libya

"All stations, ready for rescue": My solemn oath to people seeking safety

It's a cold January evening and the Ocean Viking crew are preparing for a rescue in the Mediterranean – their fourth in a row with no rest. Writing in vivid detail, communications specialist Hannah takes us onboard for a dramatic night at sea.

01 Apr 2020 / 7 minute read

About 8,000 people live in the overcrowded Vathy refugee camp on the island of Samos, which was built to accommodate only 650 people

Blogs Team

Five eye-opening blogs from Doctors Without Borders - March 2020

COVID-19, Ebola, detention in Libya, the Greek refugee crisis - our teams are responding to humanitarian healthcare crises across the world. Hear from our staff working both on the ground and behind the scenes in this collection of eye-opening blogs.

25 Mar 2020 / 6 minute read

Michaël Neuman

Advisor

Libya: The forgotten ones

In February, MSF migration advisor Michaël Neuman spent 10 days with our teams working in detention centres in Libya. In this frank and insightful account, Michaël reveals the abuses and challenges migrants and refugees endure in their search for safety, and how the system is failing them.

18 Mar 2020 / 13 minute read

Karla Claus (top right) with the Maban logistics team in South Sudan

Blogs Team

Five inspiring blogs from Doctors Without Borders - February 2020

From a nurse on a search and rescue ship in the Central Mediterranean, to a team of logistics specialists ensuring the smooth running of operations in South Sudan, here are five inspiring eye-witness stories from our staff around the world.

26 Feb 2020 / 5 minute read

Catherine Flanigan

Nurse

Saving lives at sea: Part Two

It's September 2018 and nurse Catherine is on board the search and rescue ship Aquarius, jointly operated by MSF and SOS Méditerranée. In this diary extract, she describes a rescue that almost ended in disaster for dozens of people fleeing violence in Libya.

05 Feb 2020 / 13 minute read

Catherine Flanigan

Nurse

Saving lives at sea: Part One

It's September 2018 and nurse Catherine is on board the search and rescue ship Aquarius, jointly operated by MSF and SOS Méditerranée. In this diary extract, she describes a rescue that almost ended in disaster for dozens of people fleeing violence in Libya.

05 Feb 2020 / 13 minute read

Two-year-old Mohammed was brought to Sokoto hospital after wounds caused by noma made it too difficult for him to eat

Blogs Team

Four moving blogs from Doctors Without Borders - January 2020

From an intensive care ward in South Sudan, to a hospital helping children recover from a little-known but devastating disease, read these powerful stories from our work around the world

31 Jan 2020 / 5 minute read

After four days of life-saving rescue missions, Ocean Viking heads north to find a port of safety for all those on board.

Hannah Wallace Bowman

Communications

Abdul the barber and other stories from the Ocean Viking

Communications manager Hannah is on board the Ocean Viking documenting MSF and SOS MEDITERRANEE’s life-saving search and rescue operations in the Central Mediterranean Sea. Through her photos and stories, she humanises a humanitarian crisis that has made headlines around the world.

18 Nov 2019 / 9 minute read

Tim Harrison

Nurse

"This story has affected me to my core": Life on board the Ocean Viking

The refugee crisis in Southern Europe has made headlines around the world, but what's it like working on MSF’s search and rescue ship in the Central Mediterranean? Experienced MSF nurse Tim talks about life on board the Ocean Viking.

13 Nov 2019 / 5 minute read

Luca

Doctor

“He just kept running, despite the shrapnel wound bleeding”

On board the Ocean Viking search and rescue ship, Italian doctor Luca treats a young patient with a traumatic story of how we came to be on a sinking boat in the Central Mediterranean...

29 Aug 2019 / 5 minute read

Jai Defranciscis

Nurse

Libya: “I’ve done nothing wrong – why am I in a prison?”

Australian nurse Jai Defranciscis shares her experience of working in Misrata, Libya, where MSF is providing care for migrants, refugees and asylum seekers facing arbitrary detention and extreme suffering

10 Apr 2019 / 6 minute read

Sarah Giles

Doctor

Macaroni

It’s hard to believe that I’ve developed such a negative visceral reaction to the name of a food that I actually like to eat: the word “macaroni” now fills me with a sense of hopelessness and dread

25 Oct 2016 / 3 minute read

libya

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