, for those interested in the work of MSF (or in working with MSF), and for myself, to [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=04f97963-bd46-4bd7-b01e-002a5bed5f00&eId=025a9bcb-fa88-4103-8bf0-fa59527b076dhttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=04f97963-bd46-4bd7-b01e-002a5bed5f00&eId=025a9bcb-fa88-4103-8bf0-fa59527b076dWed, 21 Apr 2010 09:15:31 GMTThis will be my last blog from Kitutu, as I am at the end of my contract and heading back to England next week.  I’m starting my mental preparations to adapt from jungle living in the Congolese heat, to city living in the British winter.   Having spent the last 5 years working on humanitarian projects [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=66c076ae-81c4-41fe-9709-c933f296ba7e&eId=d76756ec-ea74-49e7-824f-b2f4c6c21552http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=66c076ae-81c4-41fe-9709-c933f296ba7e&eId=d76756ec-ea74-49e7-824f-b2f4c6c21552Wed, 31 Mar 2010 17:45:09 GMT