Giving psychosocial care to earthquake survivors

Althought the larger impact of the early October earthquake in the Kashmir region struck Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, India-controlled Kashmir was also badly hit. Approximately 1,400 people died and more than 6,000 were wounded in this part of the disaster zone. Project Update - 29 Dec 2005

Indonesia

Asian tsunami: 'In the first days, they needed our help, not our tears'

Click for MSF report on the tsunami at one year. Including all operational and financial reports for the year.
Two days after the tsunami devastated the shoreline of the Indonesian province of Aceh, MSF teams began working alongside national efforts to provide emergency medical relief.
MSF Medical Coordinator Assistant Maria Meo was one of the first to arrive in the battered city of Banda Aceh. Below she remembers the experience. Project Update - 28 Dec 2005

Mental health

Mental health care grows in strength and experience caring for tsunami survivors

Click for MSF report on the tsunami at one year. Including all operational and financial reports for the year.
MSF teams had been running mobile clinics and providing emergency relief in Aceh for only a few days before they recognised tsunami victims' need for psychological support. Psychologists were quickly dispatched to the region and integrated into all activities. Over the 11 months that have followed MSF mental health programmes across Aceh have continued to grow in strength and expertise, and now form a significant part of MSF's ongoing response to the tsunami. Project Update - 28 Dec 2005

Natural hazards

Asian tsunami: One year on, health watch remains a key MSF concern

Click for MSF report on the tsunami at one year. Including all operational and financial reports for the year.
Throughout the course of 2005 MSF has responded to the devastating consequences of the tsunami in Aceh with programmes ranging from emergency relief and surgery, to mental health and the rehabilitation of health structures.
Now, a year later, MSF continues to monitor the health situation for vulnerable communities in the region and remains ready to respond to any emergencies. Project Update - 28 Dec 2005

Sudan

Nearly 200,000 people vaccinated against yellow fever in Kordofan, Sudan, in two weeks

Maintaining the cold chain that keeps the vaccines at the correct temperature meant 600 kilograms of ice had to be produced, packaged and transported every day. Project Update - 28 Dec 2005

Serbia

Forgotten people of the Balkans

Six years have passed since the NATO intervention in Kosovo. Talks on the province's status have begun, but on the other side of the border, the ethnic Serbs who fled are living in appalling conditions. Project Update - 23 Dec 2005

Natural hazards

One year after the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster

Large parts of the city have been completely washed away by the tsunami. In Meulaboh on the west coast of Aceh, the destruction caused by the tsunami is still there for all to see almost nine months after it struck. Where the town once stood there are now just ruins stretching down to the sea. Report - 20 Dec 2005

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka- One year operational review

MSF's initial assessments revealed an uneven destruction of the coastal villages and found health practitioners taking care of the wounded, most of whom were treated within the first three days. Local communities organised accommodation and communal kitchens for the displaced people. Project Update - 20 Dec 2005

Indonesia

Tsunami one year review

MSF was already active in Indonesia before the tsunami struck, assisting patients suffering from infectious diseases and helping victims of violence and natural disasters. On December 28, the first team arrived in Aceh's regional capital of Banda Aceh. They started seeing patients in a medical clinic and began assessments and relief operations. Project Update - 20 Dec 2005

India

Tsunami one year operations review

Because of quick government and community mobilization, emergency medical needs caused by the tsunami were mostly covered in this country. The principal problem for many communities was psychological trauma, with some people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Project Update - 20 Dec 2005

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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