Fishermen receive training in saving lives at sea

“Tragedies at sea will continue to regularly occur as people are desperate to flee to Europe” says Wiet Vandormael, MSF’s training coordinator “Search and rescue helps save lives but is not a long-term solution. The European Union needs to create safe and legal ways for people to reach Europe so that they don’t have to risk their lives during the journey.” Project Update - 1 Sep 2015

Chad

The fear that follows them. Providing mental healthcare for refugees

“Through our sessions, MSF psychologists listen and try to normalise the reactions of the refugees,” explains Aurelia Morabito, a psychologist who has been working for MSF in Lake Chad for the last two months. “We know that we cannot make the suffering go away, but we can help people to deal better with their unbearable reactions.” From the beginning of its response to this crisis in Chad in March this year, MSF saw an immediate need to incorporate psychological care into its medical activities. Project Update - 27 Aug 2015

Refugees, IDPs and people on the move

Refugees in Kos stuck in appalling conditions

Between January and July this year, 18,600 refugees arrived on the Greek island Kos by boat from Turkey. The majority are fleeing war and violence in Syria, but many also come from Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran and Pakistan. Project Update - 26 Aug 2015

Greece

MSF receives 10 people with wounds from Macedonian stun grenades

"The violence used by the FYROM authorities against these harmless and vulnerable people is outrageous and should immediately stop” said Aurelie Ponthieu, MSF’s Humanitarian Advisor on Displacement. “The shocking scenes today are a result of extreme measures to prevent desperate people fleeing violence and war from crossing borders. But closing borders and using violence is not a solution, it is just provoking a humanitarian crisis on the other side." Project Update - 21 Aug 2015

South Sudan

Dramatic influx of displaced people threatens medical crisis at PoC camp

“Many people arriving in the Malakal camp have been displaced for weeks or months already with extremely limited access to food and medical care,” says Victor Escobar, MSF project Coordinator in Malakal. “These already-vulnerable people urgently need a sanitary space to live and access to medical care. Otherwise, their health will continue to suffer.” Project Update - 21 Aug 2015

Cameroun - MSF activities for people displaced by Boko Haram attacks

Cameroon

Tens of thousands flee Boko Haram violence

Tens of thousands of people in northern Cameroon are in need of humanitarian aid after fleeing attacks by Boko Haram in neighbouring Nigeria.“Boko Haram burned our house and took all our cows and belongings,” says Samuel, from Nigeria. “They kidnapped my wife and two of my children and held them in one of their jails. My wife managed to escape and is trying to join me in Minawao, but I don’t have any news of my children. I don’t even know if they are still alive.” Project Update - 20 Aug 2015

Lebanon

Heat wave adds to the woes of Syrian refugees in Bekaa Valley

In Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, temperatures have reached as high as 42 degrees. The heat isn’t just bringing discomfort; it’s bringing sickness. “We provide medicine and our health promotion teams explain how to reduce the spread of infection, but we can’t change the underlying cause of these problems, which are poor hygiene and precarious living conditions,” says Dr. Wael Harb, head of MSF's medical activities in the Bekaa. Project Update - 20 Aug 2015

Mediterranean migration

Proactive search and rescue operations essential life-saver

“Increasingly, we see that we are required to carry out multiple rescues from multiple boats within a matter of hours”, said Lindis Hurum, MSF Emergency Coordinator on board of the Bourbon Argos. “Our teams have also encountered boats with people who had already died from dehydration or asphyxiation during the journey. To me this suggests that despite the EU response supposedly being ‘bigger and better’ than last year, there are not enough boats available and in the right spot to adequately respond to the needs of those crossing the Mediterranean.” Project Update - 20 Aug 2015

Flood victims vulnerable to dengue fever

“This is peak dengue season and we need to remain vigilant after the floods to prevent further spread,” says Liesbeth Aelbrecht, MSF Myanmar Country Director. “We will focus on helping treat the disease as well as training Ministry of Health staff and volunteers on how to fumigate potential breeding sites and to spread messages to communities about dengue prevention.” Project Update - 17 Aug 2015

Project Update

A month in focus: August 2015

Ebola: a hope-bringing vaccine; Lebanon: Lives ruined by the conflict; Tanzania: Cholera, a new threat to Burundian refugees; Malawi: In the over-populated prisons; Antivenom serums: In worrying shortage; Yemen: "You come and do the work!".

Project Update - 17 Aug 2015

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)

Independent medical humanitarian assistance

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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