Multiple casualties from shelling on village in northwestern Syria

Shelling on a village in Idlib province, northwestern Syria, has resulted in a number of deaths and multiple people taken to hospital, amid fear and displacement of people. Project Update - 25 Oct 2019

Jamal, 62, is a Palestinian residing in Nahr Al-Bared camp, in North Lebanon. Jamal studied mechanical engineering in the United States of America, but he could not practice the profession when he came back to Lebanon. He was forced to find any job to support his family, which had an impact on his mental health.
“I suffered from anxiety, depression, and phobia. I was scared to go out of the house. One day, a friend told me about Médecins sans Frontières, so I visited their clinic. I’ve received psychological support sessions from their psychologist, and a doctor prescribes my medication,” says Jamal. “I don’t have to worry about buying my medication because MSF provides them for me on a monthly basis, or else I would have to pay more than 100 USD per month. After one year of therapy, I am now much better. I can go out on my own; my fears disappeared.”
Jamal received mental health consultations and pharmacological treatment in MSF clinic in Abdeh, Akkar, as part of the Mental Health Gap program which MSF is implementing since 2017. This program is based on training physicians on how to prescribe medication for some of the patients suffering from mental disorders where needed, under the supervision of an external psychiatrist and in collaboration with a multidisciplinary team.

Mental health

Treating mental health outside of specialised settings

In an effort to address challenges of providing adequate mental health support to people, MSF has implemented the Mental Health Gap programme in two clinics in northern Lebanon. Project Update - 17 Oct 2019

The sign indicating MSF’s clinic in Lashio, Shan state. MSF opened its first clinic in Shan state in 2001, and today provides HIV, TB (including DRTB), Hepatitis C care, as well as primary health care. In addition to its two clinics in Lashio and Muse, MSF also runs mobile clinics at Lashio and Hsipaw prisons and has emergency response capacity in case of natural disasters or population displacements as a result of fighting in Shan’s longstanding conflict.

Myanmar

Displaced couple cured of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in Shan state

Treatment for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis patients is rare in Myanmar's conflict-affected communities. This story illustrates hardships patients face. Project Update - 17 Oct 2019

Displaced families now live in an abandoned building in Anka. Parts of the roof have collapsed and need reparation for people to stay dry during the rainy season.

In the town of Anka, around 7,000 displaced people have found shelter in abandoned buildings, schools and construction sites, such as the unfinished new palace of the local traditional ruler, the Emir. Mainly women and children live in the unofficial settlements, as the husbands often return to their looted villages to work on the fields.

Nigeria

On the run from violence in Zamfara state

Violence in Nigeria's Zamfara and Benue states has forced thousands of people from their homes. Their medical and humanitarian needs are great. Project Update - 15 Oct 2019

MSF health promoter Tonanzin Urrieta talkes with a Venezuelan child in a therapeutic workshop. In Jardim Floresta shelter, the MSF mental health team promotes specific activities for children, from age 3 to 6 years old. They talk about topics such as protection against abuse and situations of violence. They also address self-esteem issues, because some of the children are being bullied or have gone through this situation before.

Brazil

Taking care of the mental health of Venezuelan children in Brazil

Project Update - 11 Oct 2019

Belarus

TB patients improve treatment adherence with psychological and social support

TB patients in Belarus have been shown to adhere - or stick to - their treatment better when they receive specialised psychological and social support. Project Update - 10 Oct 2019

Palestine

The invisible mental health crisis plaguing the West Bank

Much-needed mental health consultations are among the services Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) offers civilians in Hebron, in the occupied West Bank of Palestine since 1996. Project Update - 10 Oct 2019

The laboratory at the Malabako General Hospital, where MSF helped refurbish the infrastructure. The hospital is suffering from a severe staff shortage

Democratic Republic of Congo

Ebola response overshadows already fragile health system

The Ebola response in the Democratic Republic of Congo is draining medical staff and resources from the regular - and already fragile - health system. Project Update - 9 Oct 2019

Two-and-half year old Justin (name changed) receives his shot the investigational Ebola vaccine rVSV-ZEBOV at a vaccination point set up in the community of Kimbangu in the city of Beni.

DRC Ebola outbreaks

Vaccinating against Ebola in a challenging context

In Beni, DRC, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has recently started supporting Ebola vaccination activities, a promising tool in the fight against the disease. Yet reaching the right people in time is a complex endeavour. Project Update - 3 Oct 2019

Lebogang Seketema, MSF Driver - from Klerksdorp

I don’t see myself as just a driver; I’m helping protect people’s lives.
Often the clients we collect are women who have been raped by men. I’m not a social worker or counselor but on the way to the clinic, they’ll start telling you all these things that happened to her.
With our psychological first aid training, we can change their journey to the care center.
I recently picked up an old lady who had been gang raped. Her granddaughter accompanied her. The grandmother was mostly mute, but the granddaughter was in shock and crying hysterically. I was able to talk to her and calm her down, and this was better for both of them, especially the grandmother.
This case made me emotional because it took me back to when my sister was molested as a child. Raping an old lady, a young child: what has happened to our nation?
From working in this project and becoming a father, I’m much more conscious of sexual violence, and what’s happening in our communities every day. My daughter lives with her grandmother, and I call her every day, even if it’s just to ask what she ate.

South Africa

Drivers for victims: changing lives in Rustenburg

Lebogang, a driver for a Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) project that treats victims of sexual and gender-based violence in South Africa, shares his story. Project Update - 2 Oct 2019

Four mothers posing in a corridor of the Hospital in Bili. All four of them are staying in the hospital with their child, that's suffering from a severe case of malaria. Since the beginning of the project in 2016, the pediatric ward already treated more than 4.000 cases of complicated/severe form of malaria.

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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