Stories From Patients & Staff

James Neeson grew up on a crop farm in rural Western Victoria and went on to study international business, where he majored in supply chain management at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. He worked in a few rural areas as a supply chain focal point delivering farming equipment in Western Australia, as well as in Tonga as a procurement officer supporting supply chain systems for the Ministry of Health.  

Jeanne Vidal has worked as a water and sanitation logistician and a logistics team leader on seven assignments with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). She has worked on projects in Ethiopia, South Sudan, Yemen, Iraq, Afghanistan, Nigeria and most recently Sierra Leone. She spoke to us about her work overseas and what the role of a water and sanitation logistician (or 'watsan’) involves. 

Queenstown’s nurse, Maia Blenkinsop witnessed extraordinary bravery while working in Ukraine.

From a shelter in northern Mexico, seven children share their hopes and dreams for the future in the short, animated documentary.

Little Birds is an eight-minute journey that examines the wounds of uprooting, the multiple risks faced by children along the migration route, and the dreams that propel them and lift their spirits despite the indefinite wait in the shelter.

"The path from El Geneina to Chad is riddled with dangers as armed groups often patrol and can stop you on your route. The consequences of the escalating conflict are devastating..." says Moussa Ibrahim, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)'s logistics supervisor in El Geneina.

Jessie Watson, a finance and HR manager from New Zealand, has worked on four assignments with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), in South Sudan, Bangladesh, Yemen, and Ukraine. When not on assignment she lives in Dipton, Southland, working remotely. She spoke to us about her time on assignment with MSF. 

What does it take to be selected for an international assignment with Médecins Sans Frontières? 

Since 9 May 2023, a Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) medical and surgical team has been working in collaboration with community volunteers in Bashair Teaching Hospital in South Khartoum.

Two MSF team members share their testimony.

As an intensive care nurse in Goyalmara Mother and Child Hospital in Cox’s Bazar, Noami Biswas is committed to providing patient-centred care for severely sick children and their families.