MSF BLOGS / BLOGUES

MSF @ IAC 2010 BLOG

Follow MSF at the XVIII International AIDS Conference, July 18 – 23, 2010!

EXTRA-TIME!

Check out the MSF HIV “footblog” from South Africa, “MSF Extra-Time”, during the 2010 FIFA World Cup!

MSF PHOTO BLOG

Check out our most popular blog, the “MSF Photo Blog”, for images from the frontlines of MSF’s field projects around the world. Click on the photos to open a larger image in an integrated lightbox window.

JESS COSBY

Nurse Jess Cosby was awarded the Diploma in Tropical Nursing from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and has worked in Botswana with people living with HIV/AIDS. This is her first mission with MSF based in Zimbabwe.

DIEUDONNÉ KONGOLO

Dr. Dieudonné Kongolo est congolais et il travaille comme médecin et humanitaire pour MSF depuis près de sept ans. Maintenant, il travaille come chef d’équipe de MSF et écrit “Bienvenue à Bendera”, dans le nord-est du Katanga en République démocratique du Congo (RDC).

SANDY ALTHOMSONS

Sandy Althomsons is an epidemiologist blogging about “TB in Uzbekistan” from Nukus’ project for multi-drug resistent tuberculosis. Sandy comes from the United States where she works for the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta.

KIRAN JOBANPUTRA

Kiran Jobanputra has worked as a doctor with MSF in Somalia, Kenya and Niger. He is currently writing his blog “From Bunia” as Project Coordinator at MSF’s Bon Marché  field hospital in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

SETH TUENGEL

In “A Small Kindness … from Katanga to the Kivus”, Seth Tuengel begins his 2nd mission for MSF as Mental Health Officer, managing counselors, providing basic mental health care to two camps of internally displaced people traumatized by years of conflict, violence and instability.

HAITI EARTHQUAKE BLOG

This emergency “Haiti Earthquake” blog is co-written by a various members of MSF’s emergency team in Haiti. Includes liason Isabelle Jeanson, nurses Sherri Grady, Marie-Michèle Houle, Louise Johnston, and Dr. Wendy Lai. Dr. Lai is on her third MSF field mission, her second mission was based in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, where she wrote the compelling “A Labour of Love” blog.

GRANT ASSENHEIMER

Grant Assenheimer is back, now as a project coordinator writing “Pré Avis in the Congo” from Dubié, Democratic Republic of Congo. Grant is a chemical engineer with work experience in the water sector, and has worked as a logistician for MSF. Grant’s last MSF field blog, “DRC – Not just the Kivus” can also be found on Reuters AlertNet.

DANIELA WIDMER

Nurse Daniela Widmer is in Central African Republic, where she writes “The Forgotten Land”.

FENNA SNATER

Logistician, Fenna Snater, writes “In Africa” from an HIV treatment project outside of Harare, Zimbabwe.

HARRIET COCHRANE

Harriet Cochrane was a project coordinator for MSF, writing from the Democratic Republic of Congo in “Medicine by Motorbike”.

EMILY BELL

Emily Bell closes off her popular blog, “Welcome to Bravo Hotel: Stories from Monrovia” from Liberia. Emily is from Oxford, UK, and worked as a Field Coordinator in MSF’s project supporting the Benson Hospital in Monrovia. She is currently working with MSF’s emergency team in Haiti following the January 2010 earthquake.

Over the holidays and new year period, we transitioned to a new blogging platform, which involved some updating of the interface. While we have created aliases linking previous blog addresses to their new locations, you are kindly reminded take this opportunity to update your links and RSS feeds.

JOE STARKE

Joe Starke is a South African emergency doctor writing from Pakistan’s North-West Frontier Province in “Medicine at the frontier.”

RAGHU VENUGOPAL

Raghu Venugopal writes on treating Sleeping Sickness in the Central African Republic in his blog “Awakening in CAR”.

DENIS ROY

Dans “Shamwana, mon amour” suivez le travailleur social Denis Roy en mission en République démoncratique du Congo

EMILY BELL

Emily Bell writes “Welcome to Bravo Hotel: Stories from Monrovia” from Liberia. Emily is from Oxford, UK, working as a Field Coordinator in MSF’s project supporting the Benson Hospital in Monrovia.

JOANNA STAVROPOULOU

Joanna Stavropoulou writes “Choléra, Choléra!” from Harare, Zimbabwe. Joanna is a communications professional of Greek-American heritage, formerly employed as freelance journalist and radio presenter, and member of the Greek National Modern Pentathalon team. Joanna has previously worked in Ethiopia and Sri Lanka.

CHRIS HOUSTON

Chris Houston writes “Chris is currently out of the office” from Lae, Papua New Guinea. Chris hails from Glasgow, Scotland, where he has been a risk management consultant, and emergency support services volunteer and provided assistance during the 2004-2005 tsunami in South East Asia. He is on his first mission with MSF as a logistician.

GRANT ASSENHEIMER

Grant Assenheimer writes “DRC – not just the Kivus!” from Shamwana, Democratic Republic of Congo. Grant is a chemical engineer with work experience in the water sector, and is currently working as a logistician for MSF. Grant’s blog can also be found on Reuters AlertNet.

MSF PHOTO BLOG

Check out the MSF Photo Blog for images from the frontlines of MSF’s field projects around the world. Click on the photos to open a larger image in an integrated lightbox window.

WENDY LAI

Dr. Wendy Lai is on her second MSF field mission, this time focusing on emergency obstetrics. She writes “A Labour of Love” from Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

JULIA PAYSON

Check out Julia Payson’s blog “Nogut pik i bagarapim ples matamat” from her new mission in Papua New Guinea. Julia is an administrator who has worked on multiple MSF field missions, and is continuing the popular “Made in Bangladesh” blog started on her previous mission in Dhaka.

JAMES MASKALYK

Early MSF blog readers will recall “Suddenly…Sudan”. The blog was so popular that Dr. James Maskalyk is in the final stages of writing his first book, “Six Months in Sudan” (published by Randomhouse), and to be released on 18 April 2009. Fans of “Suddenly…” will recognize James’ familiar voice, the people he met, and selected blog excerpts which structure the book. However, both established and new fans will be taken with the personality and depth of James’ new writing, and a story arch that stretches from the abrupt departure from Canada, through the daily activities in Sudan, to the emotional return home. MSF will be supporting the launch of the book and fans can find out more about launch events here.

Bloggers continue to write and produce the most popular MSF content on this site!  Over the past 24 months, we have had  bloggers writing from field missions in Bangladesh, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Bangladesh, Kenya, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Sudan, and Palestinian Territories.

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Best of 2008!

Just before the holidays, I received an email from Reuters Alertnet informing us that Canadian physician Lauralee Morris’ blog “Lauralee in Lankien” was included in their “Best of 2008″ blog list. Please join me in congratulating Lauralee in sharing the incredible work she has done with MSF via the blogs. Lauralee has since returned home to Canada, however her blog will stay online for you to read.

Link: Reuters Alertnet’s “Best of 2008 – Aid agency blogs”

EDITH FORTIER is a Canadian working beneath the “Vakaga Sky” in the Central African Republic.

ELINA PELEKANOU is a Greek psychologist in Hebron who writes “Thoughts from the Palestinian Territories”.

DR. STEVEN COHEN is a Canadian psychiatrist who has just landed in a refugee camp on the Chad/Sudan border writing “Farchana Nights”. Steven’s entire blog can also be found on Reuters Alertnet.

Dre ISABELLE CHOTARD est une médecin canadienne qui travaille au Népal et écrit “Namaste”.

Dr. LAURALEE MORRIS blogs during her first field mission with MSF in Southern Sudan, in “Lauralee in Lankien”. Lauralee’s blog can also be found at Reuters Alertnet and was included in their annual Best of 2008 list of aid worker bloggers.

DR. PRINITHA PILLAY is “A South African Doctor in Darfur”.

JULIA PAYSON writes about working in the MSF office in the capital city of Dhaka in “Made in Bangladesh”.

MICHAEL WHITE is a logistician currently writing “40 degrees in the Sudanese Shade” from Pieri, South Sudan.

JAKE WADLAND writes about the logistical ins and outs of project life in Kindamba, Republic of Congo in “That Kindamba Kid”.

KEVIN BARLOW details life as an MSF nurse in “Dear Darfur…” from Sudan.

SUSAN SANDARS, MSF Regional Information Officer based in Nairobi, Kenya, continued the “My Name is RIO” blog while visiting a cholera outbreak, in “Goma Calling”.

DR. NAZANIN MESHKAT writes from Papua-New Guinea in “Off the beaten path in PNG”.

TIRANA HASSAN writes from Mogadishu in “Sounds of Somalia”.

ZOE YOUNG writes about working as a Water & Sanitation Specialist in the current outbreak of “Ebola in DRC”.

Dr. JAMES MASKALYK – read the ever popular blog, from beginning to end, about working in a remote hospital on the north/south divide in “Suddenly … Sudan”. James is currently completing his first book, “Six Months in Sudan”, which is based on this successful blog. The book will be published by Randomhouse Canada and will hit the stores on April 18, 2009.

MEL SWEETNAM writes about running advocacy campaigns in congested Lagos, Nigeria in “What a Wahalla!”.

IKE OMAMBALA relays the ups and downs of setting up camps in rural DRC in “Lubumbashi Log”.

PASCALE ZINTZEN writes (en français) about World Malaria Day 2007 in Burundi in « Pascale en provenance du palu ».

New reports from the field

Since January 2007, some of our field volunteers have been posting their personal experiences here at www.msf.ca/blogs/

Follow their stories

These are the real stories of Canadians working in the field, putting ideas into practice, and telling you, their friends and their families about the ups and downs of life in the field.*  They have come from diverse personal and professional backgrounds and working in places they have never been before.

How it works

Our field staff are working in remote places, so depending on the telecommunications infrastructures of their project location, our volunteers will be sending their thoughts via this MSF blog website, text-based email (via dial-up satellite phones), and/or SMS text messages from mobile phones.

Send us your thoughts

Keep your eyes on this space and let us know how we’re doing!  While some of the MSF bloggers will not be able to read your comments or respond to you on a regular basis, we will do our best to answer your questions.

See you online!

Ken <ken@msf.ca>
Manager, Web Development
MSF Canada

* Editorial Policy Disclaimer :
Remember that while the bloggers are volunteering with MSF, they are expressing their own thoughts and personal experiences, sometimes during times of stress or crisis. They may not be representing the official stance of MSF. MSF allows its bloggers the freedom to communicate the realities of their life in the field and it will not edit their writing style – except to provide supplemental contextual information (links, maps, images, etc.) or to desensitise information that may compromise the security of individuals and/or the organisation.

Similarly, reader comments on the blogs are encouraged, and are subject to administrative moderation for spam, profanity, and other inappropriate postings.