Abu Fadel, Hassan and Iman… all three are living in Idlib governorate in northwest Syria. Like 2.7 million other Syrians, they’ve been displaced within the country several times, and some of them ended up in Idlib. The last rebel stronghold, bombed in massive airstrikes led by the Syrian army and its allies, Idlib has become home to a … Read more
Stefanie, a midwife at Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and Abdoulaye* from Gambia met twice within a few months in extraordinary circumstances: first on a search and rescue boat in the Mediterranean, then in quarantine for coronavirus in eastern Germany. This is the story of their reunion. In distress at sea off Libya Abdoulaye almost did not … Read more
Zahra Koochizad is the MSF midwife supervisor in the MSF maternity wing of Dasht-e-Barchi hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan. She was working on the maternity ward on 12 May 2020, the day of an attack by unknown assailants who killed 15 mothers and an MSF midwife. Here she explains why midwives in Afghanistan are so important, calling them … Read more
In the days following the attack on the Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)-supported Dasht-e-Barchi hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan, it has become clear that what happened on 12 May was a deliberate assault on a maternity hospital with the purpose of killing mothers in cold blood. “I went back the day after the attack and what I saw in the … Read more
Kathrine Zimmerman is a nurse who has worked in intensive care units at the Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève (HUG), the university teaching hospital in Geneva, Switzerland. For 10 years, she completed humanitarian missions in Africa, Central America and Switzerland. She currently manages the improvement of healthcare programme at Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières’ (MSF) headquarters in … Read more
It was a pleasant Tuesday morning with the sun shining down over my balcony. I scurried as I packed my backpack with basic essentials including a pack of fresh mandazis (a deep fried maize snack). Tensed, hopeful, riveted and with a million thoughts running through my head – I checked my backpack for all necessary … Read more
MSF medical teams have joined the fight against COVID-19 as the new coronavirus disease spreads to more than 200 countries. Project coordinator Dr Chiara Lepora is overseeing our response in Lodi province, north Italy, where we are supporting three hospitals, as well as aged care facilities in central Italy. She shares her experience working alongside Italian doctors and nurses on the … Read more
Hello. Welcome to Jharkhand! I’m Stenshila Hembrom, an MSF nurse working in Chakradharpur, Jharkhand. MSF teams provide medical care to children with severe acute malnutrition in the state, which is a major problem in Jharkhand. Today, I will show you around my workplace. The field team’s day starts at 7.30 AM. Teams assemble at the … Read more
Benjamin “I fled my village with my sister, but the attackers found us. We were their hostages for two weeks. On the road, they slaughtered people in front of us. When we were released, we managed to join our parents in Rho camp.” Benjamin, 16, sits next to his father in their shelter made of … Read more
By Edoardo Nicolotti, Project Coordinator, Manipur After working in Nepal for several years when I got the opportunity to work in Manipur, I was really excited. In my mind, I had the impression that Manipur would be very similar to Nepal but six months into the project, I realized I couldn’t be more wrong. Culturally … Read more