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Fall 2009

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HIV/AIDS Progress Under Siege

With a dire need for newer medications, a shortfall in funding and no increases on the horizon, the AIDS emergency in the developing world is far from over. Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) spoke out at the International AIDS Society Conference held in July in Cape Town, South Africa, to push for urgent action.

Kenya: Preventing Mother-to-Child HIV

MSF Nurse Colette Kerr describes her experience in Busia, a rural district in western Kenya, where MSF runs an HIV/AIDS project. Kerr oversaw the prevention of mother-to-child transmission program for pregnant women and new mothers.

Jamaame, Somalia: “These people have no other place to go”

Intense fighting among various armed groups claimed the lives of hundreds of civilians and displaced thousands more in Somalia in the first half of 2009. The town of Jamaame, in a remote area of southern Somalia’s Lower Juba region, is one area where MSF has been able to provide ongoing medical services.

Inside Jamaame Hospital, Somalia

There are few health care options for Somalis and very few international organizations present. Before MSF arrived in Jamaame, there were only traditional healers and shops that sold drugs.

Six Months in Sudan

In his memoir, Six Months in Sudan: A Young Doctor in a War-Torn Village, physician James Maskalyk recounts his first Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) assignment in Abyei, Southern Sudan. He and his team provided emergency medical care to the local population in this oil-rich region, which at the time was contentiously disputed. The book began as a popular MSF blog called Suddenly…Sudan.

Upcoming Events and Fundraising News

Work with MSF

Recruitment information sessions will be held in these cities between October and December 2009:

  • Burlington, VT
  • Atlanta, GA
  • Chicago, IL
  • Minneapolis, MN
  • Washington, DC
  • Seattle, WA
  • Denver, CO
  • New York, NY

All prospective medical and non-medical aid workers are invited to a presentation, film, and question-and-answer session to learn more about how to become part of MSF's field work. A human resources officer will be on hand to discuss requirements and the recruitment process. Learn more and register here.

Book release: A Not-So-Natural Disaster

MSF is pleased to announce the publication of Niger 2005: A Not-So-Natural Disaster, edited by Xavier Crombe and Jean-Herve Jezequel and published by Hurst & Company, London.  This book examines the malnutrition crisis that struck Niger during the "hunger gap" months of 2005, a period when MSF treated 60,000 malnourished children, from a variety of perspectives. Nutrition experts, academic researchers, and aid workers share their analysis of the historical, sociological, and political roots of the crisis and the implications for future aid responses. 

The Photographer

A photo exhibit based on the highly praised graphic novel The Photographer: Into War-Torn Afghanistan with Doctors Without Borders will be on display in November at the Freedom Tower in downtown Miami during the Miami Book Fair.

Strengthen Your Commitment

MSF would like to thank all of our donors who have pledged to our Multiyear Initiative.  With their annual commitments of $5,000 or more, these generous supporters provide MSF with predictable and sustainable funds, enabling us to respond effectively and rapidly to emergencies around the world and helping us to better plan for the future.  To date, we have received pledges totaling over $20 million towards the Initiative. To find out how you can participate, please contact Mary Sexton, director of major gifts, at (212) 655-3781 or mary.sexton@newyork.msf.org.

For our Future and Yours

MSF’s Charitable Gift Annuities make it easy to provide for our future as well as your own.  When you set up a gift annuity for at least $5,000 with MSF, you will receive fixed payments for life and an immediate income tax deduction.  Minimum age when payments begin is 65.  We follow the schedule of rates recommended by the American Council on Gift Annuities. 

For more information about Charitable Gift Annuities, including a personalized illustration of how a gift annuity can work for you, please contact:  Beth Golden, planned giving officer at (212) 655-3771 or plannedgiving@newyork.msf.org.