Episode: "Caught In The Crossfire"

Name: Roger Micolta
Nationality: Colombian
Profession: Physical Therapist
Birthplace: Cali, Colombia
Age: 25
Hobbies if any: I love to play soccer, play Playstation, ride my bike, listen to rock music and spend time with my family
How many years have you been with MSF?
One year and seven months

What brought you to MSF and what awakened your interest in humanitarian work?

A few years back I heard about MSF – its humanitarian work and the Nobel Peace Prize. This brought my attention to the work that MSF does. Later on though, I started to think about the humanitarian aid that my society needs for a lot of the problems that it has. It was like a dream for me to notice that MSF had a project in Cali and that a physical therapist was required; I applied, passed the tests and now here I am with MSF.

I have always liked humanitarian aid, because it is the type of job where you can help someone else without expecting anything in return. You just hope that the living conditions of these people will change.

Most memorable moment with MSF?

The most memorable moment was when a 16 year-old patient with a spinal lesion who had been in a deep depression for months – refusing to speak, silent, sitting alone in her wheelchair – started telling me about her suffering with severe neural pain and how it kept her awake at night…she was desperate and did not know what to do.

Just by explaining to her the reason for her pain, just by listening to her and by talking to her everything changed. Her attitude changed…radically. She worked very hard – when she finished her rehabilitation treatment, she walked out the door on a walker. On her own.

What is your general impression of your work in Cali?

My general impression is that our country still needs aid and that this aid has to be at a high level.

What professional significance has your work with MSF had for you? What have you learned personally?

The professional growth is immeasurable: the process of learning the real value of physical rehabilitation based on the needs of the community – the human contact that strengthens for me the value of the ethics and the responsibilities of the medical act.

On a personal level, I’ve learned to appreciate human values that get lost in daily life. I’ve learned to have an objective and direct insight towards human behavior. And to always have in mind that we can bring something to the world around us, even just by listening to the people who need it.

What are your hopes for the people you serve in Cali and in Colombia in general?

I hope that the social violence will subside, that its crippling effects will disappear and that people with disabilities can reconstruct their lives.

How do you face the causes of violence in the community while you are working with its effects?

Confronting the causes is very difficult, as is confronting its effects. The violence has multiple origins and even though understanding these origins doesn’t justify them, it does allow you to have a good notion of how to approach them. It’s important to know that the violence is not a decision taken on your own; it is part of a life system in Colombia where the State cannot meet the basic requirements of the communities. The effects of this can be seen in people with broken lives trying to remedy something that has no remedy and trying to survive in even harsher conditions than they are used to these days. It is reflected in the city itself…the number of people with physical disabilities is rising and this leads to poorer communities. This is turn creates more violence, which produces physical disabilities.

Some other comment regarding your work?

In my job, to see a smile on a face and receive a “thank you” is the biggest and most wonderful reward that you can get.