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 2010 MSF. All rights reserved.I left Liberia in time to reunite with my family in England for Christmas. After 11 months working at Benson, saying goodbye to my colleagues and friends was predictably difficult. Through email and social networking, however, it will be a lot easier to stay in touch with them than it would have been a few [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=4d055900-1f4e-4b91-baf9-0393f0161a71&eId=c0501fb0-4a9d-447e-b9f9-333ebc527b9fhttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=4d055900-1f4e-4b91-baf9-0393f0161a71&eId=c0501fb0-4a9d-447e-b9f9-333ebc527b9fFri, 26 Feb 2010 22:24:47 GMTI left Papua New Guinea in the middle of October. I am writing this at the end of December. Since then I went to South East Asia with the intention of relaxing, but actually ended up partying all night most of the time. Later, I met with MSF to debrief and then [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=9a3c1ec3-a5db-4bd6-888d-09f1bad7dbc2&eId=d233d3fb-33e9-4394-9feb-11f6ba3c2aa7http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=9a3c1ec3-a5db-4bd6-888d-09f1bad7dbc2&eId=d233d3fb-33e9-4394-9feb-11f6ba3c2aa7Fri, 29 Jan 2010 22:14:10 GMTFENNA SNATER Logistician Fenna Snater, writes her field blog, “In Africa”, from an HIV treatment project in Epworth township, just outside the captial city of Harare, Zimbabwe. DANIELA WIDMER Nurse, Daniela Widmer, manages in-patient care and writes “The Forgotten Land” in a remote hospital in Boguila, Central African...http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=3b5b1897-c56d-4389-bc33-4a14dfbbc3da&eId=0a208038-ef6f-420d-9c3b-ad5255494d9bhttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=3b5b1897-c56d-4389-bc33-4a14dfbbc3da&eId=0a208038-ef6f-420d-9c3b-ad5255494d9bMon, 11 Jan 2010 19:21:26 GMT HAITI EARTHQUAKE BLOG This emergency “Haiti Earthquake” blog is co-written by a various members of MSF’s emergency team in Haiti. Includes Liason Isabelle Jeanson, nurses Marie-Michèle Houle, Louise Johnston, and Dr. Wendy Lai. Dr. Lai is on her third MSF field mission, her second mission was based in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, where she wrote the compelling “A [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=3b5b1897-c56d-4389-bc33-4a14dfbbc3da&eId=846f3ce2-9b9c-4a7c-a472-bb4bc0515066http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=3b5b1897-c56d-4389-bc33-4a14dfbbc3da&eId=846f3ce2-9b9c-4a7c-a472-bb4bc0515066Fri, 01 Jan 2010 17:02:42 GMTBeginning in November 2009, visitors to Condition: Critical were invited to leave messages of support for the people of Eastern Congo. Read the messages that people have left. Already, a selection of these messages have been taken to an MSF project in North Kivu and shared with people there. More messages will be taken to DRC in [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=fb884f89-7939-4ee9-b8dc-345c6130e804http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=fb884f89-7939-4ee9-b8dc-345c6130e804Wed, 16 Dec 2009 01:15:05 GMTAwareness of road safety is not big here in NWFP. Firstly, many of the roads hardly deserve the name and that certainly doesn’t help. But more significant is the general attitude of what I can only describe as recklessness (or perhaps carelessness?) displayed by most drivers and pedestrians alike. The result: road accidents are a [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=3b5b1897-c56d-4389-bc33-4a14dfbbc3da&eId=5bfd8b3c-d256-4766-99f8-f1de41447413http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=3b5b1897-c56d-4389-bc33-4a14dfbbc3da&eId=5bfd8b3c-d256-4766-99f8-f1de41447413Wed, 09 Dec 2009 08:53:54 GMTFiona, I admire your courage and have enjoyed reading about your thoughts and experiences. I noticed that you wrote this on April 21st, 2009, (my 32nd birthday). I live in the US and can only imagine what its like where you are. Recent stories of the Crisis were featured today on the Oprah Winfrey Show, so [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=60c271cb-cfa6-4ba8-a3bb-4750fb1b5ec8http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=60c271cb-cfa6-4ba8-a3bb-4750fb1b5ec8Thu, 03 Dec 2009 17:35:09 GMTOn the long return journey today, we had a reality check on how aid agencies are seen from the outside. As we waited at one of the numerous roadblocks, a woman approached us and said she needed to be transported immediately to hospital, as she had been raped the day before (it is important [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=10ed3258-1c34-480b-8e1d-552aef1d918fhttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=10ed3258-1c34-480b-8e1d-552aef1d918fThu, 03 Dec 2009 11:21:11 GMTAn epidemic of measles is currently raging in the Miandgja, Ngomashi and Lwibo districts in the Masisi region, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. There are hundreds of thousands of children living in these areas who have not been immunised against measles. MSF has therefore launched a large-scale emergency vaccination campaign and has also treated [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=796aaf08-40f5-40c4-b1b5-1657b357872fhttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=796aaf08-40f5-40c4-b1b5-1657b357872fMon, 30 Nov 2009 14:32:53 GMTWe had an interesting meeting with the traditional ethnic leaders of Kitutu today. Each of them had come with lists of names of people who had been displaced from their villages. I asked them why so few of their people visit the health centres here (some health facilities are only used by about 10% [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=dabff76d-14d2-4d99-ad00-3002eefc69f1http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=dabff76d-14d2-4d99-ad00-3002eefc69f1Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:13:06 GMTThis afternoon Dr Tarsis and I visited some displaced families who are staying in houses within the town of Kitutu. They each had similar stories to tell. Their village had been attacked at night by armed men, everything stolen, sometimes their houses had been burnt. None of them had time to take [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=dec94a15-c875-4838-84b9-51d520909bc0http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=dec94a15-c875-4838-84b9-51d520909bc0Fri, 27 Nov 2009 13:07:14 GMTMSF launched Condition: Critical one year ago, to help the people of Eastern Congo tell their stories of survival, in the midst of a violent conflict that has persisted for more than a decade. Over the past year, Condition: Critical has told these stories through web films, photography, and eyewitness accounts. Thousands of visitors from all [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=aad74b33-6181-4839-a90b-afcdabd2ac2bhttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=aad74b33-6181-4839-a90b-afcdabd2ac2bTue, 24 Nov 2009 00:15:48 GMTNizeiyman, 21, fled to the outskirts of Kitchanga in North Kivu province when his village came under attack. He has joined a group of woodcutters in Mungote camp for displaced people. They have pooled their resources to buy some basic woodcutting equipment. By selling planks they earn just enough to supplement the food handouts from [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=d9027200-56f2-449c-8e5d-0019a6ce677ahttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=d9027200-56f2-449c-8e5d-0019a6ce677aTue, 24 Nov 2009 00:14:04 GMTMSF runs a mental health programme in Kitchanga. Many of the people they see are women who have suffered physical or sexual violence. This woman, 54, recounts what happened to her a week before first coming to see MSF: “I was out with a group looking for food, when we heard gunshots coming from all [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=de3b9edc-a9ea-47ea-855e-f229df86d27fhttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=de3b9edc-a9ea-47ea-855e-f229df86d27fTue, 24 Nov 2009 00:13:25 GMTI spoke to the London office yesterday and they told me this website is winding up, that if I wanted to post anything more I should do it now. My time here too is winding up; having been here seven months, I’ve got just a couple more to go, so I hope you’ll forgive me [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=a6f8b6ea-ed7e-42d5-b55f-dd05c56ec112http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=a6f8b6ea-ed7e-42d5-b55f-dd05c56ec112Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:00:40 GMTAt Rutshuru Hospital, MSF surgical teams work round the clock, performing an average of 15 operations per day. Serious cases are referred by ambulance to this 280-bed hospital. Activities include emergency care, internal medicine, paediatrics, intensive care and a maternity ward that delivers more than 300 babies per month. The hospital also has specialised units [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=428155aa-2af6-4752-9884-427f74503187http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=428155aa-2af6-4752-9884-427f74503187Mon, 23 Nov 2009 23:52:47 GMTIt’s 8 a.m. when the MSF vehicle enters the hospital grounds. As they arrive, the MSF doctors and nurses are greeted by their surgical and medical team colleagues who handled the night shift. “We had two Cesareans and a laparotomy,” says Dr. Claude, the surgeon on duty. “It wasn’t very busy.” Rutshuru is fairly calm, [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=203a7b8c-f343-4302-a41c-dde44c92eb13http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=203a7b8c-f343-4302-a41c-dde44c92eb13Mon, 23 Nov 2009 23:46:18 GMTGuerilla warfare has replaced armed clashes in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo, and villages are now being set on fire regularly. The combatants launch an attack and spread terror, looting and setting fire to houses. That is how this young woman became trapped in the flames in her home. She has second-degree burns over [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=f8f7872e-b862-4af6-a991-c5fbeea06f52http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=f8f7872e-b862-4af6-a991-c5fbeea06f52Mon, 23 Nov 2009 23:35:32 GMTA woman needs emergency treatment for a uterine rupture. MSF sent an ambulance to take her to the Nyanzale hospital in North Kivu. The trip in a four-wheel drive took nearly two hours on rough, uneven roads that jolted the vehicle. But the woman did not say a word. “She never once complained about pain, [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=af152c66-71c1-4e50-a872-1f07ed882848http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=af152c66-71c1-4e50-a872-1f07ed882848Mon, 23 Nov 2009 23:30:07 GMT“Here at the Rutshuru hospital, we perform every kind of surgery, from Cesarean sections to open fractures, peritonitis, uterine ruptures, bullet wounds to the abdomen and ruptured spleens.” The operations are so many and so varied that Claude, a Congolese surgeon who has been working with MSF in Rutshuru for two years, cannot list them [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=8895ac9a-644d-4c45-99a6-906f890846c6http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=8895ac9a-644d-4c45-99a6-906f890846c6Mon, 23 Nov 2009 23:11:59 GMTMSF PRESS BRIEFING on NORTH & SOUTH KIVU Despite claims that the conflict in Eastern Congo has stabilised, violence against civilians continues unabated. Daily, MSF medical staff witness the results of the violence inflicted by armed groups on civilians living in the region. The nature of the conflict in Eastern Congo has changed but its impact [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=cb738c44-4b05-42ec-bd82-7225292ac1adhttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=cb738c44-4b05-42ec-bd82-7225292ac1adMon, 23 Nov 2009 23:02:41 GMTWe traded in our muddy Land Cruisers for three rented motorbikes for our assessment in Kitutu, in order to visit the health centres. There are no roads around here, only footpaths through the forest. The health centres are in a very poor state here. I´ve visited manyrural African health centres in the last few years working [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=97f17875-e6c0-4003-b668-3bd039062c78http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=97f17875-e6c0-4003-b668-3bd039062c78Sun, 22 Nov 2009 18:27:00 GMTI did a paediatric malnutrition ward round today. It breaks me sometimes to see these children. I know that it’s not right to, but I find myself comparing their weights with babies of friends and family back home and the difference makes me gasp. Oedematous, horrific scalded-skin or burn-like lesions, pneumonias and diarrhoea resistant to [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=1d377bf7-60f0-4b2b-bad8-bceb4410cd10http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=1d377bf7-60f0-4b2b-bad8-bceb4410cd10Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:46:20 GMTThe term “sans frontières” took on its full meaning today, when our two MSF cars were the first to reach the town of Kitutu in many years.  By chance, the temporary bridge in Kibe was completed by the Chinese workers just as we arrived in town. Instead of swapping our cars for motorbikes as we were [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=c081fc60-98bc-4165-bce6-60c817c23e10http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=c081fc60-98bc-4165-bce6-60c817c23e10Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:33:44 GMTI will never forget her. I knew she was coming to the hospital today. When I was told that she had arrived, it crossed my mind that I should isolate her somewhere tranquil, away from the thronging crowd of patients. I am ashamed that I decided not to, since there were only six paediatric malnutrition patients [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=44453a85-0368-48a7-97c2-0a5c9c75e11bhttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=44453a85-0368-48a7-97c2-0a5c9c75e11bMon, 16 Nov 2009 12:24:49 GMTToday we set off for a one week evaluation to Kitutu, in Mwenga district, a place where MSF has never visited before.  The aim of the assessment is to have a better understanding of the impact of the recent violence on the local population, and in particular the health needs. Since early this year, a military [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=bd139de6-9589-44fc-a8bf-f54b824094cchttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=bd139de6-9589-44fc-a8bf-f54b824094ccTue, 10 Nov 2009 16:46:57 GMTThe pathologies are starting to weigh a little heavily on my heart. This week I discovered that the 15 year old girl with the massive necrotising ano-rectal cancer that, to me, had come to represent the suffering of the Congo, died whilst I was on holiday. I know that 15 year olds even in the western [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=06e1bb8f-5b2f-4601-a09e-36ebd29ecb92http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=06e1bb8f-5b2f-4601-a09e-36ebd29ecb92Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:58:40 GMTAm suffering a bout of post-holiday blues and re-culture shock that’s worse than the initial culture shock in March. In fact, had reverse culture shock on the plane over to holiday when I burst into tears at the sight of a boy with blond highlights (not because they were the horrific, bad taste, bleach blond [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=73225cd4-0fb9-4344-a466-8c163f5ff381http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=73225cd4-0fb9-4344-a466-8c163f5ff381Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:17:04 GMTKinshasa, 6th November 2009 – Seven Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) vaccination sites, where thousands of civilians had gathered, came under fire during attacks by the Congolese army against the Forces Démocratiques de Libération du Rwanda (FDLR) in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). MSF denounces this clearly unacceptable abuse of humanitarian aid for military [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=195ce9d5-b7b6-4ebd-81fc-c7ccd174521dhttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=195ce9d5-b7b6-4ebd-81fc-c7ccd174521dFri, 06 Nov 2009 13:57:15 GMTDear Maitikoulou, It is good to have been with you. After 4 months serving with MSF in your small village, I leave with a deep sense of satisfaction. There were sure tough times. I fell sick a lot which is unlike me. The isolation was challenging to cope with as well – I live in Toronto [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=2ac67db9-8fd6-4ec0-9731-6ba49f70506e&eId=f6749c88-59d4-408b-8857-23fad41da6bbhttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=2ac67db9-8fd6-4ec0-9731-6ba49f70506e&eId=f6749c88-59d4-408b-8857-23fad41da6bbThu, 05 Nov 2009 14:55:21 GMTLet me tell you about my day. Woke up at 5am. Lay in bed thinking about everything I had to do. Got out of bed at 5.30am, took a shower in our horrid bathroom that leaves me feeling dirtier after I’ve showered than before. By 6am am sat at the desk on the porch outside the [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=c5a53866-bd2d-44d0-914b-a1808b2af512http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=c5a53866-bd2d-44d0-914b-a1808b2af512Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:35:21 GMTAs I am about to complete my mission this weekend and this blog, I thought I would finish where it always should start and end – the situation and struggle of our patients. Three seriously ill patients in the in-patient service here in Maitikoulou are Abasse, Angela and Ramana. Let me tell you about the struggle [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=2ac67db9-8fd6-4ec0-9731-6ba49f70506e&eId=ac62786d-dd67-4c43-8bff-98a956a67c1fhttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=2ac67db9-8fd6-4ec0-9731-6ba49f70506e&eId=ac62786d-dd67-4c43-8bff-98a956a67c1fFri, 30 Oct 2009 20:22:53 GMTHere in CAR the mission is now without nifurtimox. As I wrote about before, it is one of the key medications to treat sleeping sickness. We need this essential medication for this neglected disease. Hortence, a 10 year old girl, with the severe cerebral form of the disease needed just 1 ½ pills, twice, in order [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=2ac67db9-8fd6-4ec0-9731-6ba49f70506e&eId=a911f2da-fed7-4f69-8221-1372650a1c60http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=2ac67db9-8fd6-4ec0-9731-6ba49f70506e&eId=a911f2da-fed7-4f69-8221-1372650a1c60Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:18:19 GMTThis week’s highlight was the Mpati vaccination campaign. Mpati is a new camp for displaced people that has sprung up in the mountains. On Wednesday we were up at 5.30am, two hour journey there by jeep on mud roads, vaccinated 1,064 children against measles (big killer in Africa, especially in refugee camps) and gave them [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=0d45098a-6961-412a-bed3-779a36406651http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=0d45098a-6961-412a-bed3-779a36406651Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:19:37 GMTA complicated story which I can best tell from the simple perspective of taking care of the patients is the need for MSF to obtain the right drugs in the right quantities at the right time. It is an important struggle being waged by many in MSF at levels far beyond this little village. One of [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=2ac67db9-8fd6-4ec0-9731-6ba49f70506e&eId=fd6ae098-bd1a-4424-8fc5-b3dff82e469chttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=2ac67db9-8fd6-4ec0-9731-6ba49f70506e&eId=fd6ae098-bd1a-4424-8fc5-b3dff82e469cTue, 27 Oct 2009 16:49:12 GMTAm sat in the garden in my favourite spot in Mwseo, basking in the sunshine, and listening to the singing from the church across the road. It’s Sunday, almost midday. I’m going to try and describe my setting to you. The compound we live/work in is about 30 metres square, with two buildings. The front building [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=87e62c52-c88d-4217-813d-9976bd963740http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=87e62c52-c88d-4217-813d-9976bd963740Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:24:41 GMTThe end of my mission is soon at hand. One week to go. I will not miss the horrible smell of plastic and medical waste burning just beside our office. I will not miss the piercing daily sound of children crying as they receive their sleeping sickness medications. I will not miss the never-ending, relentless [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=2ac67db9-8fd6-4ec0-9731-6ba49f70506e&eId=3d071ad5-fd2c-430f-8744-d030dcbfdf66http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=2ac67db9-8fd6-4ec0-9731-6ba49f70506e&eId=3d071ad5-fd2c-430f-8744-d030dcbfdf66Sat, 24 Oct 2009 16:31:02 GMTEvery 6 weeks the team in Tari get a weekend rest, so the project  coordinator, the new logistician and the surgeon left me in charge for my  last few days. Saturdays are always nice because we start at 9am, which permits an extra  hour in bed. Because there is construction going on at the house, this  [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=9a3c1ec3-a5db-4bd6-888d-09f1bad7dbc2&eId=501bd0bb-4ffb-4784-9e59-e83da64462c6http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=9a3c1ec3-a5db-4bd6-888d-09f1bad7dbc2&eId=501bd0bb-4ffb-4784-9e59-e83da64462c6Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:06:54 GMTMichel’s* story (13 years old) It must have been about midnight. Michel was sleeping soundly at home alongside his little brothers and his older sister. Four men came – they were armed but dressed as civilians. They tied Michel’s and his sister’s hands together and took them into the bush. “We found ourselves with around 20 other [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=d2be91ee-6698-42dd-aa21-73598539d90ehttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=d2be91ee-6698-42dd-aa21-73598539d90eWed, 14 Oct 2009 10:57:33 GMTKinshasa, 14 October 2009 – One year after violence erupted in Haut-Uélé district, in northern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), attacks and clashes have now expanded to new areas, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to flee. Humanitarian organisations have failed to meet the massive needs that have resulted and an urgent response with greater [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=fa7b2c57-7df2-4131-8572-627589eeefa4http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=fa7b2c57-7df2-4131-8572-627589eeefa4Wed, 14 Oct 2009 10:56:37 GMTThe story of Louis*, 54 years old, and his son Antoine, 16 years old Louis weeps on inspecting the frail body of Antoine, his 16-year-old son, who has just been through four months of captivity at the hands of armed men. “My child. Thank God. It’s so good to see you. Thank God.” Antoine’s abduction and Louis’ [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=cc180a21-0e3a-4335-a784-7b4c3026b0bdhttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=cc180a21-0e3a-4335-a784-7b4c3026b0bdWed, 14 Oct 2009 10:40:45 GMTStory of Pierrette*, 15 years old Pierrette does not know her exact age, but she shyly suggests “around 15”. She was kidnapped by armed men, and held captive for two months. She became what is known as a “forced wife,” given to a man to spend nights with him… “Two and a half months ago, I’d [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=4968e704-67ab-4a06-95fb-b2f53875dbc3http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=4968e704-67ab-4a06-95fb-b2f53875dbc3Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:44:08 GMTI am now in the 4th and last month of my mission in Maitikoulou. Certain truths have unfolded. The MSF Land Cruiser side-door mirrors are the best to shave with. There is little point in trying to sleep once the sun starts to rise around 5:30 AM, unless you go to bed too late. I’m [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=2ac67db9-8fd6-4ec0-9731-6ba49f70506e&eId=2fcdca27-49cc-4917-9e87-e7b9894915f7http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=2ac67db9-8fd6-4ec0-9731-6ba49f70506e&eId=2fcdca27-49cc-4917-9e87-e7b9894915f7Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:44:53 GMTCorrection: in blog 19 I described 4 emergency transfers with five lives at stake. Sadly, I learned today that one of these patients died yesterday on October 11. And thus, three out of our five patients who were emergently transferred in the last week lived.  Two patients died – one a newborn and the second [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=2ac67db9-8fd6-4ec0-9731-6ba49f70506e&eId=2213c43a-7a2d-4c75-814f-39b68b5fe90bhttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=2ac67db9-8fd6-4ec0-9731-6ba49f70506e&eId=2213c43a-7a2d-4c75-814f-39b68b5fe90bMon, 12 Oct 2009 22:15:52 GMT“Humanitarianism is about more than medical efficiency or technical competence. In its first moment, in its sacred present, humanitarianism seeks to relieve the immediacy of suffering, and most especially of suffering alone” - James Orbinksi, “An Imperfect Offering”. Note: all patient names have been changed to protect...http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=2ac67db9-8fd6-4ec0-9731-6ba49f70506e&eId=c158d0e3-28e8-4e59-8083-7f95e6d94013http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=2ac67db9-8fd6-4ec0-9731-6ba49f70506e&eId=c158d0e3-28e8-4e59-8083-7f95e6d94013Sun, 11 Oct 2009 22:06:18 GMTSo this morning I walked to work feeling that I had been a little melodramatic in one of my last writing. And then approximately fifteen minutes later I realised that I had not. Sitting in the Hospital morning meeting I heard what sounded like singing from outside. The Congolese nursing manager walks to the door [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=2c8771ba-c784-46f6-afc6-45edc994dfd2http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=2c8771ba-c784-46f6-afc6-45edc994dfd2Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:00:03 GMTPerhaps you have read before in this blog about David. He is is age 28 and has been chained to a tree for the past 6 years. I had thought his confinement was 5 years, but on my fourth visit to him under his tree, his village chief corrected me and told me it was, [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=2ac67db9-8fd6-4ec0-9731-6ba49f70506e&eId=8d15bef5-8e50-460c-9c4a-ba3e23f64158http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=2ac67db9-8fd6-4ec0-9731-6ba49f70506e&eId=8d15bef5-8e50-460c-9c4a-ba3e23f64158Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:42:39 GMTThe pursuit of cleaning our nearby villages of sleeping sickness continues. Last week, the mobile team and I made 2 visits to 2 local villages. We screened until no one wanted to be screened anymore. The villagers and village chief were satisfied that they had been thoroughly tested for the fatal disease. I was satisfied as [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=2ac67db9-8fd6-4ec0-9731-6ba49f70506e&eId=d3e102bd-ef71-4e21-818a-cb8964f81abahttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=2ac67db9-8fd6-4ec0-9731-6ba49f70506e&eId=d3e102bd-ef71-4e21-818a-cb8964f81abaSat, 03 Oct 2009 15:27:53 GMTI’m currently back in Lae for the final time. I came back to help out with a few things and then the Cholera outbreak occurred. MSF responded full force and at the time of writing patient numbers have dropped to a couple per day. I am sure that our speedy action prevented [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=9a3c1ec3-a5db-4bd6-888d-09f1bad7dbc2&eId=9de3212e-435b-468d-a986-6000ae55e168http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=9a3c1ec3-a5db-4bd6-888d-09f1bad7dbc2&eId=9de3212e-435b-468d-a986-6000ae55e168Fri, 02 Oct 2009 14:55:24 GMTIt’s not all hard work and long days here. Last Saturday we hosted the long awaited MSF Mweso vs. MSF Kitchanga football game. Three jeeps worth of my previous friends and colleagues from Kitchanga arrived at lunchtime, and I suddenly realised it was not going to be the happy relaxed afternoon I had envisaged [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=4dbac2c1-cb60-471d-a49c-8f266ebee61ahttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=4dbac2c1-cb60-471d-a49c-8f266ebee61aTue, 29 Sep 2009 11:33:03 GMT‘When Rebecca started improving, I felt so, so happy. For at least 5 or 6 days, I had been very anxious about her. Her mother would always take my hand and thank me every time we came out of the operating theatre (OT), but inside I was afraid that she might die’ Dr Maria Laura [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=4d055900-1f4e-4b91-baf9-0393f0161a71&eId=6d7d215b-9140-404d-96bf-f6525a41ab09http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=4d055900-1f4e-4b91-baf9-0393f0161a71&eId=6d7d215b-9140-404d-96bf-f6525a41ab09Sun, 27 Sep 2009 16:04:16 GMTSince late January 2009, when the Congolese army launched an offensive against the FDLR (Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda), the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo has moved towards the north and west of North Kivu province. As usual, civilians are the first victims of the conflict. Violence in Kayna and Lubero [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=a02da6a8-591f-465d-91ed-495adb0323cehttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=a02da6a8-591f-465d-91ed-495adb0323ceFri, 25 Sep 2009 18:25:05 GMTPav graduated in Medicine at the University of Nottingham, she specialised in Adult Internal Medicine and General Practice in London. She is currently working at Mweso Hospital in North Kivu, Democratric Republic of Congo where she is responsible for the Medicine, Maternity and Paediatrics department and the Laboratory. This morning I saw a baby who’d been [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=b012b137-f1d8-4c6c-a7e2-ae545692cb53http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=b012b137-f1d8-4c6c-a7e2-ae545692cb53Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:13:00 GMTI thought I’d update my blog since I’ve got a bit of time on my hands. I’ve got time on my hands because my girlfriend has locked me in my room. If you can hear a banging that’s her nailing lumps of wood across the door to stop me trying to go to work. Reason [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=5b6f3617-39ef-4ba7-849f-fe8697fbcb53http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=5b6f3617-39ef-4ba7-849f-fe8697fbcb53Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:01:20 GMTDespite my honest sense I am slowly but surely burning out here in Maitikoulou, I thought I would share with you why I have one of the best jobs in the world. I think the fact I can compose this just before a well-deserved break in the capital, is a good sign this is genuine. Why [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=2ac67db9-8fd6-4ec0-9731-6ba49f70506e&eId=f63e95e5-3539-484e-b021-5c82154f39a2http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=2ac67db9-8fd6-4ec0-9731-6ba49f70506e&eId=f63e95e5-3539-484e-b021-5c82154f39a2Fri, 11 Sep 2009 21:45:59 GMTWow, so it turns out I’m a pretty important person for MSF in North Kivu today. So remember how I couldn’t believe I was medically in charge of a 140 bed hospital in the Congo, well today not only am I that, but the expat Nursing Manager of the project has left, the Project Coordinator [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=50267638-8036-4e41-8053-8259f62029bbhttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=50267638-8036-4e41-8053-8259f62029bbFri, 11 Sep 2009 10:08:22 GMT[Please note: all potential patient identifiers have been changed to protect confidentiality.] David lives chained to a tree. His tree is located in a small village close to our MSF sub-base in Maitikoulou. He has been attached to a generously large and graceful African tree for 2 straight years. His accumulated time attached to the tree is [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=2ac67db9-8fd6-4ec0-9731-6ba49f70506e&eId=43056d79-03e1-4b4f-8d6c-c5a2fffde852http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=2ac67db9-8fd6-4ec0-9731-6ba49f70506e&eId=43056d79-03e1-4b4f-8d6c-c5a2fffde852Tue, 08 Sep 2009 19:05:11 GMTThis blog is late. Three months late to be precise. It’s three months since I passed through the London office to get a briefing for my fourth mission for MSF. This time as a mobile clinic nurse in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo. I said that if not too busy, I’d love [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=517f3e5d-ecd2-4d96-9ff7-0c8f2f1a1ed7http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=517f3e5d-ecd2-4d96-9ff7-0c8f2f1a1ed7Tue, 08 Sep 2009 16:28:32 GMTHey all, am writing this from my garden in Mweso, my new home in the Congo. It’s been a hectic couple of weeks but to cut a long story short, the doctor working at the hospital up the road left and I’ve been asked to leave Kitchanga to take his place. Gone are my lovely [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=2043ba49-58f0-4255-8781-6f788e92e156http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=2043ba49-58f0-4255-8781-6f788e92e156Tue, 08 Sep 2009 15:18:48 GMTMedical and psychological help for victims of sexual violence : testimonies from medical staff and patients. By Emma Zoratti, former medical coordinator for MSF in Masisi, North Kivu. Masisi, North Kivu. MSF has been treating victims of sexual violence here since February 2008. At the region’s main hospital, MSF nurse, doctor and psychologist look after women who [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=d256ca71-ec98-4a9c-9f57-b8f0a88dc17dhttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=d256ca71-ec98-4a9c-9f57-b8f0a88dc17dMon, 07 Sep 2009 10:59:46 GMTSo my contract is due to finish 1st October.  9 months in PNG has flown by. After being sent up to Tari to get 3 building projects moving, Lae were short staffed and asked for me to come back to sort out their clinic extension project and a few pieces of administration.  It was also [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=9a3c1ec3-a5db-4bd6-888d-09f1bad7dbc2&eId=bff56c60-c8dd-4254-abe5-61039f5612f4http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=9a3c1ec3-a5db-4bd6-888d-09f1bad7dbc2&eId=bff56c60-c8dd-4254-abe5-61039f5612f4Sat, 05 Sep 2009 13:46:38 GMTIt has been awhile since I have written. One factor has been an influx of patients – we had 40 admissions to hospital on August 31. Twenty-eight patients had sleeping sickness and 12 had malaria, malnutrition or other important pathologies. As well, we had many valued visitors and advisors recently to our project. And this sub-base [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=2ac67db9-8fd6-4ec0-9731-6ba49f70506e&eId=0c6503e2-e96d-4be6-90bc-6fba4c36796chttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=2ac67db9-8fd6-4ec0-9731-6ba49f70506e&eId=0c6503e2-e96d-4be6-90bc-6fba4c36796cThu, 03 Sep 2009 17:58:20 GMTA Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) multimedia documentary was pre-selected for ‘Best web documentary award’ at Perpignan’s international photojournalism festival, “Visa pour l’image” - 2009. The documentary “Voices from the war in Eastern Congo” launched Condition: Critical, MSF’s year-long campaign designed to give a voice and a face...http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=42473537-65a4-4d26-ae45-d8f6ab881535http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=42473537-65a4-4d26-ae45-d8f6ab881535Wed, 02 Sep 2009 11:17:26 GMTOne of the important responsibilities of an MSF’er in my opinion is the control of the medical and logistical stock. In a poor country, if you don’t keep a careful watch over the resources of MSF they will walk off. Even if you do keep a good watch it is still hard. People are abjectly [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=2ac67db9-8fd6-4ec0-9731-6ba49f70506e&eId=f126b5f6-5f50-452a-a1d4-094bfc285628http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=2ac67db9-8fd6-4ec0-9731-6ba49f70506e&eId=f126b5f6-5f50-452a-a1d4-094bfc285628Tue, 25 Aug 2009 17:14:47 GMT“I were happy”, says Esther, 25, when I asked her how she felt when she gave birth to triplets instead of the expected single baby. Esther and her husband, Wilson, 23, call the multiple births on 3rd March “a gift from God”. They named the girls Nancy, Rita and Ellen. Nancy after the traditional midwife [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=4d055900-1f4e-4b91-baf9-0393f0161a71&eId=73be7c50-e22b-44c4-877a-0e0dd38bf4f6http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=4d055900-1f4e-4b91-baf9-0393f0161a71&eId=73be7c50-e22b-44c4-877a-0e0dd38bf4f6Tue, 25 Aug 2009 16:42:47 GMTKatharine Derderian has just returned from the Haut-Uélé district in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where she coordinated MSF’s activities. In this interview, she talks about the people who live there and the climate of fear which reigns in this region where Ugandan rebels from the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) are in conflict with [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=6de26758-aefe-4cc9-bed5-be9a894f6174http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=6de26758-aefe-4cc9-bed5-be9a894f6174Mon, 24 Aug 2009 16:20:37 GMTIn my last posting I mentioned I would say how the village of Daga 2 fared in its completion of screening for sleeping sickness here at our HAT camp. Hopefully, this will be illustrative of the procedure to diagnose and treat sleeping sickness, along with the other main pathologies in this region. Of the 60 villagers [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=2ac67db9-8fd6-4ec0-9731-6ba49f70506e&eId=be92c020-12a5-44b1-9d1a-f49a1e48233ahttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=2ac67db9-8fd6-4ec0-9731-6ba49f70506e&eId=be92c020-12a5-44b1-9d1a-f49a1e48233aSun, 23 Aug 2009 20:36:51 GMTIt was a great week. We moved out of our sub-base and undertook disease screening activities in a local village. Finally, we went mobile. The target village was Daga and all told, things went smooth. There are advantages to mobile activities. It allows us to better learn about the medical and humanitarian needs of the population, [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=2ac67db9-8fd6-4ec0-9731-6ba49f70506e&eId=df6c43f7-6005-4518-b19d-a27c53d5edb5http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=2ac67db9-8fd6-4ec0-9731-6ba49f70506e&eId=df6c43f7-6005-4518-b19d-a27c53d5edb5Fri, 21 Aug 2009 18:35:08 GMTSince September last year inhabitants of the Haut Uélé district in north-eastern DRC have been living in constant fear and are facing a critical humanitarian situation. They are trapped in a region wracked by waves of violence. The conflict between armed forces and the Ugandan rebel group the Lord’s Resistance Army is estimated to have [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=89a22e82-1c47-4fa5-8d8a-29ff5be2c6c9http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=89a22e82-1c47-4fa5-8d8a-29ff5be2c6c9Fri, 21 Aug 2009 12:12:00 GMTMboli (16) was abducted in January from his school along with 20 fellow students, including his brother, Muka, during an attack on his village in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). His village was just one of those targeted in a relentless series of attacks by Ugandan rebel group, the Lord’s Resistance [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=042e4d08-640b-4b1c-ae3e-e3642173eeeehttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=042e4d08-640b-4b1c-ae3e-e3642173eeeeThu, 20 Aug 2009 14:41:10 GMTI wanted to let you know that Jean from Dilingala with the severe cerebral form of sleeping sickness is getting better. To my delight Jean is now walking. He is not quite back to normal, but with his mother’s help he is out of his tent slowly tottering around the muddy hospital compound sort of like [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=2ac67db9-8fd6-4ec0-9731-6ba49f70506e&eId=12096bf4-c17e-4ef7-b5c7-ac4a6314cb00http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=2ac67db9-8fd6-4ec0-9731-6ba49f70506e&eId=12096bf4-c17e-4ef7-b5c7-ac4a6314cb00Wed, 19 Aug 2009 18:35:42 GMTIn Southern Sudan, by the Congolese border, MSF teams assist tens of thousands of Congolese refugees and internally displaced Sudanese fleeing violent attacks by Ugandan rebel group, the Lords Resistance Army (LRA). Photographer Brendan Bannon reflects on his visit to the area. http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=a31fbdbe-0ae8-4c57-9b27-f929763b4a0ahttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=a31fbdbe-0ae8-4c57-9b27-f929763b4a0aTue, 18 Aug 2009 12:37:29 GMTI am happy to report that Jean from Dilingala (in Chad) is getting better. You will recall he presented to our HAT camp on August 12 in a semi-comatose delirium. Today is the fifth day he is under intravenous eflornithine treatment for sleeping sickness. You’ll also probably recall sleeping sickness is more formally called HAT (Human [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=2ac67db9-8fd6-4ec0-9731-6ba49f70506e&eId=24053c2d-7b7f-4283-b95e-c06b1619e844http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=2ac67db9-8fd6-4ec0-9731-6ba49f70506e&eId=24053c2d-7b7f-4283-b95e-c06b1619e844Mon, 17 Aug 2009 19:04:34 GMTThe biggest difficulty with Papua New Guinea for me is trying to understand the paradox: everyone is super friendly, and yet the level of violence is so high.  Today (Sunday) we visited the house of my technical assistant. Everyone we passed on the road said hello and shook hands or smiled.  Our operating theatre sees between 20 and 60 [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=9a3c1ec3-a5db-4bd6-888d-09f1bad7dbc2&eId=2faae784-7f8d-41e3-b2e6-655a4008f7aehttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=9a3c1ec3-a5db-4bd6-888d-09f1bad7dbc2&eId=2faae784-7f8d-41e3-b2e6-655a4008f7aeSun, 16 Aug 2009 14:33:19 GMTI found Jean in the laboratory. He is from Dilingala in southern Chad. Something was obviously wrong. He was a boy who looked about 6-7 years old, though his older brother said he was only 4 years old. Who really knows. Jean was draped across his brother’s arms, limp and barely with his eyes open. One of our [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=2ac67db9-8fd6-4ec0-9731-6ba49f70506e&eId=7c60a193-8a86-4005-9a98-737885c4ca96http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=2ac67db9-8fd6-4ec0-9731-6ba49f70506e&eId=7c60a193-8a86-4005-9a98-737885c4ca96Fri, 14 Aug 2009 15:19:49 GMTIn some ways it seems like I’ve only been here a few days, things move so fast in Tari – but in other ways it seems like I’ve been here forever, it is so easy to understand the challenges in Tari they are often so similar to those in Lae. I have actually been in Tari [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=9a3c1ec3-a5db-4bd6-888d-09f1bad7dbc2&eId=90a20768-7061-4ef0-b28b-fec1618b0e71http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=9a3c1ec3-a5db-4bd6-888d-09f1bad7dbc2&eId=90a20768-7061-4ef0-b28b-fec1618b0e71Thu, 13 Aug 2009 18:09:54 GMTIntense conflict and violence continues to affect hundreds of thousands of civilians in the provinces of North and South Kivu, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The toll of sexual violence remains extremely high. Following clashes and brutal attacks on villages, people are killed, raped, wounded or forced to flee to [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=93727ab3-1178-4320-af69-b87e00fca350http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=93727ab3-1178-4320-af69-b87e00fca350Wed, 12 Aug 2009 11:48:40 GMTIn this video, an MSF logistician speaks about challenges in the distribution of aid materials in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo. Basic relief items include pots, clothing, utensils, water collection vessels. MSF is also providing medical aid for displaced populations via mobile clinics. http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=468e2388-0deb-41a1-b087-10a211c316c4http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=468e2388-0deb-41a1-b087-10a211c316c4Wed, 12 Aug 2009 11:10:05 GMTSince my last entry we have had eventful times here in Maitikulu. Most recently, our sleeping sickness camp was visited by our Chef de Mission/Head of Mission (HoM) accompanied by our Project Coordinator. The visit of the HoM was an opportunity to reflect on the progress and future of our camp. HoM’s usually have tremendous [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=2ac67db9-8fd6-4ec0-9731-6ba49f70506e&eId=d5f99760-f621-4963-afe8-77bce3a57985http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=2ac67db9-8fd6-4ec0-9731-6ba49f70506e&eId=d5f99760-f621-4963-afe8-77bce3a57985Sun, 09 Aug 2009 22:00:02 GMTLouis* is a teenager who was treated by MSF medical teams at Rutshuru hospital. A former child-soldier, he was enlisted by one of the armed groups at war in North and South Kivu provinces and seriously wounded during a fight. His leg had to be amputated. Today, helped by an MSF psychologist, he is willing [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=2d2f3d36-a15f-45ad-bbd7-9d1ff441b19ahttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=2d2f3d36-a15f-45ad-bbd7-9d1ff441b19aTue, 04 Aug 2009 18:27:14 GMTOver the past weeks, civilians have continued to suffer from violent attacks in several areas of northern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Southern Sudan. Ugandan rebels of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) have been perpetrating acts of extreme violence on the population. This violence was further exacerbated by the operations conducted against them by [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=e8ca6e26-a624-4ccb-8db5-97c27008f1ddhttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=e8ca6e26-a624-4ccb-8db5-97c27008f1ddTue, 04 Aug 2009 11:29:56 GMTFrancine* has worked as a nurse for MSF in Haut-Uélé district since February 2009. She has fled the extreme violence to which the people of this region are subjected on many occasions. Last May, when the Ugandan rebels of the “Lord’s Resistance Army” attacked her village, her family fled in different directions. Her parents sought [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=8f3d1d94-9cc6-4135-a7d0-ee33f697ace5http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=8f3d1d94-9cc6-4135-a7d0-ee33f697ace5Mon, 03 Aug 2009 11:22:31 GMTThis woman had to flee her village, in the middle the night, in the heart of an attack. She ran away with her two children and her sister. At the time MSF medical teams met her, she still had no news from her husband, who ran in another direction during that night. Here is her [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=835928f6-2478-4c0b-9ff5-19a1ebc4ec98http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=835928f6-2478-4c0b-9ff5-19a1ebc4ec98Mon, 27 Jul 2009 12:20:36 GMTFiona Bass is a nurse who worked in the MSF project of Masisi, a town located in the heart of the North Kivu conflict. She tells the story of one patient who was raped by armed men in Eastern D. R. Congo. ”They came for the money. One of the many luxuries a gun affords a [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=a05a708f-04e1-4732-a7f9-196360611e85http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=a05a708f-04e1-4732-a7f9-196360611e85Mon, 27 Jul 2009 12:19:03 GMTTeenagers speak out on Condition: Critical. Bauma, 18 years old, Kibaramgirio, Masisi territory, North Kivu ”I came back to Kibaramgiriro a month ago. I was living in Minova with my husband before that. We had to flee during the fighting last August. We went to Minova because I have some relatives there who were able to [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=4a6899cf-67df-492b-aae4-4f507fdfd917http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=4a6899cf-67df-492b-aae4-4f507fdfd917Fri, 24 Jul 2009 09:46:41 GMTMy day started well, I slept in until 830 and took a driver shopping. I had just learned that was going to move to Tari, in the highlands, where MSF provide surgery in the ministry of health hospital. Unlike coastal Lae, Tari is cold so I needed a jacket and a jumper so went [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=9a3c1ec3-a5db-4bd6-888d-09f1bad7dbc2&eId=72eca020-22ab-4368-9fcc-55e81dbbf2eahttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=9a3c1ec3-a5db-4bd6-888d-09f1bad7dbc2&eId=72eca020-22ab-4368-9fcc-55e81dbbf2eaSat, 18 Jul 2009 21:15:51 GMTFirst of all, there are no fields involved in my work. Not of the grassy variety anyway. ‘The Field’ is an interesting term that is bandied around a great deal in development and humanitarian circles, and it is interpreted differently depending on where you are when you say it*. Benson Hospital, despite being in the [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=4d055900-1f4e-4b91-baf9-0393f0161a71&eId=d4166dfd-559a-4d7a-a87b-f978406e8c75http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=4d055900-1f4e-4b91-baf9-0393f0161a71&eId=d4166dfd-559a-4d7a-a87b-f978406e8c75Mon, 13 Jul 2009 14:35:36 GMT http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=4687dae3-f755-4128-8786-10c195743375http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=4687dae3-f755-4128-8786-10c195743375Fri, 10 Jul 2009 13:44:23 GMTThe nurse bought a little weather station when she was in Australia.  Last month (June) we had over a metre of rain – on average 35mm every day.  But it doesn’t rain every day.  Just now it rains about 2 days a week, but when it rains it rains heavy.  And when it rains crime happens – because [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=9a3c1ec3-a5db-4bd6-888d-09f1bad7dbc2&eId=9132da3a-fb19-4f9f-95c3-2105b12ac7e8http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=9a3c1ec3-a5db-4bd6-888d-09f1bad7dbc2&eId=9132da3a-fb19-4f9f-95c3-2105b12ac7e8Wed, 08 Jul 2009 18:04:49 GMTThe last few weeks in Congo have flown by. Still so much to do, still so much to organise. And with the situation changing constantly, the work is never done. The Congolese love official speeches. Every last meeting, every event, includes a goodbye speech. It’s very nice but it doesn’t make my leaving any easier for me. Early in the morning [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=fcfd89bb-bcb2-4e1b-b363-638f1d66f4a2http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=fcfd89bb-bcb2-4e1b-b363-638f1d66f4a2Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:29:10 GMTThe project coordinator and I share a prefabricated building.  The buildings we use are actually fantastic.  I’m very grateful to the team who set up this project for the nice buildings they handed over.  It’s good to share a building with the PC as things run smoothly when the PC and the log* work as a close team.  One [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=9a3c1ec3-a5db-4bd6-888d-09f1bad7dbc2&eId=9e8be250-fa03-43d8-b442-a584153c56aehttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=9a3c1ec3-a5db-4bd6-888d-09f1bad7dbc2&eId=9e8be250-fa03-43d8-b442-a584153c56aeTue, 07 Jul 2009 19:38:24 GMTNeema Baeni, 14 years old, Kibaramgiriro, territory of Masisi, North Kivu ”I have always lived in “Kiba”, that’s what we call my village even though its full name is Kibaramgiriro. But that’s too long to say! It is a small village in Masisi territory, a two hour walk from the centre of Masisi. You have to [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=63bef1cb-60f4-419a-a291-b9b1810e19b4http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=63bef1cb-60f4-419a-a291-b9b1810e19b4Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:21:51 GMTShopping in PNG is always an adventure. I try to encourage the other expats to go shopping for themselves so they can understand the difficulties that the buyers face. When I first arrived, I suspected that our buyers were taking breaks when shopping because it took them so long. Then I saw [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=9a3c1ec3-a5db-4bd6-888d-09f1bad7dbc2&eId=425f0d53-3c22-4c9d-a7e2-ae427a171d43http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=9a3c1ec3-a5db-4bd6-888d-09f1bad7dbc2&eId=425f0d53-3c22-4c9d-a7e2-ae427a171d43Tue, 30 Jun 2009 17:51:02 GMTTeenagers speak out on Condition: Critical. They talk about their daily life, school, friends, plans and, as always, about the shadow of war and the fighting that makes the life they dream of impossible. Carine, 14 years old ”I live in the centre of Masisi town, near the hospital where MSF works. I go to primary school [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=c971f115-6657-4f80-86b2-6fb06376f635http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=c971f115-6657-4f80-86b2-6fb06376f635Wed, 24 Jun 2009 09:53:31 GMTWe had to buy colostomy bags – the hospital emergency department performed a temporary lower bowel bypass on a client of ours, but it doesn’t stock colostomy bags.  I asked why and I soon wished I hadn’t; she had been raped so violently that her excreta had been leaking into her vagina.  It makes me [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=9a3c1ec3-a5db-4bd6-888d-09f1bad7dbc2&eId=ad5d0cbc-d779-4365-9c94-a946581231e7http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=9a3c1ec3-a5db-4bd6-888d-09f1bad7dbc2&eId=ad5d0cbc-d779-4365-9c94-a946581231e7Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:55:13 GMTEastern Democratic Republic of Congo has faded from the front pages of newspapers, but for the people who live there, the war is far from over. Hundreds of thousands of people in both North and South Kivu provinces are continuously being harassed and have fled once again. High insecurity and deplorable road conditions make it [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=e7505889-2dd9-4fd7-8594-9f5b5cd88756http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=e7505889-2dd9-4fd7-8594-9f5b5cd88756Fri, 19 Jun 2009 09:52:55 GMTAs a first foray into the world of blogging, I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has been following my stories and especially to those who have taken the time to respond. I have thoroughly enjoyed the process and am constantly surprised to find that people actually care about what I’m [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=a13fb5ba-5da6-48f8-b313-4487f6f82d8f&eId=fbebc972-654e-4ac0-94d1-355498f66119http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=a13fb5ba-5da6-48f8-b313-4487f6f82d8f&eId=fbebc972-654e-4ac0-94d1-355498f66119Mon, 15 Jun 2009 21:54:24 GMTAs a first foray into the world of blogging, I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has been following my stories and especially to those who have taken the time to respond. I have thoroughly enjoyed the process and am constantly surprised to find that people actually care about what I’m [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=a13fb5ba-5da6-48f8-b313-4487f6f82d8f&eId=6a41f2ba-f9ea-46c9-a402-3557f0ffdd7bhttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=a13fb5ba-5da6-48f8-b313-4487f6f82d8f&eId=6a41f2ba-f9ea-46c9-a402-3557f0ffdd7bFri, 12 Jun 2009 14:51:16 GMTTime really does fly…certainly when you are having fun but also when you are working 12 hour days, 6-7 days a week! I landed in the Congo on December 8 and after an incredible 6 months, my second mission with MSF is drawing to a close. I first fly to Amsterdam for debriefings [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=a13fb5ba-5da6-48f8-b313-4487f6f82d8f&eId=9e54eafa-823c-435c-8d55-3a226d3e0f6bhttp://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=a13fb5ba-5da6-48f8-b313-4487f6f82d8f&eId=9e54eafa-823c-435c-8d55-3a226d3e0f6bThu, 11 Jun 2009 21:53:20 GMTMSF increases medical assistance to populations affected by violence in North of D.R. Congo. In the areas of Haut-Uélé and Bas-Uélé, in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ugandan rebels of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) have committed violent attacks in response to military operations launched by the armies of Uganda, DRC [...]http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=f786e6f6-8195-404a-8f37-8a4179779864http://www.msf.org.uk:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=6415d535-e577-4001-98f5-143e8f927dbf&eId=f786e6f6-8195-404a-8f37-8a4179779864Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:29:29 GMT