Originally Posted on: Tue, Jan 11 2005 3:48 PM
Medecins Sans Frontieres, a.k.a. MSF, a.k.a. Doctors Without Borders, won the International Nobel Peace Prize in 1999, a short 28 years after being founded by a group of French Doctors, which, if it were a human entity, would certainly make it a remarkable ingénue, quite a brilliant kid to be true.
But of course, MSF isn’t a person, it’s many people. And I’m one, a small one albeit, as a small financial supporter. Trust me, those medical professionals, holed up behind a steel door in a war zone, waiting for the gunfire to stop, treating another victim of war (and we are all victims of war), are the real power of the organization. Awhile back, there was a show on the Life Network called “Crisis Zone” that profiled their heroic work and sacrifice for others. Hmm, let’s see plastic surgery in L.A. or operating with the barest of supplies in Sri Lanka? Which is the easier choice? I would imagine these volunteers give up, or at least postpone a lot, only their lives really, to save the lives of others.
Think of families in underdeveloped nations coping with an infection in their child that could be so easily treated here in Canada. Think about an MSF volunteer not only being a ray of light in such a family’s life, but his or her compassion and courage and the kind of person who would choose to help out in such a way. I think a donation is the least I could do.
And then on December 26 there was a tsunami in Asia that, when last I looked, is estimated to have killed 156,000 people. People focus on that number, but MSF is busy thinking about the people left to live. The people who desperately need medical assistance. Because that’s always what MSF is thinking about. Everywhere.
That was proven on January 4, 2005 when MSF Canada announced that, having received 4 million dollars in donations from Canadians, and 65 million dollars world-wide for its efforts undertaken in the tsunami affected area, it would no longer accept donations specifically for this purpose, unless a reassessment reveals they require more funds for the mission.
Now, to be clear, when I donated to MSF shortly after hearing about the tsunami, the MSF website did inform me that the funds I donated would be used where I specified, unless they were no longer needed for that mission. In such a case, the money would go to the next most emergent mission. Sounds good to me.
However, unlike other charities MSF was upfront about its needs. I’m not knocking the other charities involved, many are excellent. Some, not so much. But unfortunately, many people will feel that this statement by MSF means that donations should go to other organizations operating in the disaster region.
As for me, it makes me want to give more to MSF. Thank God someone hasn’t lost focus on the plague of AIDS in Africa, the crisis in Darfur, even the street children in Manila.
From the MSF Charter: “Médecins Sans Frontières offers assistance to populations in distress, to victims of natural or man-made disasters and to victims of armed conflict, without discrimination and irrespective of race, religion, creed or political affiliation.”
MSF doesn’t care about the winning the next election.
Sad as it is, the world’s crises can’t be contained by CNN 24 hours a day, with commercial breaks. God knows. And so does MSF.
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