MSF in Colombia, 2007 | Doctors Without Borders

|

|

|

|

E-mail Newsletter

|

xml

Condition Critical

A multimedia presentation of how MSF provides medical and mental health care to uprooted families and isolated populations in Colombia's conflict zones. Articles Millions of People Isolated from Care Audio Slideshow Displaced in Colombia Slideshow Children in Conflict Interactive Map MSF Projects in Colombia Millions of People Isolated from Care Interim Head of Mission for Colombia Tony Tomasouw gives an overview of Colombia's displaced populations and MSF's activities in the northern part of the country. A Day in the Life Former MSF Project Coordinator Victor Garcia describes a day of bringing aid to an isolated population in Catatumbo region, one of the most conflict-ridden areas in Colombia. Children in Conflict Psychologist Judith Rosales works in a MSF center outside of Bogotá, treating children who have suffered as a result of the ongoing violence fuelled by Colombia's narcotics trade. "Sometimes, asking a child to draw a picture is the only way to get them to express the inexplicable horrors they've seen," she says. Displaced in Colombia: Noemi and Mercedes More than two million people are displaced from their homes in Colombia, including families that unwillingly become the targets of armed groups. Overnight, their lives are turned upside down; many end up in urban slums where they encounter still more problems. MSF operates in these areas, providing medical and mental health care to displaced people, such as Mercedes and Noemi. Choose a location to read about MSF's work there. Information from: MSF's 2006 Activity Report on Colombia Sucre Sucre MSF has a clinic for displaced persons living in the urban slums of Sincelejo, where common ailments are respiratory infections, diarrheal diseases, and acute viral infections. A new project is being set up in the mountainous Montes de Maria area. Córdoba Chocó Antioquía Córdoba, Chocó, and Antioquía MSF has a fixed clinic for returning internally displaced people (IDPs) in Saiza, Córdoba, and another in Ríos Sucio, Chocó. MSF has mobile clinics that operate throughout the three-department area, providing healthcare to people living in outlying villages. Also in Chocó department, MSF is working in the jungle city of Quibdó to provide sexual and reproductive health services, particularly to survivors of sexual violence. Inside the city, MSF works in the maternity wards of two local hospitals and supports five city health centers. Using mobile clinics, MSF provides medical and psychological assistance in areas surrounding Quibdó, and offers health care in Riosucio and Saiza. Norte de Santander Norte de Santander MSF conducts medical outreach activities in isolated rural areas in Eastern Catatumbo region and in the town of El Gabarra. Bogotá Bogotá Outside the city of Bogotá, MSF assists new IDPs in Soacha district by offering medical consultations and mental health support. The team also informs displaced families about their right to healthcare and provides information on how to access the complicated government-run health system. Caquetá Caquetá MSF offers psychosocial care to displaced people living in Florencia, treating depression and post-traumatic stress. Tolima Huila Valle de Cauca Tolima, Huila, and Valle de Cauca In Ibagué, Tolima, MSF provides medical and psychological assistance to newly displaced people. MSF also provides medical and psychological assistance to victims of violent conflict in southern Tolima and northern Huila departments, areas that are afflicted with heavy fighting, massacres, and displacement. A new project is under way in Buenaventura, Valle de Cauca. Nariño Nariño MSF provides healthcare through its mobile clinics and supports local health facilities in the Barbacoas region by training health staff, providing support to rehabilitate rural health facilities and implementing water-sanitation and waste management systems.
Field News \| Contact Us \| Donate \| MSF Offices Worldwide \| MSF on YouTube \| MSF on Facebook This site is maintained by the U.S. section of Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), an international independent medical humanitarian organization that delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural and man-made disasters, and exclusion from health care. © 2009 MSF All rights reserved. MSF-USA Association \| Copyright Statement \| Privacy Policy