Severe flooding is affecting an estimated 1.3 million people across South Sudan and Ethiopia, inundating homes and leaving many without adequate food, water or shelter. Heavy summer rains have seen many areas flooded since July, with river levels continuing to rise.

Médecins Sans Frontières field workers are familiar with responding to emergencies and navigating quickly changing circumstances. Many have now drawn on that experience as they respond to the COVID-19 outbreak within Australia, in roles ranging from direct patient care, to providing health workers with psychological support, to managing Australia’s overall medical response. 

Médecins Sans Frontières is an international medical humanitarian organisation. We provide free medical care to millions of people in more than 70 countries around the world. This humanitarian assistance is made possible by the work of our field workers including many from Australia and New Zealand. Each year, MSF Australia sends around 200 Australians and New Zealanders on overseas field assignments to provide medical-humanitarian aid.

Gwoza, a garrison town in northeast Nigeria’s Borno state, is home to 60,000 people, many of whom have been displaced from their homes by the conflict. Living conditions are difficult: there is little humanitarian aid, and frequent clashes take place between the military and armed groups. Many people in Gwoza have witnessed acts of violence or lost loved ones, livelihoods and homes as they fled in search of safety. Among those victim to this violence are children, many of whom arrived in Gwoza alone.

Australian Hazel Singh worked on an assignment with Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2019. She reflects on her role as a Human Resources Manager, helping staff in our projects to improve their skills, knowledge and experience.

Staying mentally well is important for everyone, including our staff. They often face pressure from working long hours in emergency or unpredictable settings, and observe high levels of suffering. Whether they are far from home and away from their usual support networks, or working within their own community, they need safe spaces and strategies to stay healthy and well.

For decades, Médecins Sans Frontières has provided comprehensive mental health support to people around the world. From psychological first aid in an emergency setting, to mental health services alongside care for pre-existing conditions, to standalone psychosocial and psychiatric care, here are some of the ways our teams are responding. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has created many challenges for mental health and epilepsy patients in Liberia, leading to greater social isolation and, in some cases, disrupting treatment.

Taking care of your mental health is just as important as keeping your physical health in check. It requires careful attention and action. This is becoming increasingly difficult today, with the additional pressure of adjusting to the uncertainties brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.