MSF’s operations in Chechnya are slowly starting back up again after 3 years of being run remotely. Although the bombing stops, general insecurity is pervasive and restarting these programmes is not without risks. With an international team back on the ground in Chechnya, everyone agrees on the need to document the situation more thoroughly. A collection of patients’ accounts in the report “Chechnya: The politics of terror” is handed over at a press conference. The various MSF sections agree on a coordinated media strategy for getting news out of Chechnya and into the press, in particular the Russian media.

With hostilities in Chechnya flaring up again in what the Russian Federation terms as “anti-terrorist operations”, MSF leaders decide to use the ceremony of the reception of Nobel Peace Prize to call on the international community to intervene. But MSF teams are struggling to work in a Chechnya facing all-out war and dangerous security problems. Instead, MSF starts support refugees in the neighbouring republics where they collect first-hands accounts. Inside Chechnya, operations are run through staff members from the Caucasus who are trained, supported, and managed from afar by international teams in the region. MSF is in a difficult situation that raises many questions: Should MSF be speaking out based on refugees’ testimonies if there are no operational activities with international staff permanently on the ground sin Chechnya? When dealing with a regime in denial of the realities of a war, why is it important to use the word ‘war’? Is it up to MSF to call for this qualification?

The situation in the North Caucasus is getting more and more violent as the Russian federal authorities is trying to forcibly repatriate Chechen refugees and force humanitarian organisations out of Ingushetia. When colleagues at other organisations are kidnapped in Chechnya, MSF closes down all operations in the country again. With a diminishing international presence in the warzone, MSF is once again faced with dilemmas - should it continue to speak out about human rights abuses its staff haven't witnessed? How can they help those in need in the region? And how long will it be before one of their own staff is once again held hostage?

The first war of independence of Chechnya with the Russian Federation starts in 1994 and runs for two years. In 1999, while the country and its people are still struggling to recover, the Russian authorities start bombing Chechnya again. Through these tough years in the North Caucasus and when access is repeatedly blocked by the Russian forces, MSF staff continues to try to provide food and medical aid to people inside Chechnya and to Chechen refugees in the surrounding republics. From the start of the first war, MSF feeds the press with information on the rapidly deteriorating conditions and the Russian’s refusal to let them into many areas of the country.

In August 2002, the threat to MSF becomes a reality and another Coordinator, a Dutch national, is kidnapped in Dagestan. The organisation is once again faced with the dilemma whether it should speak out in the media about the kidnapping or not. MSF opts to keep quiet at first, but as the weeks turn into months and the MSF Coordinator is still not released, MSF starts questioning whether it should take active steps to secure the hostage’s release by publicly pointing out a government’s responsibilities, negligence, or even complicity when a kidnapping occurs on its soil, or should it not enter into these conversations to avoid the potential for a government to dig in its heels? Tensions are running high, especially between MSF, the Dutch authorities and the family of the hostage, and some feel the structures within the organisation are not helping the situation.

MSF’s operations have been closed down in Chechnya in response to the MSF Coordinator’s kidnapping. After his release, three weeks later, MSF tries to restart its operations in Chechnya but there are delays due to security issues, and for now, the only programmes in the country are run through remote control management from Dagestan, on Chechnya eastern border. Most of MSF’s Caucasus staff are behind the return and support MSF speaking out in the media. Meanwhile and in a statement after the September 11th attacks in New York and Washington, Vladimir Putin links Russian military operations in Chechnya with the anti-terrorist combat launched by the American government. These events completely change the landscape for western tolerance towards Russia. IMAGE: © Olivier Jobard/MYOP

Throughout the year 2000, MSF seizes every opportunity to raise the alarm on the Chechen’s fate with governments and institutions around the world, but to little concrete effect other than general condemnation. With still no international staff in the country, MSF sections resort to so-called ‘remote control’ management, using locally hired employees to deliver aid on the ground. Concerns over the organisation’s legitimacy in speaking out remain and soon one of the sections starts making unauthorised and dangerous trips over the border into Chechnya from Dagestan where they ran distributions of basic care items. Under attack in the Russian media, MSF wonders whether it should ignore or address the accusations of espionage regularly thrown at the organization?

Kidnappings are becoming more commonplace in Chechnya and closer to home for MSF as various staff members are held for questioning. Then, a key member of the team in the North Caucasus is taken hostage and questions are asked as to whether there's a causal link between MSF’s decision to speak out in the media and the kidnapping? Other difficult questions are raised: should the organisation speak out in the media to create visibility and hopefully bring their colleague some much-needed protection? Or should MSF be as discreet as possible to avoid a rise in the hostage’s so-called ‘market value’? And is it a good idea to take active steps to secure the hostage’s release, such as publicly pointing out a government’s responsibilities, negligence, or even complicity?

While the Russian Federation President, Boris Yeltsin talks publicly about a peace plan, his forces carry out a ruthless bombing campaign on rebel-held villages in southern Chechnya. MSF sections are united in wanting to speak out about what their staff witnessed before being forced out of the region, but there’s vigorous debate on how best to draw attention to the atrocities. What is the best way to bring the world’s attention to the plight of the Chechen population? MSF national staff are still working on the ground in southern Chechnya, so will speaking out put their lives in even more danger?

Warning: This episode contains testimony related to child deaths that some listeners may find distressing. A new report by MSF lays bare the cruelty of the long-term detainment of more than 50,000 people, the majority of whom are children, in Al-Hol, northeast Syria. The camp was once designed to provide safe, temporary accommodation and humanitarian services to civilians displaced by the conflict in Syria and Iraq. But the nature and purpose of the camp has long deviated and grown increasingly into an unsafe and unsanitary open-air prison after people were moved there from Islamic State group controlled territories in December 2018. Visit https://msf.org.uk/alhol to learn more.

The ADFL takes control of all of the Kivu province and refugees continue to flee their rapid advance eastwards through the forest. MSF struggles to maintain access to the refugees amidst the violence, restrictions, and threats to team safety, while receiving continued reports about refugee massacres.

Finally allowed into South Kivu, a province in eastern Zaire, the MSF teams discover that refugees are being massacred by the ADFL and its allies, particularly in the Massisi and the Shabunda regions. MSF realises that MSF teams are used as bait by the ADFL to lure the refugees out of the forests and kill them.

In 1996, MSF attempts to alert the international community about the resurgence of conflict in eastern Zaire, as witnessed by teams on the ground. The perpetrators of the Rwandan Tutsi genocide, living in refugee camps, threaten and attack the Zairean civilian population. The same perpetrators are holding Rwandan refugees that fled the 1994 genocide, hostage within the camps. The new Rwandan regime and its Zairian ally, the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo-Zaire (ADFL), launches counter attacks on the refugee camps.

From mid-1997, MSF teams try to work together again. The organisation publishes retrospective studies that trace the odyssey of the Rwandan refugees through the Zairean jungle and contributes testimony to international investigations on human rights violations in the region.

In May 1997, MSF published a new study describing the movements of refugees in the Great Lakes region of Africa and the fate of refugees. MSF planned to distribute the report to a small group of journalists, asking them not to cite MSF as the source of the information. However, a lack of communication between MSF offices and with the teams in the field, exacerbates tensions.

In November 1996, the offensive led by the ADFL and Rwandan forces empties the camps in eastern Zaire of their population. Some refugees were repatriated to Rwanda and others fled into the neighboring forest. MSF denounces the repatriation conditions and is reproached by the press for "catastrophic" forecasts made a few weeks earlier.

As the instability of the region increases, MSF and other humanitarian organisations are eventually forced out of eastern Zaire entirely. MSF suspects that thousands of refugees are suffering and at risk of dying. The organisation decides to launch an appeal for an armed international intervention and communicates about the plight of the population, predicting a health catastrophe, if access for aid agencies is not provided.

MSF's exploratory mission teams complete their reports on their Masisi and Shabunda visits. Details of mass graves, massacres, and the fact that the ADFL used humanitarian teams as bait to lure refugees out of the forests, sent shock waves through MSF offices. A debate about the use of the information collected ensued: should it be made public or not?

In this episode of Everyday Emergency, we'll listen in on a discussion about COP26, why MSF was a part of it, and what the MSF delegates attending the summit learned from their participation. The discussion is hosted by Dr Christos Christou, MSF's international president, and took place as a Twitter Spaces conversation on Friday 19 November 2021. Christos chats with Dr Maria Guevara, MSF's international medical secretary, and Stephen Cornish, General Director of MSF Switzerland, both of whom attended COP26 as MSF observational delegates this year. Episode photo © Frederic Noy/COSMOS

On 9 July 2021, the Republic of South Sudan marked its 10th birthday. This significant milestone is also marred by the bloody legacy of its first decade, including a five-year civil war. At independence, South Sudan was grappling with at least 30 humanitarian emergencies. Parts of the country were engulfed in increasingly fierce intercommunal clashes, and there was renewed conflict in border areas with Sudan. Despite the challenges, the first years in the post-independence period were a time of anticipation and optimism and, for most of the country, it was a period of relative peace. However, by December 2013 – less than two years after independence – the country had rapidly imploded into civil war, quickly exposing the fragility of the emerging young state. In this episode of Everyday Emergency, we’ll be hearing the personal stories of four of our South Sudanese staff – all of whom now work in a displacement camp near the town of Bentiu. We hear about the impact of the conflict on their lives over the last 10 years, and what brought them to the country's largest camp.

It’s 100 years since the discovery of insulin, the life-saving drug for people living with diabetes. But today, more than half of those who need this marvellous medicine still can’t access it – either because it’s too expensive or unavailable. This means millions of people are risking serious complications and even death. In this episode of Everyday Emergency, Amber Dowell reports on the challenges facing those diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes living through crises such as conflict, displacement or disaster. We hear from Farah Haris, who was working to treat diabetic patients in the fallout of last year’s devastating Beirut explosion. We also speak to chronic disease expert Amulya Reddy on how MSF is finding innovative new ways to help patients and challenge the three “Big Pharma” corporations controlling the insulin market.

Episode 5: Mechanisms and expectations Duration: 48 mins Justice is slow to come and still many of the nations involved are not taking responsibility for their country’s actions in the enclave. After a year of targeting the Dutch, the focus moves to France. With accusations of covert meetings and secret deals to free French hostages, MSF France puts pressure on the French parliamentarians to investigate the nation’s role in the fall of Srebrenica. But is it really the role of a humanitarian medical organisation to issue an appeal for an investigative parliamentary commission? And if so, how much should the organisation direct proceedings? Also and as time passes, it gives those in MSF space to reconsider the organisation’s own actions during the fall. Image: © MSF

Episode 4: Peace agreement vs justice Duration: 37 mins Following the fall of Srebrenica in July 1995, 40,000 people are scattered around eastern Bosnia. Thousands are in a refugee camp around Tuzla airport, but thousands are also still missing, or dead including the 8,000 men and boys over the age of 16 massacred by Bosnian Serb forces. As July 1995 goes down in history as one of the deadliest months of the Bosnian War, the focus shifts to the international community. Pressure is mounting on the international actors involved in the Bosnian war…in particular on the Dutch whose Blue Helmet peacekeepers also known as Dutchbats were stationed inside Srebrenica during the fall. But where does the responsibility lie for the inaction? And what can MSF do to make sure that peace does not take precedence over justice? And while the investigations and tribunals on Srebrenica begin, how can the international community make sure that the events of July 1995, are not repeated in one of the other Muslim enclaves in the region? Image: © Hans Ullens/MSF

Episode 3: The fall of Srebrenica Duration: 40 mins July 1995 - the fall of Srebrenica is one of the toughest chapters of the Bosnian war. It only took 10 days for the Muslim enclave of Srebrenica to fall. The two MSF staff stationed there at the time witnessed the Bosnian Serb force’s attack. Around 8,000 men and boys over the age of 16 were massacred by Bosnian Serb forces in the enclave. But how does this happen with hundreds of UN peacekeeper in a so-called ‘safe zone’? Having trusted the UN Protection Force’s commitment to protect the enclave and its population, must MSF accept partial culpability for or complicity in the UN’s abandonment of the enclave and the ensuing massacre of the population? Didn’t MSF give the population the false impression that it would be safe as long as the team was present? And what mechanisms did MSF put in place so that they could speak out over the UN’s inability to protect the people of Srebrenica? Image: © Olivier Jobard/MYOP

Episode 2: Prison doctors Duration: 37 mins MSF has been working in the enclave for over 2 years now and has repeatedly informed the media about the difficulties it’s been having trying to get supplies, medicine, and even volunteers inside facing the haggling by the Bosnian Serbs. MSF is still the only source of medical care in the enclave, but its job is being made harder and harder as the violence worsens and the living conditions deteriorate. The organisation starts to question its role there and wonder if it’s contributing to the Bosnian Serbs’ strategy, acting like prison doctors? And as the Bosnian-Serb authorities tighten their grip on Srebrenica, MSF is faced with another dilemma - would calling for the evacuation of civilians be the equivalent of abetting the Bosnian Serb’s ethnic cleansing policy of driving out all Muslim inhabitants and claiming the land? Even if those same civilians want to leave. Image: © Rip Hopkins

Episode 1: Entering the enclave Duration: 27 mins The Muslim population trapped inside Srebrenica is living under constant shelling since the start of the war in Bosnia in 1992. Even after the UN declared the city a ‘safe area’ in March 1993, not much had changed. The joint French/Belgian MSF unit entered Srebrenica with UNPROFOR leader General Morillon in March 1993. They were the first NGO allowed inside the enclave. There, they witnessed the French General vowing to protect the enclave’s population. The MSF team focused on providing medical care, securing the water supply and sanitation, and preparing the enclave for the upcoming winter. However, they’re starting to question how much protection the UN peacekeepers in the enclave can actually provide. Image: © René Caravielhe

Our producer Jess Brown looks into the potentially catastrophic secondary impacts of COVID-19 on the lives and health of women and girls. Sexual and reproductive health services are difficult to access in normal times and the secondary impacts of COVID-19 have made them even more elusive This episode includes voices from our projects in Honduras and South Africa, discussing the impacts of losing access to essential sexual and reproductive health services, particularly safe abortion care and contraception care. *Correction: Since publication it's been established that some ambulance services are running in proximity to our Honduras project.

In this episode of “Inside Yemen”, Agnes and Natalie take you to Mocha on the banks of the Red Sea – a strategic crossroads just two hours from the front line where landmines are wreaking havoc among the civilian population. A tent hospital, the sound of artillery fire and an all-pervading wind: welcome to Yemen.

Is Yemen’s a hopeless war? And what should be done when we can “only” care for people we know nothing about? In this last episode of “Inside Yemen”, Natalie takes you back to the north of the country, into the caves that serve as shelters for families when the bombs rain down.

Bernard knows Yemen well, especially his operating theatre. Let’s go to the emergency department of an MSF hospital trapped between the frontlines south of Hodeidah and surrounded by mine fields.

It is Ghassan’s turn to take you deep into Yemen to discover the cholera epidemic that broke out across the country in 2016 and 2017, amidst controversy and media manipulation.

In episode 1 of “Inside Yemen”, you are plunged straight into the heart of Sanaa, Yemen’s capital. Natalie tells you about her journey to Saada in the mountains in the north of the country. This is Houthi territory - the target of thousands of airstrikes over the last five years. Not far away, Thierry and his expedition are heading for the besieged town of Taiz, through the mountains and at night… to avoid the snipers.

A grenade ready to explode, armed militia in a pick-up, Kalashnikovs everywhere. Ghassan and Thierry tell you about the everyday violence in Aden, the southern port where all semblance of normality has been lost.

In this episode of Everyday Emergency, Nick Owen hears from MSF staff who have been working with some of the populations most vulnerable to changing weather patterns and environmental degredation. Our guests detail the steps MSF is taking to better prepare for future climate crises. We'll also be looking at the ways in which these increasingly significant climate shifts can have a knock-on effect in terms of conflict and displacement. --- Subscribe through iTunes or your favourite podcast provider, and find out more at msf.org.uk/podcasts Please leave comments on our Facebook page, or on Twitter.

In this episode of Everyday Emergency, host Nick Owen takes you through some of the most pivotal MSF moments from the past decade, with firsthand accounts from our staff on the ground. You'll hear about our response to the sheer devastation of the Haiti earthquake, the Ebola outbreak gripping West Africa and how in recent months we've restarted our search and rescue operations in the central Mediterranean as the European migration crisis continues. To learn more about the topics discussed in this episode, please visit: msf.org Production Credit: @alicewhitehouse / MSF UK Photo Credit: @Hannah__Bowman / MSF

In this episode of Everyday Emergency we hear about the lived experience of Venezuelan women bearing the brunt of their country's healthcare crisis and the difficulties they continue to face in Colombia. An estimated four million Venezuelans have left their country since the collapse of its political and economic systems, and at least 1.4 million have come to neighbouring Colombia. They are coming from a country where, over the last few years, most people had no access to medicines and essential health services were entirely out of reach. Now in Colombia, they often face the same problem. Legally entitled to receive emergency medical care from the Colombian health system, those services are limited to vaccinations, immediate lifesaving treatment, and deliveries — and many migrants report being turned away from receiving these. MSF producer Mandy White reports from our clinics in the La Guajira region of Colombia. --- Subscribe through iTunes or your favourite podcast provider, and find out more at msf.org.uk/podcasts Please leave comments on our Facebook page, or on Twitter.

Yemen is in the grip of war. It is also one of the poorest countries in the world. British anaesthetist Dr Elma Wong has recently returned from her fourth assignment working in the country with MSF. In this episode of Everyday Emergency, we talk to Elma about her time in Mocha, a town on the west coast of Yemen. It sits around halfway between the port cities of Hodeidah to the north and Aden to the south, and our emergency medical centre is the only one of its kind in the area. To support our teams working in Yemen, visit: https://msf.me/yemenpodcast To find out more about the crisis, visit: https://stories.msf.org.uk/yemen-explained/

In this episode of Everyday Emergency, we take a look at one of the biggest refugee crises of modern times. The Rohingya are a group of people who have lived for centuries in Myanmar. Due to their ethnicity, they are denied citizenship and are one of the most persecuted minorities in the world. Violence and oppression has forced hundreds of thousands of Rohingya to flee to countries neighbouring Myanmar, either by land or sea, over the course of many decades. But in August 2017, a brutal campaign of violence by the Myanmar government killed more than 6,500 Rohingya, including at least 430 children under five years old. More than 700,000 Rohingya have fled to neighbouring Bangladesh joining more than 200,000 who have been living in the squalid camps, some for many years. In this episode, we hear from three MSF staff who have been working in the Rohingya megacamp in the Cox’s Bazar area of southeast Bangladesh over the past year. Nurse Chrissie McVeigh describes her experience running a campaign to vaccinate more than 350,000 Rohingya children against diphtheria. Water and sanitation specialist Ryan Bellingham describes his work as part of MSF’s emergency team setting up clean water sources in the complex camp. And nurse Sunny La Valle describes her first assignment with MSF running health posts to provide much needed care for the Rohingya. If you would like to help our work providing vital medical care for the Rohingya, please consider giving to our Rohingya appeal: https://msf.me/2rnffXT

In this episode of Everyday Emergency, we hear from three MSF medics who have been working in the Syrian city of Raqqa. A former stronghold of the so-called Islamic State, Raqqa is littered with improvised explosive devices and remnants of war that are causing dire consequences for people returning to the city. Doctors Javid Abdelmoneim and Pippa Pett, along with nurse Michael Shek, helped to establish a trauma stabilisation unit in the east of Raqqa. The role of the unit is to save lives in the crucial minutes after trauma. In this episode, Javid, Pippa and Michael describe their first impressions of the city, what it was like to run a trauma unit from a suburban house, and how children with a little known disease are finally getting the help they need. Find out more about the topics discussed here: https://msf.me/2Henlwn --- Subscribe through iTunes or your favourite podcast provider, and find out more at msf.org.uk/podcasts Please leave comments on our Facebook page, or on Twitter. facebook.com/msf.english twitter.com/msf_uk

Nina Rajani, a doctor from London, has just returned from Iraq. On this week's episode, Nina explains what it took to treat people caught between the vicious spiral of violent conflict and poor health. "Everyday Emergency" is a podcast from MSF. In each episode, we bring you true stories from the frontline of humanitarian emergencies across the world. From the conflict in Syria to the refugee crisis in Europe, we’ll be talking to people with some incredible stories that may just change your outlook on life, or at least, for a moment, put things into perspective. In each podcast you’ll hear a true story written by an MSFer on the ground, read by an actor. We’ll then get them into the studio at MSF HQ for a chat about their time with MSF. Subscribe through iTunes or your favourite podcast provider, and find out more at msf.org.uk/podcasts Please leave comments on our Facebook page, or on Twitter. facebook.com/msf.english twitter.com/msf_uk

In the latest episode of our Everyday Emergency podcast, we speak to Emily Gilbert. An MSF project coordinator from London, Emily has spent her entire career working in conflict zones. Whether she’s in the Middle East or Central Africa, Emily’s main roles are to make sure her team is safe and that the project she’s managing runs as smoothly as possible. With a typical MSF project having 4-12 international and up to 200 local staff, it's by no means an easy job. In this episode, Emily also discusses a common problem many humanitarian workers deal with: balancing working in far-flung places and maintaining relationships back home. "Everyday Emergency" is a podcast from MSF. In each episode, we bring you true stories from the frontline of humanitarian emergencies across the world. From the conflict in Syria to the refugee crisis in Europe, we’ll be talking to people with some incredible stories that may just change your outlook on life, or at least, for a moment, put things into perspective. In each podcast you’ll hear a true story written by an MSFer on the ground, read by an actor. We’ll then get them into the studio at MSF HQ for a chat about their time with MSF. Subscribe through iTunes or your favourite podcast provider, and find out more at msf.org.uk/podcasts Please leave comments on our Facebook page, or on Twitter. facebook.com/msf.english twitter.com/msf_uk

"You’ve got to be in a really, really awful situation to think ‘yes, I’m going to put my nine-month old child onto this rubber boat, because that’s the best option to me at the moment’." Last month, our host spent time on Aquarius, a search and rescue ship MSF operates alongside SOS Méditerranée. During his time on the ship as a communications officer, Nick captured the sounds of life on board - including the rescue of 560 people from four inflatable rubber boats. That rescue would also be the last of Dr Conor Kenny's three month assignment on Aquarius. Listen to the last episode for Conor's account of that assignment. "Everyday Emergency" is a podcast from MSF. In each episode, we bring you true stories from the frontline of humanitarian emergencies across the world. From the conflict in Syria to the refugee crisis in Europe, we’ll be talking to people with some incredible stories that may just change your outlook on life, or at least, for a moment, put things into perspective. In each podcast you’ll hear a true story written by an MSFer on the ground, read by an actor. We’ll then get them into the studio at MSF HQ for a chat about their time with MSF. Subscribe through iTunes or your favourite podcast provider, and find out more at msf.org.uk/podcasts Please leave comments on our Facebook page, or on Twitter. facebook.com/msf.english twitter.com/msf_uk

Our regular host, Nick Owen, is somewhere in the middle of the Mediterranean sea this week. He's on board the Aquarius doing search and rescue with Dr Connor Kenny. The pair are going to be capturing a live rescue for the next episode. In the meantime, we're going to take a look back at an episode featuring Connor from Series 1. He's being interviewed about his time in Greece caring for refugees and talking about the eviction he witnessed of thousands of refugees from a camp in the village of Idomeni. "Everyday Emergency" is a podcast from MSF. In each episode, we bring you true stories from the frontline of humanitarian emergencies across the world. From the conflict in Syria to the refugee crisis in Europe, we’ll be talking to people with some incredible stories that may just change your outlook on life, or at least, for a moment, put things into perspective. In each podcast you’ll hear a true story written by an MSFer on the ground, read by an actor. We’ll then get them into the studio at MSF HQ for a chat about their time with MSF. Subscribe through iTunes or your favourite podcast provider, and find out more at msf.org.uk/podcasts Please leave comments on our Facebook page, or on Twitter. facebook.com/msf.english twitter.com/msf_uk

On this week's episode of our Everyday Emergency podcast, we meet Besh, a Kurdish asylum seeker living in London, UK. Besh and his family lived peacefully in a village just outside Mosul, raising livestock on their farm. In June 2014, everything changed. ISIS captured Mosul. The Iraqi army withdrew. And the militant group were headed straight for their village. Fleeing for their lives, Besh, his mother, and young brothers were forced to head for Turkey. After crossing the sea to Greece, the police separated the boys from their mother. What followed is an extraordinary journey across 70 camps in Europe, by a young man determined to reunite his family. "Everyday Emergency" is a podcast from MSF. In each episode, we bring you true stories from the frontline of humanitarian emergencies across the world. From the conflict in Syria to the refugee crisis in Europe, we’ll be talking to people with some incredible stories that may just change your outlook on life, or at least, for a moment, put things into perspective. In each podcast you’ll hear a true story written by an MSFer on the ground, read by an actor. We’ll then get them into the studio at MSF HQ for a chat about their time with MSF. Subscribe through iTunes or your favourite podcast provider, and find out more at msf.org.uk/podcasts Please leave comments on our Facebook page, or on Twitter. facebook.com/msf.english twitter.com/msf_uk

"I wasn't prepared. It left a scar. It was the first time I was exposed to so much avoidable death." On this week's episode of our Everyday Emergency podcast, we meet Javid Abdelmoneim, an emergency doctor living in London, UK. Five months into his second assignment with MSF responding to the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the job was taking it’s toll on Javid. But just before things would get worse, a patient handed him a letter that changed his outlook and gave him the strength to carry on. "Everyday Emergency" is a podcast from MSF. In each episode, we bring you true stories from the frontline of humanitarian emergencies across the world. From the conflict in Syria to the refugee crisis in Europe, we’ll be talking to people with some incredible stories that may just change your outlook on life, or at least, for a moment, put things into perspective. In each podcast you’ll hear a true story written by an MSFer on the ground, read by an actor. We’ll then get them into the studio at MSF HQ for a chat about their time with MSF. Subscribe through iTunes or your favourite podcast provider, and find out more at msf.org.uk/podcasts Please leave comments on our Facebook page, or on Twitter. facebook.com/msf.english twitter.com/msf_uk

* Please be advised that this episode deals with sensitive issues relating to sexual violence and may be unsuitable for some listeners. In our latest episode of Everday Emergency, we meet Courtney Bercan - an MSF nurse who worked on one of our search and rescue ships in the Mediterranean. In this episode we hear a story written by Courtney while on board, about a patient whose story still haunts her. We invited Courtney to sit down with us and discuss her time on the ship, and how the stories of the people she's met affected her. "Everyday Emergency" is a podcast from MSF. In each episode, we bring you true stories from the frontline of humanitarian emergencies across the world. From the conflict in Syria to the refugee crisis in Europe, we’ll be talking to people with some incredible stories that may just change your outlook on life, or at least, for a moment, put things into perspective. In each podcast you’ll hear a true story written by an MSFer on the ground, read by an actor. We’ll then get them into the studio at MSF HQ for a chat about their time with MSF. Subscribe through iTunes or your favourite podcast provider, and find out more at msf.org.uk/podcasts Please leave comments on our Facebook page, or on Twitter. facebook.com/msf.english twitter.com/msf_uk

Elizabeth Wangeci's story is a remarkable one. Against the odds, Elizabeth, from Nairobi, was the first person to survive one of the deadliest forms of drug-resistant tuberculosis in Kenya. In the first episode of the second series of Everyday Emergency, on World TB Day 2017 we speak to Elizabeth nearly one year after being cured. We also hear from Mark Sherlock, an MSF TB doctor who works not far from Elizabeth in Nairobi. "Everyday Emergency" is a podcast from MSF. In each episode, we bring you true stories from the frontline of humanitarian emergencies across the world. From the conflict in Syria to the refugee crisis in Europe, we’ll be talking to people with some incredible stories that may just change your outlook on life, or at least, for a moment, put things into perspective. In each podcast you’ll hear a true story written by an MSFer on the ground, read by an actor. We’ll then get them into the studio at MSF HQ for a chat about their time with MSF. Subscribe through iTunes or your favourite podcast provider, and find out more at msf.org.uk/podcasts Please leave comments on our Facebook page, or on Twitter. facebook.com/msf.english twitter.com/msf_uk

The 3rd of October will be remembered as one of the darkest days in MSF's history. On this day in 2015, US airstrikes killed 42 people and destroyed the MSF trauma hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan. In this special episode of Everyday Emergency, we look back on the attack one year on with Dr Kass Thomas – an intensive care specialist from Australia – who was in the hospital on the night of the attack. Visit msf.org.uk/kunduzpodcast to hear more from Kass. If you feel compelled to act after listening to this post, visit our #NotATarget page: msf.org.uk/notatarget To find out more about the Kunduz attack, visit: msf.org.uk/kunduz "Everyday Emergency" is a podcast from MSF. In each episode, we bring you true stories from the frontline of humanitarian emergencies across the world. From the conflict in Syria to the refugee crisis in Europe, we’ll be talking to people with some incredible stories that may just change your outlook on life, or at least, for a moment, put things into perspective. In each podcast you’ll hear a true story written by an MSFer on the ground, read by an actor. We’ll then get them into the studio at MSF HQ for a chat about their time with MSF. Subscribe through iTunes or your favourite podcast provider, and find out more at msf.org.uk/podcasts Please leave comments on our Facebook page, or on Twitter. facebook.com/msf.english twitter.com/msf_uk

In our tenth and final edition of this series, we follow on from where our Mediterranean search and rescue episode left off. We speak to Conor Kenny, a doctor who has been caring for refugees in Greece. Conor also talks about the eviction he witnessed of thousands of refugees from a camp in the village of Idomeni. We'll be back with a fresh new series in early 2017 (and a few special editions in between) so make sure to stay subscribed. "Everyday Emergency" is a podcast from MSF. In each episode, we bring you true stories from the frontline of humanitarian emergencies across the world. From the conflict in Syria to the refugee crisis in Europe, we’ll be talking to people with some incredible stories that may just change your outlook on life, or at least, for a moment, put things into perspective. In each podcast you’ll hear a true story written by an MSFer on the ground, read by an actor. We’ll then get them into the studio at MSF HQ for a chat about their time with MSF. Subscribe through iTunes or your favourite podcast provider, and find out more at msf.org.uk/podcasts Please leave comments on our Facebook page, or on Twitter. facebook.com/msf.english twitter.com/msf_uk MUSIC CREDITS: Cylinder Two by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/cylinders/ Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/ Minor With Cricket by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Artist: http://audionautix.com/ The Sun is Scheduled to Come Out Tomorrow by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/honor/ Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/ If not listed above, all other tracks used in this podcast are attribution free. If you would like information about specific tracks, or would like your own music music to be featured in our podcast, please message us through Soundcloud.

Working in five countries in the last two years, from fighting cholera in South Sudan to helping migrants and refugees in Greece, it's fair to say Pierre Trbovic has seen his fair share of Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders' (MSF) work. According to Pierre, the hardest job he had to do as an MSF anthropologist and health promoter was stand on the gates of our ELWA 3 Ebola management centre in Monrovia, Liberia. Pierre voluntarily took on the job of telling people suffering with the virus that, at the peak of the crisis in August/September 2014, our centre was full; many people had to be turned away. In the ninth episode of Everyday Emergency, we listen to an article written by Pierre for the Guardian and hear from him first-hand about what compelled him to do the job. For more on MSF's response to the Ebola crisis and information on the centre Pierre worked in, visit: http://msf.me/2ayWnfI "Everyday Emergency" is a podcast from MSF. In each episode, we bring you true stories from the frontline of humanitarian emergencies across the world. From the conflict in Syria to the refugee crisis in Europe, we’ll be talking to people with some incredible stories that may just change your outlook on life, or at least, for a moment, put things into perspective. In each podcast you’ll hear a true story written by an MSFer on the ground, read by an actor. We’ll then get them into the studio at MSF HQ for a chat about their time with MSF. Subscribe through iTunes or your favourite podcast provider, and find out more at msf.org.uk/podcasts Please leave comments on our Facebook page, or on Twitter. facebook.com/msf.english twitter.com/msf_uk

Earlier this year, paediatric nurse Johanna Bosowski embarked on her first mission with Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) to Agok, in northern South Sudan. Working on the neonatal ward, she encountered a young patient with a disease she had never seen in the UK before. In most developed countries, thanks to a vaccine, cases of tetanus are extremely rare. But, in 2013 (the latest year for which estimates are available), it still killed roughly 59,000 people around the world - many of whom wouldn’t have had access to the vaccine. Listen to the eighth episode of Everyday Emergency to find out how Johanna's young patient fought the infection, and more about Johanna's time in Agok. Read more about Johanna's mission to South Sudan on her blog: blogs.msf.org/en/staff/authors/johanna-bosowski "Everyday Emergency" is a podcast from MSF. In each episode, we bring you true stories from the frontline of humanitarian emergencies across the world. From the conflict in Syria to the refugee crisis in Europe, we’ll be talking to people with some incredible stories that may just change your outlook on life, or at least, for a moment, put things into perspective. In each podcast you’ll hear a true story written by an MSFer on the ground, read by an actor. We’ll then get them into the studio at MSF HQ for a chat about their time with MSF. Subscribe through iTunes or your favourite podcast provider, and find out more at msf.org.uk/podcasts Please leave comments on our Facebook page, or on Twitter. facebook.com/msf.english twitter.com/msf_uk MUSIC CREDITS: Heliograph by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/divider/ Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/ Ambiment - The Ambient by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100630 Artist: http://incompetech.com/ There Are Many Different Kinds of Love by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/vendaface/ Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/ You’re free to use this song in any of your videos, but you must include the following in your video description: Running Waters by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Artist: http://audionautix.com/ Oxygen Garden by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/divider/ Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/ Words by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license Artist: http://audionautix.com/ Crossing the Divide - Aspiring by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1400034 Artist: http://incompetech.com/ Redwood Trail by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license Artist: http://audionautix.com/ Acoustic Guitar 1 by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license Artist: http://audionautix.com/

Despite ranking alongside HIV as the leading cause of death by infectious disease worldwide, the global response to TB has been found wanting. Because the drugs used in standard treatment have not changed in over 40 years, they are becoming less and less effective due to increasingly high levels of resistance from the bacteria. In the seventh episode of Everyday Emergency, Australian doctor Amrita Ronnachit discusses her time battling the disease in Uzbekistan, and the case of one patient who struggled with his treatment. Read more about Amrita's mission to Uzbekistan on her blog: http://blogs.msf.org/en/staff/authors/amrita-ronnachit "Everyday Emergency" is a podcast from Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) In each episode, we bring you true stories from the frontline of humanitarian emergencies across the world. From the conflict in Syria to the refugee crisis in Europe, we’ll be talking to people with some incredible stories that may just change your outlook on life, or at least, for a moment, put things into perspective. In each podcast you’ll hear a true story written by an MSFer on the ground, read by an actor. We’ll then get them into the studio at MSF HQ for a chat about their time with MSF. Subscribe through iTunes or your favourite podcast provider, and find out more at msf.org.uk/podcasts Please leave comments on our Facebook page, or on Twitter. facebook.com/msf.english twitter.com/msf_uk MUSIC CREDITS: I Need to Start Writing Things Down by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/darkglow/ Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/ Navajo Night by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Artist: http://audionautix.com/ I Am a Man Who Will Fight for Your Honor by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/honor/ Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/ Deep Space by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Artist: http://audionautix.com/ If not listed above, all other tracks used in this podcast are attribution free. If you would like information about specific tracks, or would like your own music music to be featured in our podcast, please message us through Soundcloud.

In our sixth episode we meet US gynaecologist Veronica Ades who has returned from her third MSF mission. In Precious Baby, Veronica describes the precarious situation for expecting mothers in the city of Aweil, South Sudan. You can read more from Veronica about her time in South Sudan, as well as her other mission in Jordan, on the MSF blog: blogs.msf.org/en/staff/blogs/love-labor-loss "Everyday Emergency" is a podcast from Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) In each episode, we bring you true stories from the frontline of humanitarian emergencies across the world. From the conflict in Syria to the refugee crisis in Europe, we’ll be talking to people with some incredible stories that may just change your outlook on life, or at least, for a moment, put things into perspective. In each podcast you’ll hear a true story written by an MSFer on the ground, read by an actor. We’ll then get them into the studio at MSF HQ for a chat about their time with MSF. Subscribe through iTunes or your favourite podcast provider, and find out more at msf.org.uk/podcasts Please leave comments on our Facebook page, or on Twitter. facebook.com/msf.english twitter.com/msf_uk Clean Soul - Calming by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1300033 Artist: http://incompetech.com/ MUSIC CREDITS: The Temperature of the Air on the Bow of the Kaleetan by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/uvp/ Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/ If not listed above, all other tracks used in this podcast are attribution free. If you would like information about specific tracks, or would like your own music music to be featured in our podcast, please message us through Soundcloud.

In our fifth episode we meet Canadian doctor Simon Bryant who last year spent his summer on MSF and MOAS's search and rescue ship, the Phoenix. In 'One day, 52 senseless deaths', Simon describes his most challenging day on the Mediterranean. You can read more from Simon about his time on the search and rescue vessel on the MSF blog: blogs.msf.org/en/staff/blogs/moving-stories "Everyday Emergency" is a podcast from Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) In each episode, we bring you true stories from the frontline of humanitarian emergencies across the world. From the conflict in Syria to the refugee crisis in Europe, we’ll be talking to people with some incredible stories that may just change your outlook on life, or at least, for a moment, put things into perspective. In each podcast you’ll hear a true story written by an MSFer on the ground, read by an actor. We’ll then get them into the studio at MSF HQ for a chat about their time with MSF. Subscribe through iTunes or your favourite podcast provider, and find out more at msf.org.uk/podcasts Please leave comments on our Facebook page, or on Twitter. facebook.com/msf.english twitter.com/msf_uk MUSIC CREDITS: Heliograph by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/divider/ Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/ There Are Many Different Kinds of Love by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/vendaface/ Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/ If not listed above, all other tracks used in this podcast are attribution free. If you would like information about specific tracks, or would like your own music music to be featured in our podcast, please message us through Soundcloud.

In our fourth episode we meet British doctor Emily Wise who, in 2013, travelled to Uzbekistan - a country with particularly high drug-resistant tuberculosis rates. In 'The Darkest Hour', Emily describes in heartbreaking detail the final minutes of a TB patient's life. You can read more from Emily about her time in Uzbekistan on her blog: blogs.msf.org/en/staff/blogs/one-steppe-beyond "Everyday Emergency" is a podcast from Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) In each episode, we bring you true stories from the frontline of humanitarian emergencies across the world. From the conflict in Syria to the refugee crisis in Europe, we’ll be talking to people with some incredible stories that may just change your outlook on life, or at least, for a moment, put things into perspective. In each podcast you’ll hear a true story written by an MSFer on the ground, read by an actor. We’ll then get them into the studio at MSF HQ for a chat about their time with MSF. Subscribe through iTunes or your favourite podcast provider, and find out more at msf.org.uk/podcasts Please leave comments on our Facebook page, or on Twitter. facebook.com/msf.english twitter.com/msf_uk Make sure to read Emily's gripping blog of her time in Uzbekistan, 'One Steppe Beyond'. MUSIC CREDITS: Undercover Vampire Policeman by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/uvp/ Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/ What Does Anybody Know About Anything by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/dtv/ Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/ If not listed above, all other tracks used in this podcast are attribution free. If you would like information about specific tracks, or would like your own music music to be featured in our podcast, please message us through Soundcloud.

In this episode we meet Sandra Smiley, a Canadian communications officer who spent 2015 with MSF in Kinshasa, the capital of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Sandra travelled across the country, relaying to the world news of under-reported health crises and meeting patients like Clémentine. In our chat, we discover Sandra has made an inspiring career move. You can read more from Sandra about her time in DRC on her blog: blogs.msf.org/en/staff/authors/sandra-smiley "Everyday Emergency" is a podcast from Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) In each episode, we bring you true stories from the frontline of humanitarian emergencies across the world. From the conflict in Syria to the refugee crisis in Europe, we’ll be talking to people with some incredible stories that may just change your outlook on life, or at least, for a moment, put things into perspective. In each podcast you’ll hear a true story written by an MSFer on the ground, read by an actor. We’ll then get them into the studio at MSF HQ for a chat about their time with MSF. Subscribe through iTunes or your favourite podcast provider, and find out more at msf.org.uk/podcasts Please leave comments on our Facebook page, or on Twitter. facebook.com/msf.english twitter.com/msf_uk MUSIC CREDITS: Ambiment - The Ambient by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100630 Artist: http://incompetech.com/ If not listed above, all other tracks used in this podcast are attribution free. If you would like information about specific tracks, or would like your own music music to be featured in our podcast, please message us through Soundcloud.

In this episode we meet Scottish nurse Michael Shek, from Dumfries. Michael has recently returned from his second mission in South Sudan, the world's youngest country in the midst of a civil war. We hear Michael's story of his time in the northern town of Bentiu and he tells us about an incredible moment saving the life of a boy and his uncle at 10,000 feet. You can read Michael's story and see pictures of his time in Bentiu here: msf.org.uk/article/south-sudan…ng-lives-amid-chaos "Everyday Emergency" is a podcast from Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) In each episode, we bring you true stories from the frontline of humanitarian emergencies across the world. From the conflict in Syria to the refugee crisis in Europe, we’ll be talking to people with some incredible stories that may just change your outlook on life, or at least, for a moment, put things into perspective. In each podcast you’ll hear a true story written by an MSFer on the ground, read by an actor. We’ll then get them into the studio at MSF HQ for a chat about their time with MSF. Subscribe through iTunes or your favourite podcast provider, and find out more at msf.org.uk/podcasts Please leave comments on our Facebook page, or on Twitter. facebook.com/msf.english twitter.com/msf_uk MUSIC CREDITS: Long Note Two by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100176 Artist: http://incompetech.com/ If not listed above, all other tracks used in this podcast are attribution free. If you would like information about specific tracks, or would like your own music music to be featured in our podcast, please message us through Soundcloud.

Benjamin Black, an obstetrics doctor from London, UK, was on his first ever shift for Doctors Without Borders in Sierra Leone as Ebola swept through the country. When a pregnant woman arrived at the hospital displaying all the classic symptoms of Ebola, Benjamin was faced with a nightmarish 24 hour shift that would push his nerves to the limit. To read more from Benjamin, visit his blog: 'May the forceps be with you'. blogs.msf.org/en/staff/authors/benjamin-black "Everyday Emergency" is a podcast from Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) In each episode, we bring you true stories from the frontline of humanitarian emergencies across the world. From the conflict in Syria to the refugee crisis in Europe, we’ll be talking to people with some incredible stories that may just change your outlook on life, or at least, for a moment, put things into perspective. In each podcast you’ll hear a true story written by an MSFer on the ground, read by an actor. We’ll then get them into the studio at MSF HQ for a chat about their time with MSF. Subscribe through iTunes or your favourite podcast provider, and find out more at msf.org.uk/podcasts Please leave comments on our Facebook page, or on Twitter. facebook.com/msf.english twitter.com/msf_uk MUSIC CREDITS: If not listed above, all other tracks used in this podcast are attribution free. If you would like information about specific tracks, or would like your own music music to be featured in our podcast, please message us through Soundcloud.