Fistula reconstructive surgery returns lives, dignity and well-being

Sigrid describes what took place in one of the MSF fistula camps, from mid-November to the end of December, 2010, in Boguila, a town in western Central African Republic. In the second of two fistula camps that MSF organized in the country, 65 women were treated. Voices from the Field - 8 Mar 2011

Nigeria

Preventing and treating obstetric fistulas in Nigeria

Obstetric fistulas, most often the result of prolonged obstructed labor, is an opening that occurs between the bladder and the vagina, or between the rectum and the vagina and causes a woman to become incontinent, among other devastating medical and social consequences. According to the UN, an estimated two million women live with fistulas today—about half of them in Nigeria. Voices from the Field - 8 Mar 2011

South Sudan

'Insecurity remains a reality'

"I know well the effects of instability, displacement, poverty and the lack of infrastructure. And now, in addition to that, many Southern Sudanese people who had fled the war to the North and neighbouring countries are now returning to places where there are not enough basic services..." Voices from the Field - 25 Feb 2011

Malawi

10 years: New challenges ahead

Currently, patients who start on antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) are often at an advanced stage of the disease and putting them on treatment is a delicate process. According to the new WHO directives, patients would start taking these drugs at an early stage, which would reduce the mortality rate significantly. Voices from the Field - 11 Feb 2011

Niger

Niger between two seasons of hunger

Despite the large-scale response to the nutritional crisis from Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and many other organisations, tens of thousands of children suffered from malnutrition in Niger in 2010. In spite of better harvests, 2011 also looks set to be a critical year. I travelled to the Zinder region, in the east of the country. Voices from the Field - 4 Feb 2011

Niger

Letter from the field: Satisfactions and sadness in Niger's intensive care malnutrition centres

Dr. Awras Majeed is a medical doctor from Wellington, New Zealand. For the past seven months, she has been working in Zinder, Niger, providing medical care to severely malnourished children. This is her first field placement with MSF and here, she gives a glimpse into what it is like to work in Niger during the ‘hunger season’. Voices from the Field - 4 Feb 2011

Kenya

A day in Dadaab

Having escaped the war, Somali refugees wait for a space in Kenya's overcrowded refugee camps Voices from the Field - 22 Dec 2010

Somalia

In a Somaliland camp, a triple blessing amidst ongoing hardship

“I thought my time had come too,” she recalls. “I said goodbye to everyone who visited me and asked them for forgiveness. I never thought that I would survive.”
MSF’s outreach team found Fardows while surveying the Shadaha camp for people in need of emergency medical attention. They took her to hospital, where she learned she was pregnant with triplets. Voices from the Field - 13 Dec 2010

Chad

The challenge of logistics in Chad

Charlotte Stemmer worked in the Chad emergency nutrition projects from September to November, 2010
Voices from the Field - 7 Dec 2010

Global

Interview: Dr. Cathy Hewison discusses 'revolutionary' Meningitis vaccine

Médecins Sans Frontières teams are involved in rolling out a mass vaccination campaign against meningitis in Mali and Niger in Africa’s notorious meningitis belt.
Every year, MSF launches mass campaigns but this one is very different; the new vaccine is being employed as a preventive measure and not, as in the past, in response to an actual outbreak of the disease. This brings with it new challenges but many are hoping the new vaccine could help wipe out the devastating meningitis epidemics in the region. MSF is working closely to support the governments’ work in rolling this vaccine out which, in this initial phase, is also being launched in Burkina Faso. Voices from the Field - 6 Dec 2010

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)

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We provide medical assistance to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from healthcare. Our teams are made up of tens of thousands of health professionals, logistic and administrative staff - most of them hired locally. Our actions are guided by medical ethics and the principles of independence and impartiality. We are a non-profit, self-governed, member-based organisation.

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