http://www.msf.org.uk/blogs.aspxGet insights into working overseas for an international aid organisation by subscribing to MSF's blogs. MSF international staff write blog entries covering everything from treating wounded in conflict zones to how to battling epidemics in refugee camps.Copyright 2008 MSF. All rights reserved.1965, St. Wilibrord’s School, Chateauguay, Quebec “But it’s not fair,” I said to my grade 3 teacher Mrs. Ducey. I can’t even remember what my 8-year-old self was complaining about. Though I will always remember the response. “If you are looking for fairness,” she said, sounding uncharacteristically...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=771b0a67-c53e-4705-90cc-357573a3b483http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=771b0a67-c53e-4705-90cc-357573a3b483Sat, 26 Jul 2008 14:44:00 GMT"Do you like camping?" my recruiter in Toronto asked me. At the time I did not understand the reason for the question, but now, 7 months later, I totally get it. In many respects, this mission is like a nine month camping trip!I have been told that the living conditions in Lankien, and in other MSF missions in southern Sudan, are...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=df87209e-1812-4d2f-9630-73559cf00e19http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=df87209e-1812-4d2f-9630-73559cf00e19Fri, 25 Jul 2008 16:29:00 GMT"Tell him that I think he has cancer," I say to the paramedic who is acting as my translator. He looks at me blankly. "It's when a cell.....ahh...is out of control," I fumble around for the words that will bridge the language and knowledge gap between us. The conversation eventually ends with confusion all around.As far as I...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=91c8dd71-9691-47ea-8caa-2c7e3ee10f31http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=91c8dd71-9691-47ea-8caa-2c7e3ee10f31Thu, 24 Jul 2008 16:37:00 GMTJuly 1984 — About 3 degrees south of the Arctic Circle "Do you want the vacuum, doctor?" the small Inuit nurse asks, really more of a suggestion than a question. "Uhh, the vacuum?" I say, hesitating. "Yah....OK, sure". It was the kind of exchange that occurs when a kindly experienced nurse meets a young...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=a649d7b1-c7ec-47e3-badf-1f76d9a5a8e5http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=a649d7b1-c7ec-47e3-badf-1f76d9a5a8e5Wed, 23 Jul 2008 16:44:00 GMTA special thanks to Ken Tong, and Inma Vazquez who supported my controversial blog activity about a very sensitive environment. As the last view days of my Darfur stint approached, I became equally discouraged as I was excited to get back to Canadian life. The situation in Darfur seemed to have fallen several steps backward from when I arrived in...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=46be891f-a2ae-4946-8e7f-d98ba6f61761&eId=cbcbe5c3-461b-4a89-9c5c-66494c822571http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=46be891f-a2ae-4946-8e7f-d98ba6f61761&eId=cbcbe5c3-461b-4a89-9c5c-66494c822571Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:21:06 GMTA special thanks to Ken Tong, and Inma Vazquez who supported my controversial blog activity about a very sensitive environment. As the last view days of my Darfur stint approached, I became equally discouraged as I was excited to get back to Canadian life. The situation in Darfur seemed to have fallen several steps backward from when I arrived in...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=46be891f-a2ae-4946-8e7f-d98ba6f61761&eId=1cbf3c3e-20b9-4098-a7cb-b92413fc9ca0http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=46be891f-a2ae-4946-8e7f-d98ba6f61761&eId=1cbf3c3e-20b9-4098-a7cb-b92413fc9ca0Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:21:06 GMTThe rainy season has brought some spectacular sky gazing: frothy cumulus clouds, black thunderheads, beautiful sunsets. Leanna, our multi-talented logistician administrator, suggested that Paul Simon had it right. I would tend to agree. Joseph's face was black as night The pale yellow moon shone in his eyes His path was marked By the stars in the...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=b6175aa8-85f4-4732-922e-9f7aadf0f1c7http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=b6175aa8-85f4-4732-922e-9f7aadf0f1c7Tue, 22 Jul 2008 16:23:00 GMTTukul 3 is uncharacteristically quiet and cool. There is only one tiny patient here, lying on a wooden bed under a mosquito net. She is all of 5 days old. The baby’s mother divides her attention between her sick newborn and her older child who plays quietly in the corner of the tukul. The baby is unable to breast feed. Her tiny fists are...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=52ba045c-1439-4429-8985-9decbbefd853http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=52ba045c-1439-4429-8985-9decbbefd853Mon, 21 Jul 2008 16:27:00 GMTThe twins are back and so am I. They are big for twins, a boy and a girl, named after the nurses in Nasir. Oh, well.After 10 days in Loki and seven solid sleeps, the world looked brighter.The Top Ten Reasons for Returning to LankienNumber 10: PrideNumber 9: I have more blog entries to write.Number 8: My husband is away watercolor painting on the...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=9cb0f0b0-c06b-4ea1-95a4-08b63762dac6http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=9cb0f0b0-c06b-4ea1-95a4-08b63762dac6Sun, 20 Jul 2008 19:53:00 GMTi've been out for a month now, and thought a lot about what i would like to say here to end things. and i'm still not sure, but i'll try to sort it out before this is too rambly.leaving dhaka was what i expected; sweet relief mixed with intense sadness. and after 24 hours of travel i made it to amsterdam, with plans to drink beer on a patio,...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=17d2760d-3a85-4d9d-95f9-0e20b043ddc4&eId=990c2d4c-6369-4aa7-aff6-2c5ea10e86fchttp://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=17d2760d-3a85-4d9d-95f9-0e20b043ddc4&eId=990c2d4c-6369-4aa7-aff6-2c5ea10e86fcMon, 14 Jul 2008 21:05:00 GMTi've been out for a month now, and thought a lot about what i would like to say here to end things. and i'm still not sure, but i'll try to sort it out before this is too rambly.leaving dhaka was what i expected; sweet relief mixed with intense sadness. and after 24 hours of travel i made it to amsterdam, with plans to drink beer on a patio,...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=17d2760d-3a85-4d9d-95f9-0e20b043ddc4&eId=0727eeb4-cc3b-4529-9824-ffeb2d3e4929http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=17d2760d-3a85-4d9d-95f9-0e20b043ddc4&eId=0727eeb4-cc3b-4529-9824-ffeb2d3e4929Mon, 14 Jul 2008 21:05:00 GMT  It would be fair to say that before coming to Chad, in the months leading up to this mission, I was expecting something alien.  Conditions and life-ways so extreme and dimensionally different from mine that I would struggle to connect with them.  In anthropological parlance, I exoticised the other.  This is almost never a...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=c9d1131e-6da0-4ded-9b0b-a7a01363566e&eId=cf2621d9-4189-40de-b770-39e6d34742c3http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=c9d1131e-6da0-4ded-9b0b-a7a01363566e&eId=cf2621d9-4189-40de-b770-39e6d34742c3Mon, 14 Jul 2008 14:54:54 GMT  It would be fair to say that before coming to Chad, in the months leading up to this mission, I was expecting something alien.  Conditions and life-ways so extreme and dimensionally different from mine that I would struggle to connect with them.  In anthropological parlance, I exoticised the other.  This is almost never a...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=c9d1131e-6da0-4ded-9b0b-a7a01363566e&eId=80aba730-8504-423a-abad-8db7a505606ahttp://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=c9d1131e-6da0-4ded-9b0b-a7a01363566e&eId=80aba730-8504-423a-abad-8db7a505606aMon, 14 Jul 2008 14:54:54 GMTI want a Porsche.  There’s no way around it.  Ever since I was a kid cars have fascinated me, the power, aesthetics, speed, engineering.  My jaw kind of drops when I see one, and has for many years.  I’ve had my eye on an early 90s 911.  More specifically, the 964 C4S or the turbo.  The guy who designed...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=c9d1131e-6da0-4ded-9b0b-a7a01363566e&eId=5197f916-fe8a-4d5c-a081-7c738a145913http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=c9d1131e-6da0-4ded-9b0b-a7a01363566e&eId=5197f916-fe8a-4d5c-a081-7c738a145913Mon, 07 Jul 2008 15:08:02 GMTI want a Porsche.  There’s no way around it.  Ever since I was a kid cars have fascinated me, the power, aesthetics, speed, engineering.  My jaw kind of drops when I see one, and has for many years.  I’ve had my eye on an early 90s 911.  More specifically, the 964 C4S or the turbo.  The guy who designed...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=c9d1131e-6da0-4ded-9b0b-a7a01363566e&eId=6ae5efd5-9023-40bd-88f7-0f02f25bc4f4http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=c9d1131e-6da0-4ded-9b0b-a7a01363566e&eId=6ae5efd5-9023-40bd-88f7-0f02f25bc4f4Mon, 07 Jul 2008 15:08:02 GMTI have packed all my stuff. My tukul is empty. I am going to Loki for a ‘break’ and I am not sure I am coming back. Zac, the base nurse, eyes my bulging backpack and says, “You are coming back aren’t you?” He has seen this before and knows the signs. I say, “Yes, of course”, but I feel guilty as I say...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=8e84f883-a38d-4460-ade5-d64b2b060e05http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=8e84f883-a38d-4460-ade5-d64b2b060e05Sat, 05 Jul 2008 16:25:00 GMT In a few days, the CET will be the first in a long series of teams to start a massive measles vaccination campaign. Destination: Tanganyika, an area bordering the lake of the same name in the north of the province of Katanga. The number of children to vaccinate: more than 800,000 between the ages of [...]http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=5cec35bc-c32e-49f8-8554-27f210d24287&eId=499caadc-472a-47a1-bfb9-81b848d6743bhttp://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=5cec35bc-c32e-49f8-8554-27f210d24287&eId=499caadc-472a-47a1-bfb9-81b848d6743bWed, 02 Jul 2008 18:07:34 GMTPatient names and minor details have been changed for confidentaility.  “Youssef” has consented to have his story told in this forum.  I told him that it was as if his picture and story were posted on every building in the whole camp, in all the villages in the world.  He was lucid, in full capacity to make this...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=c9d1131e-6da0-4ded-9b0b-a7a01363566e&eId=c170ec03-7901-4603-b9a9-a69af8e81374http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=c9d1131e-6da0-4ded-9b0b-a7a01363566e&eId=c170ec03-7901-4603-b9a9-a69af8e81374Thu, 26 Jun 2008 20:16:34 GMTPatient names and minor details have been changed for confidentaility.  “Youssef” has consented to have his story told in this forum.  I told him that it was as if his picture and story were posted on every building in the whole camp, in all the villages in the world.  He was lucid, in full capacity to make this...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=c9d1131e-6da0-4ded-9b0b-a7a01363566e&eId=9572dc9f-414b-43b5-9c49-fa6ba5194929http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=c9d1131e-6da0-4ded-9b0b-a7a01363566e&eId=9572dc9f-414b-43b5-9c49-fa6ba5194929Thu, 26 Jun 2008 20:16:34 GMTThe rain in the wet season is like nothing I have ever seen before. Huge drenching droplets of water. A deluge. And when it is not raining, the air is still full of moisture. Everything is damp most of the time, the towels, the sheets, my mattress, my clothes. The inside of my tukul smells like an old damp sock. The condition of the airstrip in...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=2ac82657-61f7-42fa-bcc3-003731c76e17http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=2ac82657-61f7-42fa-bcc3-003731c76e17Wed, 25 Jun 2008 16:24:00 GMTI want to quit, resign, throw in the towel, end it, go home. I want it to be over. I feel broken. I am tired of working with a skeleton team and being woken up at night. I cannot sleep at all now and I don't know why. Larium? Sleep Deprivation? Stress? Heat? All of the above?My project coordinator sits me down and calmly and patiently tries to...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=e54f9184-a975-4af3-a6e6-c5d42d50c964http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=e54f9184-a975-4af3-a6e6-c5d42d50c964Tue, 24 Jun 2008 18:10:00 GMT My name is Azaad and I’m responsible for the logistics of the CET mobile clinic. I just arrived in the eastern province upon completing the measles vaccination campaign in the Makutano health clinic in the Tshopo zone, next to Kisangani. I won’t talk to you about medical facts or the efficacy of the vaccine because these [...]http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=5cec35bc-c32e-49f8-8554-27f210d24287&eId=f0201e56-e8d4-49ad-a20f-d1481f04be20http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=5cec35bc-c32e-49f8-8554-27f210d24287&eId=f0201e56-e8d4-49ad-a20f-d1481f04be20Tue, 24 Jun 2008 16:59:17 GMTThe sky in the morning is dark and threatening. Big thunderheads in the east, a sure sign that rain is on the way. Once the wind starts the rain will soon follow. I am a wreck from worrying about the woman with the twins and the lack of sleep. If you think that I am over reacting, you have clearly never been involved in an obstetrical disaster. I...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=93350ee4-0ab1-48b5-b197-e88d390618bchttp://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=93350ee4-0ab1-48b5-b197-e88d390618bcMon, 23 Jun 2008 16:36:00 GMTThe sky in the morning is dark and threatening. Big thunderheads in the east, a sure sign that rain is on the way. Once the wind starts the rain will soon follow. I am a wreck from worrying about the woman with the twins and the lack of sleep. If you think that I am over reacting, you have clearly never been involved in an obstetrical disaster. I...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=05012262-4b86-43a3-b69f-5a515f49e486http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=05012262-4b86-43a3-b69f-5a515f49e486Mon, 23 Jun 2008 16:36:00 GMTI go to the IPD at midnight, 3 am and 6 am to check on the woman with twins. By morning her contractions have diminished, they are only mild and irregular now. A false start. I am immensely relieved and pray that she will hold on till tomorrow when the plane comes. I listen to the baby/babies with the Doppler, order some more IV fluids and start...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=ad9d9047-589a-4bca-919c-633d1d53b9afhttp://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=ad9d9047-589a-4bca-919c-633d1d53b9afSat, 21 Jun 2008 15:10:00 GMTI go to the IPD at midnight, 3 am and 6 am to check on the woman with twins. By morning her contractions have diminished, they are only mild and irregular now. A false start. I am immensely relieved and pray that she will hold on till tomorrow when the plane comes. I listen to the baby/babies with the Doppler, order some more IV fluids and start...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=27d030de-3138-4777-921e-29100591314dhttp://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=27d030de-3138-4777-921e-29100591314dSat, 21 Jun 2008 15:10:00 GMT6 p.m. Saturday: The patient is 9 months pregnant with twins. She has been having painful contractions since early this morning and she says she has been leaking fluid. She already has five living children at home. I place my hand on her abdomen to assess her contractions. You can feel her contractions, but her belly is so huge and taut it is...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=0901584f-3c28-471c-b9a2-4bc21c852be8http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=0901584f-3c28-471c-b9a2-4bc21c852be8Fri, 20 Jun 2008 16:41:00 GMT6 p.m. Saturday: The patient is 9 months pregnant with twins. She has been having painful contractions since early this morning and she says she has been leaking fluid. She already has five living children at home. I place my hand on her abdomen to assess her contractions. You can feel her contractions, but her belly is so huge and taut it is...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=57c20e8a-620b-4b69-ad80-d3a9d76fd900http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=57c20e8a-620b-4b69-ad80-d3a9d76fd900Fri, 20 Jun 2008 16:41:00 GMTThe night of Thursday 5 June 2008, seven Sudanese refugee women and girls were tied-up, beaten with whips and sticks, and publicly humiliated by a group of refugee men. The event was heard and seen by many of the refugees in Farchana camp, some of whom reported the incident to MSF expats the following morning, using the word “torture”...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=c9d1131e-6da0-4ded-9b0b-a7a01363566e&eId=857e02bf-385c-442f-af4a-bd458c616c65http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=c9d1131e-6da0-4ded-9b0b-a7a01363566e&eId=857e02bf-385c-442f-af4a-bd458c616c65Thu, 19 Jun 2008 16:18:15 GMTThe night of Thursday 5 June 2008, seven Sudanese refugee women and girls were tied-up, beaten with whips and sticks, and publicly humiliated by a group of refugee men. The event was heard and seen by many of the refugees in Farchana camp, some of whom reported the incident to MSF expats the following morning, using the word “torture”...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=c9d1131e-6da0-4ded-9b0b-a7a01363566e&eId=eba1f3ce-05d8-4f11-85bb-3130b72ba7a1http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=c9d1131e-6da0-4ded-9b0b-a7a01363566e&eId=eba1f3ce-05d8-4f11-85bb-3130b72ba7a1Thu, 19 Jun 2008 16:18:15 GMTMalaria is on the rise in Lankien. The numbers say so. Yesterday, I took one of my rare forays outside of the compound and realized why. The compound is rapidly becoming an island in a swamp. Pools of water are collecting everywhere. This is great for watching long legged mash birds but it is terrible for malaria rates. Pools of stagnant water...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=13457178-ee18-43ce-b03a-2b3edbc955b3http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=13457178-ee18-43ce-b03a-2b3edbc955b3Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:32:00 GMTMalaria is on the rise in Lankien. The numbers say so. Yesterday, I took one of my rare forays outside of the compound and realized why. The compound is rapidly becoming an island in a swamp. Pools of water are collecting everywhere. This is great for watching long legged mash birds but it is terrible for malaria rates. Pools of stagnant water...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=af120b0e-9b9d-4284-8dde-4a40f09859d8http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=af120b0e-9b9d-4284-8dde-4a40f09859d8Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:32:00 GMTThe sting of a scorpion must be excruciatingly painful. Anyone who has ever had one says so, and the patients who come to the IPD, well, grown women cry! The treatment is an injection of local anaesthetic and painkillers. There are a lot of scorpions in Lankien. You see them around the compound sometimes; it is best to watch your step, always use...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=c9bbcb5e-c1fb-4585-9bc4-8aa659c06d2chttp://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=c9bbcb5e-c1fb-4585-9bc4-8aa659c06d2cWed, 18 Jun 2008 15:31:00 GMTThe sting of a scorpion must be excruciatingly painful. Anyone who has ever had one says so, and the patients who come to the IPD, well, grown women cry! The treatment is an injection of local anaesthetic and painkillers. There are a lot of scorpions in Lankien. You see them around the compound sometimes; it is best to watch your step, always use...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=c82c1380-f6f8-4155-9491-c7d6e9f3aa85http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=c82c1380-f6f8-4155-9491-c7d6e9f3aa85Wed, 18 Jun 2008 15:31:00 GMTA teenager with spinal TB and a draining sinus.An elderly woman with a stroke.A baby with a scalding burn on his penis.Another child with a burn on his left hand and forearm.A man with brucellosisA child with an abscess in his right thigh.A child with suspected meningitis.A baby with an infected foreskinA teenaged girl with Kala Azar.A child with...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=b9630cf9-a56c-4d3a-8ec8-eec85415b6edhttp://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=b9630cf9-a56c-4d3a-8ec8-eec85415b6edTue, 17 Jun 2008 16:23:00 GMTA teenager with spinal TB and a draining sinus.An elderly woman with a stroke.A baby with a scalding burn on his penis.Another child with a burn on his left hand and forearm.A man with brucellosisA child with an abscess in his right thigh.A child with suspected meningitis.A baby with an infected foreskinA teenaged girl with Kala Azar.A child with...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=c4ae4f41-f989-433b-9a9a-1ece41e46e33http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=c4ae4f41-f989-433b-9a9a-1ece41e46e33Tue, 17 Jun 2008 16:23:00 GMTYesterday I had a date to call my husband on the satellite phone at 7pm Sudan time, 12-noon Brampton time. It was our 7th wedding anniversary. Exactly 7 years ago yesterday, we got married in a small white chapel in Kleinburg, Ontario. The 43-year-old bride had the audacity to wear white and her soon to be husband looked quite distinguished in a...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=657088d1-65ee-4db7-acc0-75e483aec2a3http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=657088d1-65ee-4db7-acc0-75e483aec2a3Mon, 16 Jun 2008 16:21:00 GMTYesterday I had a date to call my husband on the satellite phone at 7pm Sudan time, 12-noon Brampton time. It was our 7th wedding anniversary. Exactly 7 years ago yesterday, we got married in a small white chapel in Kleinburg, Ontario. The 43-year-old bride had the audacity to wear white and her soon to be husband looked quite distinguished in a...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=60a4b80f-5488-4461-849c-f25dfc5f9a59http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=60a4b80f-5488-4461-849c-f25dfc5f9a59Mon, 16 Jun 2008 16:21:00 GMT‘We are guilty of many errors and many faults, but our worst crime is abandoning the children, neglecting the fountain of life.Many of the things we need can wait.The Child cannot.Right now is the time his bones are being formed, his blood is being made and his senses are being developed.To him we cannot answer "Tomorrow".His name...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=bc4ea8d1-df20-4879-a3da-c59381f54ba8http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=bc4ea8d1-df20-4879-a3da-c59381f54ba8Sun, 15 Jun 2008 16:55:00 GMT‘We are guilty of many errors and many faults, but our worst crime is abandoning the children, neglecting the fountain of life.Many of the things we need can wait.The Child cannot.Right now is the time his bones are being formed, his blood is being made and his senses are being developed.To him we cannot answer "Tomorrow".His name...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=68933df3-7ad5-4e9c-bf2e-398c739d8a4bhttp://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=68933df3-7ad5-4e9c-bf2e-398c739d8a4bSun, 15 Jun 2008 16:55:00 GMTDream #1: I am running in the compound in the rain. I trip and fall. The knees of my khaki pants are covered in mud, so are the shoes I am wearing, a pair of fancy black sandals from home. My husband appears out of nowhere and helps me up out of the mud. My younger brothers, Peter and Robert, are there too, but they look the way they looked when...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=320c1d10-dd7e-4f62-b630-74cabe6ca02fhttp://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=320c1d10-dd7e-4f62-b630-74cabe6ca02fSat, 14 Jun 2008 16:54:00 GMTDream #1: I am running in the compound in the rain. I trip and fall. The knees of my khaki pants are covered in mud, so are the shoes I am wearing, a pair of fancy black sandals from home. My husband appears out of nowhere and helps me up out of the mud. My younger brothers, Peter and Robert, are there too, but they look the way they looked when...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=4cb4eb98-be29-47a4-9d94-873e6300a23chttp://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=4cb4eb98-be29-47a4-9d94-873e6300a23cSat, 14 Jun 2008 16:54:00 GMT Dominique Proteau is the medical head of the Congo Emergency Team (CET). She also participated in the Tshopo zone vaccination campaign. All children between 6 months and 15 years of age were vaccinated against measles today. To accomplish this, teams walked for several days and many hours in the forest, making their way from village [...]http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=5cec35bc-c32e-49f8-8554-27f210d24287&eId=bc51a388-e40d-470b-8a9c-d7b0f37c03eahttp://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=5cec35bc-c32e-49f8-8554-27f210d24287&eId=bc51a388-e40d-470b-8a9c-d7b0f37c03eaThu, 12 Jun 2008 17:42:27 GMTAnother gunshot to the chest. A 10 year old with a gunshot through her knee. A 15 year old with a gunshot wound through her ankle. A frightened woman with a miscarriage who bleeds and bleeds. I finally manage to remove the dead fetus and other tissues. The uterus clamps down immediately. Her hemoglobin is 4. Another woman with a miscarriage. It...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=473284f5-e837-410a-bbb8-c3f323ec13echttp://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=473284f5-e837-410a-bbb8-c3f323ec13ecWed, 11 Jun 2008 16:51:00 GMTAnother gunshot to the chest. A 10 year old with a gunshot through her knee. A 15 year old with a gunshot wound through her ankle. A frightened woman with a miscarriage who bleeds and bleeds. I finally manage to remove the dead fetus and other tissues. The uterus clamps down immediately. Her hemoglobin is 4. Another woman with a miscarriage. It...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=c6504834-fd96-43ad-bfb7-bb4c82ebea87http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=c6504834-fd96-43ad-bfb7-bb4c82ebea87Wed, 11 Jun 2008 16:51:00 GMThttp://www.economist.com/world/africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11461685 The compound is where expats (staff from countries other than Chad) eat, sleep, and generally hang out after work.  It’s a space about the size of a couple of basketball courts in a high-school gym, or maybe a medium-sized grocery store.  Life in “the...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=c9d1131e-6da0-4ded-9b0b-a7a01363566e&eId=e4cc4006-c55d-4048-bca4-d1dfcb45cf9dhttp://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=c9d1131e-6da0-4ded-9b0b-a7a01363566e&eId=e4cc4006-c55d-4048-bca4-d1dfcb45cf9dWed, 11 Jun 2008 15:04:25 GMThttp://www.economist.com/world/africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11461685 The compound is where expats (staff from countries other than Chad) eat, sleep, and generally hang out after work.  It’s a space about the size of a couple of basketball courts in a high-school gym, or maybe a medium-sized grocery store.  Life in “the...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=c9d1131e-6da0-4ded-9b0b-a7a01363566e&eId=13e2b9ae-12f0-4208-91a2-f6ae24b993c1http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=c9d1131e-6da0-4ded-9b0b-a7a01363566e&eId=13e2b9ae-12f0-4208-91a2-f6ae24b993c1Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:04:25 GMT The measles vaccination campaign in Tshopo is finished. Success: more than 100% of our target number of children were vaccinated. Fatigue: the teams undertook long walks to reach all of the remote villages. They’ll tell you more through photos in the next few days. In the meantime, watch this video montage! http://www.av.msf.org/website/flv/webclip_montage_1-Sans_titre_MPEG-4_mp4.flv http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=5cec35bc-c32e-49f8-8554-27f210d24287&eId=7cd81d35-d9d0-4eae-aa67-f87ec5bec8f1http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=5cec35bc-c32e-49f8-8554-27f210d24287&eId=7cd81d35-d9d0-4eae-aa67-f87ec5bec8f1Mon, 09 Jun 2008 16:23:39 GMTA 4 year old with tetanus. A gunshot wound to the chest. A 10-year old girl raped by a stranger on the road. An inebriated woman beaten up by her equally inebriated husband. A woman with a post-partum infection. A fractured arm. A steady stream of pneumonia and brucellosis. The email is down; so is the satellite phone. The man in Tukul 1 needs...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=2379fa21-acd3-4884-9fd8-afe879a827fehttp://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=2379fa21-acd3-4884-9fd8-afe879a827feSat, 07 Jun 2008 16:44:00 GMTFiona Gillett helped me 'find my feet' in Lankien. I will always owe her a debt of gratitude for her kindness, patience and support in those difficult early months.Today I fly back to the field. Fiona will board the same plane on which I arrived and then fly out of Lankien for the last time. I will see her at the airstrip for good-byes. She is now...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=a1c61bb7-9ac3-4a16-83c5-4406d4531611http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=a1c61bb7-9ac3-4a16-83c5-4406d4531611Thu, 05 Jun 2008 15:11:00 GMTEveryone said it would be hard to go back once I got home. They were right. It is tough to leave everyone I love again, tough to leave southern Ontario in the spring with the apple trees and lilacs in bloom, bright pink cherrytrees on every lawn, the days stretching out.I watch the back of my husband's head disappear through the airport doors as I...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=2476bb71-2126-4d6c-a77e-1412bd87bc20http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=2476bb71-2126-4d6c-a77e-1412bd87bc20Mon, 02 Jun 2008 15:07:00 GMTI was sad to learn that Chris Curtis died. Chris was an entomologist and professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Even after years of teaching, you could tell that he loved his subject matter. He taught us about insect vectors of tropical disease, particularly about mosquitoes and malaria. Professor Curtis made bugs...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=12806fed-a87e-446a-83ac-2e3b5908e35bhttp://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=12806fed-a87e-446a-83ac-2e3b5908e35bSun, 01 Jun 2008 17:43:00 GMT(don't tell me to grow out of it)well, everything seems to have worked out, and it is becoming quite clear that i will leave bangladesh in one week. finally end of mission... over 14 months will be completed (really, the longest i have been in one job for a while - i'm the type to get bored easily and 12 months is usually as long as i want to...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=17d2760d-3a85-4d9d-95f9-0e20b043ddc4&eId=4e7625ef-a0cd-477f-a7c9-4d169933d261http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=17d2760d-3a85-4d9d-95f9-0e20b043ddc4&eId=4e7625ef-a0cd-477f-a7c9-4d169933d261Fri, 30 May 2008 20:35:08 GMT(don't tell me to grow out of it)well, everything seems to have worked out, and it is becoming quite clear that i will leave bangladesh in one week. finally end of mission... over 14 months will be completed (really, the longest i have been in one job for a while - i'm the type to get bored easily and 12 months is usually as long as i want to...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=17d2760d-3a85-4d9d-95f9-0e20b043ddc4&eId=21795516-0aec-4cf7-89d6-beefb5b8bbcdhttp://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=17d2760d-3a85-4d9d-95f9-0e20b043ddc4&eId=21795516-0aec-4cf7-89d6-beefb5b8bbcdFri, 30 May 2008 20:35:08 GMT Much of the work that we do out here is focused on the final act: the prenatal exam, the psychotherapy session, the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of disease, supplements and monitoring for the malnourished. In a very real sense, the good people in Berlin and Amsterdam support the administrative Country Management Team (here in...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=c9d1131e-6da0-4ded-9b0b-a7a01363566e&eId=7e84755b-551f-46b7-8f52-cb0d2f6ddf67http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=c9d1131e-6da0-4ded-9b0b-a7a01363566e&eId=7e84755b-551f-46b7-8f52-cb0d2f6ddf67Fri, 30 May 2008 15:31:11 GMT Much of the work that we do out here is focused on the final act: the prenatal exam, the psychotherapy session, the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of disease, supplements and monitoring for the malnourished. In a very real sense, the good people in Berlin and Amsterdam support the administrative Country Management Team (here in...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=c9d1131e-6da0-4ded-9b0b-a7a01363566e&eId=dbb41145-fbe6-4022-8edd-6c3358ebecdahttp://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=c9d1131e-6da0-4ded-9b0b-a7a01363566e&eId=dbb41145-fbe6-4022-8edd-6c3358ebecdaFri, 30 May 2008 15:31:11 GMT Perhaps you remember a recent post on the blog entitled “Evaluation in an Isolated Zone, Between Streams and Mosquitoes”, the account of an evaluation after a measles outbreak somewhere in the eastern province. After a few days of getting organized, a CET team went on location in the Tshopo zone to vaccinate children between 6 months [...]http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=5cec35bc-c32e-49f8-8554-27f210d24287&eId=848f4e62-4500-453a-bfc5-b39ddc7654e3http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=5cec35bc-c32e-49f8-8554-27f210d24287&eId=848f4e62-4500-453a-bfc5-b39ddc7654e3Mon, 26 May 2008 18:33:47 GMTThere is a joke that goes around MSF: You go off on your mission and you come home. You are sitting at the dinner table with your family and you want to tell them everything about your mission: the poverty, the diseases, the deaths, the happy things, the sadness. Eventually, someone will look at you blankly and say, "Hmm that's wonderful. Did...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=f0f80bed-30b0-4f2f-84b4-5ebb3d856480http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=f0f80bed-30b0-4f2f-84b4-5ebb3d856480Sun, 25 May 2008 17:38:00 GMTPatients have asked me a few times “do you know what it feels like to be a patient?” I usually answer “no” and focused back onto my academic knowledge of health. In some instances victims of a problem are the least appropriate to empathize with the variety of patient needs. But at the same time lacking the experience can...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=46be891f-a2ae-4946-8e7f-d98ba6f61761&eId=2ca01a8b-0627-448e-89d5-633199deed93http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=46be891f-a2ae-4946-8e7f-d98ba6f61761&eId=2ca01a8b-0627-448e-89d5-633199deed93Fri, 23 May 2008 14:58:00 GMTPatients have asked me a few times “do you know what it feels like to be a patient?” I usually answer “no” and focused back onto my academic knowledge of health. In some instances victims of a problem are the least appropriate to empathize with the variety of patient needs. But at the same time lacking the experience can...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=46be891f-a2ae-4946-8e7f-d98ba6f61761&eId=f75a749e-c685-4783-8e16-bb437176e0fchttp://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=46be891f-a2ae-4946-8e7f-d98ba6f61761&eId=f75a749e-c685-4783-8e16-bb437176e0fcFri, 23 May 2008 14:58:00 GMT Look and listen to this slideshow. You’ll see images of the measles vaccination campaign that is currently unfolding in the eastern province. We’re in the Tshopo zone, 80km from Kisangani- the main town in the province. Joel, a nurse with the CET, explains how the vaccination works (French) before we enter the forest. If you [...]http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=5cec35bc-c32e-49f8-8554-27f210d24287&eId=91ff5584-7e66-4550-aae4-379f00043619http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=5cec35bc-c32e-49f8-8554-27f210d24287&eId=91ff5584-7e66-4550-aae4-379f00043619Fri, 23 May 2008 11:42:48 GMT The ground moves here.  It may look like a patch of dirt, rubble or cracked concrete, but it you crouch down and just wait a few seconds, it starts moving.  Tiny ants doing reconnaissance, larger ones lumbering through, smaller red insects that look like pin-point spiders everywhere. Long things with many legs, beetles, and others start...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=c9d1131e-6da0-4ded-9b0b-a7a01363566e&eId=82b48d8c-2859-4680-b09c-65238513bf44http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=c9d1131e-6da0-4ded-9b0b-a7a01363566e&eId=82b48d8c-2859-4680-b09c-65238513bf44Thu, 22 May 2008 19:37:57 GMT The ground moves here.  It may look like a patch of dirt, rubble or cracked concrete, but it you crouch down and just wait a few seconds, it starts moving.  Tiny ants doing reconnaissance, larger ones lumbering through, smaller red insects that look like pin-point spiders everywhere. Long things with many legs, beetles, and others start...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=c9d1131e-6da0-4ded-9b0b-a7a01363566e&eId=abe01412-d27c-46cb-9858-d8049e4fb929http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=c9d1131e-6da0-4ded-9b0b-a7a01363566e&eId=abe01412-d27c-46cb-9858-d8049e4fb929Thu, 22 May 2008 19:37:57 GMTI have Tanzanian shillings, Kenyan shillings, Sudanese pounds, English pounds, Euros, American dollars and Canadian dollars. My pockets and money belt are overflowing with bits of different currencies. The only currency I do not have is the currency of Lankien. Cows. The Nuer people of southern Sudan are mainly cattle herding pastoralists and...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=06a17322-4036-41f0-8d17-9beb9424f7e2http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=06a17322-4036-41f0-8d17-9beb9424f7e2Sat, 17 May 2008 17:29:00 GMTLately, I seem to spend all my non-working time lying in my tukul, sweating. I don't read; I don't listen to my ipod; I don't do anything except stare at the inside of my mosquito net and wait to be called back to work. My mosquito net is old and sagging, like me. It is patched with duct tape in various spots. The bed sags too. I wonder how many...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=8d35ad85-9331-4626-b9a1-726a94828df6http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=8d35ad85-9331-4626-b9a1-726a94828df6Thu, 15 May 2008 17:13:00 GMT...another project!!!  (ok, i'll admit that is rather cynical sounding, but it's becoming a standard joke that every three months we open a new project in bangladesh - the emergencies have kept us on our toes!)quick update:  i went on leave in april, and came back to another project opening!  we carried out a food assessment in...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=17d2760d-3a85-4d9d-95f9-0e20b043ddc4&eId=6ca58477-1f28-406f-b410-9bf913bc231bhttp://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=17d2760d-3a85-4d9d-95f9-0e20b043ddc4&eId=6ca58477-1f28-406f-b410-9bf913bc231bThu, 15 May 2008 07:58:00 GMT...another project!!!  (ok, i'll admit that is rather cynical sounding, but it's becoming a standard joke that every three months we open a new project in bangladesh - the emergencies have kept us on our toes!)quick update:  i went on leave in april, and came back to another project opening!  we carried out a food assessment in...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=17d2760d-3a85-4d9d-95f9-0e20b043ddc4&eId=7569bee4-e77e-4aee-8f7c-3323420d886fhttp://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=17d2760d-3a85-4d9d-95f9-0e20b043ddc4&eId=7569bee4-e77e-4aee-8f7c-3323420d886fThu, 15 May 2008 07:58:00 GMTThis time the placenta is really stuck; no amount of 'gentle cord traction' will make it separate from the uterine wall. The patient had a stillbirth during the night and was brought in because the placenta has not yet delivered. She requires a 'manual removal' or her placenta. This is exactly what it sounds like. A gloved hand is inserted into...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=2ba124e4-86d8-4c58-8213-833463362963http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=2ba124e4-86d8-4c58-8213-833463362963Wed, 14 May 2008 15:51:00 GMTThe room is full of men all talking at the same time. I have to look from one to the other to find the patients. There are three patients, each with a gunshot wound. The wounds are fresh, only a few hours old. The men are all young and from the same clan. The circumstances of the shootings aren't clear to me, except that retribution for past...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=6caa3587-4a8a-4581-803c-cbff718a8e09http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=6caa3587-4a8a-4581-803c-cbff718a8e09Tue, 13 May 2008 15:51:00 GMTWe are two medics now in the project and one of us takes call every other night. Most nights we are called back to the hospital to admit patients. There is a sign made of aluminum foil that marks the tukul of the person on call. The guard comes to get us. First there is the sound of the gate opening, then the clop clop of his gumboots, then the...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=e6724a1a-e808-4771-ba6a-b3f44b5216edhttp://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=e6724a1a-e808-4771-ba6a-b3f44b5216edSat, 10 May 2008 21:21:00 GMTThe day that I left Chad a text message arrived an hour before hopping on a plane for my holidays (I write this from idyllic-but-obviously-not-too-distant Stone town, Zanzibar). The text message said that a fellow named Pascal Marlinge, the Head of Mission for an NGO (Save the Children, UK branch) had been shot and killed in a car heist a short...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=c9d1131e-6da0-4ded-9b0b-a7a01363566e&eId=a4e6153d-542d-4c3f-ac23-a21f8d0bb494http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=c9d1131e-6da0-4ded-9b0b-a7a01363566e&eId=a4e6153d-542d-4c3f-ac23-a21f8d0bb494Thu, 08 May 2008 17:44:45 GMTThe day that I left Chad a text message arrived an hour before hopping on a plane for my holidays (I write this from idyllic-but-obviously-not-too-distant Stone town, Zanzibar). The text message said that a fellow named Pascal Marlinge, the Head of Mission for an NGO (Save the Children, UK branch) had been shot and killed in a car heist a short...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=c9d1131e-6da0-4ded-9b0b-a7a01363566e&eId=8d16fdfb-26d3-4e5f-84b9-52df7bea9e95http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=c9d1131e-6da0-4ded-9b0b-a7a01363566e&eId=8d16fdfb-26d3-4e5f-84b9-52df7bea9e95Thu, 08 May 2008 17:44:45 GMTi know it can get rough, and your writing makes sense.  it's understandable to have some panic that the baby will arrive before you are ready (similar to the dream i had the other night where i had to get on a plane in 2 hours and pack for a nine month mission and i didn't know what to take!  i just threw all the dirty clothes off my...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=17d2760d-3a85-4d9d-95f9-0e20b043ddc4&eId=ed6bd0fa-9029-428b-b852-39ea40d313e9http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=17d2760d-3a85-4d9d-95f9-0e20b043ddc4&eId=ed6bd0fa-9029-428b-b852-39ea40d313e9Thu, 08 May 2008 08:24:00 GMTi know it can get rough, and your writing makes sense.  it's understandable to have some panic that the baby will arrive before you are ready (similar to the dream i had the other night where i had to get on a plane in 2 hours and pack for a nine month mission and i didn't know what to take!  i just threw all the dirty clothes off my...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=17d2760d-3a85-4d9d-95f9-0e20b043ddc4&eId=4bd7779b-4930-4b7f-abcb-414ed3ac071dhttp://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=17d2760d-3a85-4d9d-95f9-0e20b043ddc4&eId=4bd7779b-4930-4b7f-abcb-414ed3ac071dThu, 08 May 2008 08:24:00 GMT Hello, My name is Dominique Proteau, I’m a nurse with MIT (the mobile intervention team) that is part of CET. I’m reluctantly leaving the city of Lubumbashi, where MSF just contained a cholera outbreak that treated nearly 4700. I went to coordinate the activities for one month. It was an enormous relief to the team that [...]http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=5cec35bc-c32e-49f8-8554-27f210d24287&eId=ca1b6925-fd97-4f97-8ba9-973c72b70478http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=5cec35bc-c32e-49f8-8554-27f210d24287&eId=ca1b6925-fd97-4f97-8ba9-973c72b70478Tue, 06 May 2008 15:43:44 GMTLankien does not exist on Google Earth. In fact, it does not exist on any digital map that I could find on the Internet.  I did find a map with Lankien on it at the infamous Yaya Centre in Nairobi, so I do know where I am. However, to give a clearer picture, I added Lankien to the following map. Sudan is the largest country in Africa . It...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=6f8cac62-9fda-449b-8546-61b46599a6d7http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=6f8cac62-9fda-449b-8546-61b46599a6d7Mon, 05 May 2008 21:17:00 GMTDarfur is cursed.  If it not the blistering swelter, it's the scorched earth, if it's not the hot sand at your feet , its walking along side you in a desert storm. If it's not raining sand, it's the drops of sweat rolling down your forehead that blinds you. Its either VERY hot, or VERY windy or VERY wet or VERY dry. What is VERY clear is that...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=bb63f04e-7cf2-4b56-b9df-44e6acd6e0b2&eId=6332424f-d2fc-42bd-bb65-64983b883d61http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=bb63f04e-7cf2-4b56-b9df-44e6acd6e0b2&eId=6332424f-d2fc-42bd-bb65-64983b883d61Mon, 05 May 2008 17:37:00 GMTDarfur is cursed.  If it not the blistering swelter, it's the scorched earth, if it's not the hot sand at your feet , its walking along side you in a desert storm. If it's not raining sand, it's the drops of sweat rolling down your forehead that blinds you. Its either VERY hot, or VERY windy or VERY wet or VERY dry. What is VERY clear is that...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=bb63f04e-7cf2-4b56-b9df-44e6acd6e0b2&eId=9694531d-d0ba-4807-85e3-c69abadc985ahttp://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=bb63f04e-7cf2-4b56-b9df-44e6acd6e0b2&eId=9694531d-d0ba-4807-85e3-c69abadc985aMon, 05 May 2008 17:37:00 GMTWe are seeing many children with pneumonia, small children, most of them less than 2 years of age. Today, we did rounds in the overflow tent, where almost every child had pneumonia. Pneumonia kills as many children in sub-Saharan Africa as malaria, but it gets less attention from researchers and international donors. In Sudan, pneumonia is...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=57378a36-549c-4f61-8ebf-66697880f16ehttp://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=57378a36-549c-4f61-8ebf-66697880f16eSat, 03 May 2008 21:13:00 GMTThe book I am looking for does not exist. If it did, it would be called “A Field Guide to the Birds of Southern Sudan”. It’s not really surprising, a country with a civil war for most of the last 50 years is not the place to do bird counts or construct range maps. When I knew I was leaving for the Sudan, I went to ‘Open...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=0b9db98a-35d6-4960-8243-7af8b3471bdchttp://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=0b9db98a-35d6-4960-8243-7af8b3471bdcFri, 02 May 2008 22:34:00 GMTNote that none of the following pictures contain patients, and all parties have signed written consent to have their pictures included in this blog.  Of course, parents signed for les petits.----------------------------------------------------------------------Not sure what it was that helped me turn the corner, but after a couple of feverish...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=c9d1131e-6da0-4ded-9b0b-a7a01363566e&eId=cb818de7-6de2-4b09-8089-3191837794d7http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=c9d1131e-6da0-4ded-9b0b-a7a01363566e&eId=cb818de7-6de2-4b09-8089-3191837794d7Fri, 02 May 2008 16:04:47 GMTNote that none of the following pictures contain patients, and all parties have signed written consent to have their pictures included in this blog.  Of course, parents signed for les petits.----------------------------------------------------------------------Not sure what it was that helped me turn the corner, but after a couple of feverish...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=c9d1131e-6da0-4ded-9b0b-a7a01363566e&eId=b4559b47-f484-41c2-933b-0377d67a8d06http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=c9d1131e-6da0-4ded-9b0b-a7a01363566e&eId=b4559b47-f484-41c2-933b-0377d67a8d06Fri, 02 May 2008 16:04:47 GMT10 pm. The child arrives in his father’s arms. He has been comatose for 4 hours already. Maybe 11 or 12 years old, he is handsome and well nourished, on the cusp of adolescence. His father said a snake bit him while he was swimming. “The red one,” the father says shakily in English. “Cobra,” says our Sudanese...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=1297c288-399b-4819-8234-2dd3abd98423http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=1297c288-399b-4819-8234-2dd3abd98423Thu, 01 May 2008 19:57:00 GMTWhat's in the wadi? I think the dust is settling a little bit here in Darfur for the time being. MSF is able to access the displaced populations and attacked communities to determine a strategic way to address the needs of the population. Almost everyday I go to and from work on a helicopter… it beats the office any day. It is very...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=46be891f-a2ae-4946-8e7f-d98ba6f61761&eId=f5768245-c610-4c87-9eeb-1499aeeda697http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=46be891f-a2ae-4946-8e7f-d98ba6f61761&eId=f5768245-c610-4c87-9eeb-1499aeeda697Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:32:44 GMTWhat's in the wadi? I think the dust is settling a little bit here in Darfur for the time being. MSF is able to access the displaced populations and attacked communities to determine a strategic way to address the needs of the population. Almost everyday I go to and from work on a helicopter… it beats the office any day. It is very...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=46be891f-a2ae-4946-8e7f-d98ba6f61761&eId=7b6b1ce1-cda9-4e62-92cf-167f6f69a32ahttp://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=46be891f-a2ae-4946-8e7f-d98ba6f61761&eId=7b6b1ce1-cda9-4e62-92cf-167f6f69a32aWed, 30 Apr 2008 18:32:44 GMT Hello, my name is Florent Akuku and I’m a nurse with the emergency unit of CET in Kisangani. Two weeks ago we got a call about a measles epidemic in a health area 78km from our office in Mukatano. We work a lot in this way: our partners and local health practitioners send us an [...]http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=5cec35bc-c32e-49f8-8554-27f210d24287&eId=8d024e59-fffd-4a25-a64d-8189debbb9fdhttp://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=5cec35bc-c32e-49f8-8554-27f210d24287&eId=8d024e59-fffd-4a25-a64d-8189debbb9fdMon, 28 Apr 2008 15:42:17 GMT“It’s not the mountain that wears you down, it’s the rock in your shoe.” It has been brought to my attention, most unceremoniously, that I have kept the blog more descriptive than personal, more playful than ranting, more academic than grit. That I’m telling the stories of others more than telling my own, and am...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=c9d1131e-6da0-4ded-9b0b-a7a01363566e&eId=dcade16b-b080-428e-a4c9-2cd9f9d66ae8http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=c9d1131e-6da0-4ded-9b0b-a7a01363566e&eId=dcade16b-b080-428e-a4c9-2cd9f9d66ae8Mon, 28 Apr 2008 15:36:08 GMT“It’s not the mountain that wears you down, it’s the rock in your shoe.” It has been brought to my attention, most unceremoniously, that I have kept the blog more descriptive than personal, more playful than ranting, more academic than grit. That I’m telling the stories of others more than telling my own, and am...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=c9d1131e-6da0-4ded-9b0b-a7a01363566e&eId=836a9adc-bf55-457d-89b7-c8db37c8b1e0http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=c9d1131e-6da0-4ded-9b0b-a7a01363566e&eId=836a9adc-bf55-457d-89b7-c8db37c8b1e0Mon, 28 Apr 2008 15:36:08 GMTIt’s done. The boxes full of satellite phones, action DVDs and long-expired medications have been packed and shipped, the confidential files burned, and the MSF logos painted over. Kindamba project is no more. On Saturday we handed the keys over to Global Outreach Mission Congo (Mission GO), who will continue running the Kindamba hospital,...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb284b2c-f375-446c-a7a0-235fa5345fd0&eId=afa8be00-1950-4ce3-8c04-ca9cb0389bbbhttp://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb284b2c-f375-446c-a7a0-235fa5345fd0&eId=afa8be00-1950-4ce3-8c04-ca9cb0389bbbSun, 27 Apr 2008 20:33:00 GMTIt’s done. The boxes full of satellite phones, action DVDs and long-expired medications have been packed and shipped, the confidential files burned, and the MSF logos painted over. Kindamba project is no more. On Saturday we handed the keys over to Global Outreach Mission Congo (Mission GO), who will continue running the Kindamba hospital,...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb284b2c-f375-446c-a7a0-235fa5345fd0&eId=443c0959-83b8-4883-8d1b-1c2c24c6d536http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb284b2c-f375-446c-a7a0-235fa5345fd0&eId=443c0959-83b8-4883-8d1b-1c2c24c6d536Sun, 27 Apr 2008 20:33:00 GMTIn all my years of doing general practice obstetrics, no mother ever named her baby Lauralee. So when the paramedic told me that the woman who delivered yesterday named her baby after me, I was thrilled, but confused. “They called him Lauralee?” “No,” said the paramedic, with the tiniest of smirks. “She called...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=8d8daebe-db24-4ade-abd2-2e8bf83c68d3http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=8d8daebe-db24-4ade-abd2-2e8bf83c68d3Sun, 27 Apr 2008 19:56:00 GMTEvery doctor has at least one in his or her closet. Call them medical errors, therapeutic misadventures, preventable adverse events, whatever. But we all have them. Any doctor who doesn’t, hasn’t practiced long enough. I added one to my closet on Malaria Day. Thankfully the patient survived, despite me. He was just a little boy,...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=573e0168-954d-419a-a1cf-eb0e7e3b002fhttp://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=573e0168-954d-419a-a1cf-eb0e7e3b002fFri, 25 Apr 2008 19:55:00 GMTThe young man has spinal TB. He is a paraplegic, treated several years ago, but unable to complete his treatment because of the war. He had to flee his home and default on his TB treatment. Now he has it again, fever and back pain. He drags himself painfully across the ground using his arms. He has several brothers; they always seem to be with...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=3dcc63e8-b36d-4323-a355-61a0cfbd155dhttp://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=3dcc63e8-b36d-4323-a355-61a0cfbd155dThu, 24 Apr 2008 20:56:00 GMTA mother sits by her son?s side. He lies beside her, paraplegic from spinal TB, large pressure sores on his hips and knees, painful contractures of his legs. She carefully tends to him, feeding him, worrying. He is her only child. One night he is found unconscious and feverish. We resuscitate him with IV fluids and give him antibiotics for...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=f53c6b5e-8366-400e-a8d7-9cd00a2d2f04http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=f53c6b5e-8366-400e-a8d7-9cd00a2d2f04Wed, 23 Apr 2008 17:36:00 GMT Emmanuel Lampaert, the head nurse for the emergency CET in Kisangani, will be going on an evaluation mission in the Poko region in the northwest of the eastern province. Partners have informed the CET that 2500 people have fled their town following movements of armed groups in the region. Of these people, who have no [...]http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=5cec35bc-c32e-49f8-8554-27f210d24287&eId=01337a3f-1005-490b-8106-7d72c3c58e73http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=5cec35bc-c32e-49f8-8554-27f210d24287&eId=01337a3f-1005-490b-8106-7d72c3c58e73Wed, 23 Apr 2008 10:32:56 GMTThe seasons are changing. I noticed it right away when I returned from my R and R. It rained almost every day this week and little green plants are sprouting up all over the compound. The fauna has changed too: frogs, flying ants, crickets, birds flocking and roosting, nature on the move. Yesterday we had a huge rainstorm that flooded the compound...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=32414a59-4f75-46b0-90ee-13bca5b68aechttp://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb4db9b8-02a2-430a-b9ba-3eac24b94210&eId=32414a59-4f75-46b0-90ee-13bca5b68aecTue, 22 Apr 2008 17:19:00 GMTIn the following story, names and minor details have been changed for confidentiality “It’s not the mountain that wears you down, it’s the rock in your shoe.” It has been brought to my attention, most unceremoniously, that I have kept the blog more descriptive than personal, more playful than ranting, more academic than grit. That I’m...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=c9d1131e-6da0-4ded-9b0b-a7a01363566e&eId=b7f886f2-539f-4ab9-a9bc-cc0243337784http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=c9d1131e-6da0-4ded-9b0b-a7a01363566e&eId=b7f886f2-539f-4ab9-a9bc-cc0243337784Tue, 22 Apr 2008 15:54:33 GMTI’m not what I would call religious by nature. Once in a while, however, you witness something remarkable, granting reason to ponder the matter further. Last Sunday I awoke to sounds of a distant chant long entrusted to bring with it the rain that abandons this dusty land for nearly half the year. Slowly the song of Pieri’s elders seemingly...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=5143e973-c0a9-48d3-931d-29704349395b&eId=8316a0e9-2184-4a34-beed-1592cc6ac92dhttp://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=5143e973-c0a9-48d3-931d-29704349395b&eId=8316a0e9-2184-4a34-beed-1592cc6ac92dMon, 21 Apr 2008 16:44:32 GMTI’m not what I would call religious by nature. Once in a while, however, you witness something remarkable, granting reason to ponder the matter further. Last Sunday I awoke to sounds of a distant chant long entrusted to bring with it the rain that abandons this dusty land for nearly half the year. Slowly the song of Pieri’s elders seemingly...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=5143e973-c0a9-48d3-931d-29704349395b&eId=70bf502e-7279-4ede-9966-27c0aa20406ahttp://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=5143e973-c0a9-48d3-931d-29704349395b&eId=70bf502e-7279-4ede-9966-27c0aa20406aMon, 21 Apr 2008 16:44:32 GMTThe small village health centers we support have been exceedingly generous in their parting gifts, and every time our mobile team goes to drop off a final donation of drugs and supplies, we come back loaded with produce.  A market quickly gets going beside our moble clinic in KIlebe MoussiaThe cars roll into base bulging with live goats and...http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb284b2c-f375-446c-a7a0-235fa5345fd0&eId=5cacc761-c55b-4512-9caa-146d7e0dfc73http://www.uk.msf.org:80/blogentry.aspx?fId=cb284b2c-f375-446c-a7a0-235fa5345fd0&eId=5cacc761-c55b-4512-9caa-146d7e0dfc73Fri, 18 Apr 2008 15:53:00 GMT