Stories From Patients & Staff

With the resurgence of cholera cases since mid-December 2023 in the capital and several provinces of Zambia, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is involved in the emergency response alongside the Ministry of Health. The focus is on supporting patient care and fighting the spread of the outbreak in Lusaka and Ndola, the two largest cities in the country.

Jessie Watson recently swapped her Marlborough farm for three weeks in Gaza as a HR/Finance project manager for Médecins Sans Frontières. 

Ituri province, in the east of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has been gripped for decades by recurring cycles of violence. Since mid-February there has been a resurgence of attacks, many of them targeting civilians, resulting in significant casualties, especially among women and children.

MSF collaborated with a collective of Rohingya photographers to produce this collection of photos documenting daily life in the world’s largest refugee camp.

Dr Mohammad Bashir, MSF deputy medical coordinator, reflects on his experience as a doctor in Sudan  in the absence of sufficient resources since conflict erupted.

MSF teams have been treating cholera and stopped the spread by working with community health promotion teams in Buhera district. Across Zimbabwe’s 10 provinces and 62 districts, 24,885 people have been infected and there have been 501 deaths since the first cases were identified in February 2023.

Since the war began in Gaza four months ago, little infrastructure has been spared by the near-incessant airstrikes that have struck the enclave, including water pipes.

Dr. Edward Chu was part of a team Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) staff who went to Gaza in December 2023 to provide urgent medical support to our Palestinian and international colleagues as they continue to see large influxes of patients with severe injuries amid extreme supply shortages and relentless bombardment. Upon his return, he shared an account of this humanitarian catastrophe that continues to worsen.

Prue Coakley began working with MSF in 2010, after her master’s degree in international development ignited her interest in global health. She has completed 15 assignments with MSF, starting first in field admin which involved finance and HR responsibilities. After several assignments in this position, she trained in project coordination and progressed to project coordinator on a project in Chhattisgarh, India in 2013.

Uniting community engagement and water & sanitation initiatives to mitigate neglected disease and water-borne disease threats in Nampula Province, Mozambique.