I was elected to MSF USA’s board of directors in 2017, and two years later, in 2019, I became president of the board. Almost immediately, the world was plunged into the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing us to respond to a global contagion and pushing us to make the unprecedented decision to launch medical humanitarian operations in the US.
In 2020, the murder of George Floyd by police in Minnesota sent shockwaves through the US and around the world. As MSF USA’s president, I was proud to speak out to unequivocally state that racism is a public health crisis—and to foster important conversations about antiracism within our movement.
In 2022, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine escalated a long-simmering conflict and forced us to adapt our operations to a challenging and uncertain new context. In 2023, massive earthquakes struck Türkiye and northwestern Syria, where our teams had long been working to support people struggling to survive years of conflict.
Today, violence is once again spiraling in Haiti and Sudan. And Doctors Without Borders continues to respond to a massive and worsening humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.
In the years that have passed since that first assignment, the world has changed a lot and MSF USA has had to change to continue providing the highest quality medical care possible to the people who need it most. I’ve changed a lot, too. But through the years, it’s always been those human stories—those human connections—that have kept me coming back to this challenging, essential work.
It's those threads—the stories that link mothers and children, friends and neighbors, doctors and patients—that stretch across borders and form the fabric of our humanitarian movement. In this issue of Alert, and as we once again mark World Refugee Day on June 20, we’re sharing some of those threads and stories with you. You’ll meet a Sudanese colleague who journeyed across his country as it plunged once again into conflict and learn how he and his team continued providing care to the communities they met even under the most dire circumstances. You’ll hear from members of our staff who worked in Gaza, caring for children affected by the conflict and fighting for space for them to heal and live their stories. And you’ll hear from MSF USA’s executive director Avril Benoît, who shares her reflections after a visit to Old Fangak, in South Sudan, where flooding fueled by the climate emergency has pushed people already displaced by war into even more precarious conditions.
We share these stories to remind you—and ourselves—of the human threads that connect all of us, and to show how your support connects you to MSF teams, our patients, and their communities in so many different parts of the world. As I come to the end of my term as president of MSF USA’s board of directors, I’ll carry these stories with me as I continue my own.
With my time as president ending, it’s also my pleasure and privilege to introduce Dr. Rasha Khoury, MSF USA’s new board president, elected in May by our association of humanitarian staff. Dr. Khoury is a Palestinian physician who has completed six assignments as a surgeon with Doctors Without Borders in Sierra Leone, Lebanon, Ivory Coast, Iraq, and Afghanistan. She brings to her role a wealth of experience, a history of tireless advocacy for her patients, and her own unique stories.
It has been my great pleasure to serve these years as president of MSF USA. Thank you, as always, for your generosity and steadfast support.
Sincerely,
Dr. Africa Stewart
