My First Mission With Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) In Yida, South Sudan
My names are Mirabelle Adamu-Zeh. I am currently working in South Sudan with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders. I would like to tell you a bit about myself and more importantly discuss the WHY I’m with MSF in South Sudan.
I am Cameroonian. Born in Buea, I grew up in Douala and then Bamenda, spending most of my childhood with my grandmother. As a child, I moved around some – living with aunties, family friends; finally finding some stability upon attending boarding school at age fourteen. In a way this shaped my life greatly. I’m adaptable wherever I find myself, having moved from Cameroon to the United States, then to Kenya, Ethiopia, and now South Sudan.
Why MSF
I am a Public Health Enthusiast. Fortunate to have had the opportunity to study pharmacy at Long Island University (USA), I always wanted to work eventually and be of service with an organization in a resource limited setting. The World Health Organization (WHO) was what I had in mind as a student. However, these wishes went out the door after graduation; the goal at the time became making as much money as possible to keep up with a comfortable standard of living in America.
Some years later, it was only natural to be drawn to the ideals of MSF when I found out about them. I love the work the organization does – providing quality medical care services to people in crisis, raising awareness about neglected diseases (sleeping sickness and kalazar), and working endlessly to have drug companies reduce prices for HIV/AIDS treatment (about MSF).
The principles of MSF are in line with my passion, which is providing quality standard care and increasing accessibility of quality drugs and other medical items to the world’s most vulnerable populations, regardless of where they are located.
I first learned about MSF in 2013. The completion of my Masters in Public Health program that year involved research on humanitarian NGOs (Non-Governmental Organisations). MSF was one of them.
After learning more about MSF, I immediately applied to work with the organization in both pharmacy and epidemiology (this was to increase my chances for placement). Until then I had not known the organization offered openings for pharmacists, thinking they only had room for medical doctors, and nurses. In fact, I was surprised at the wide range of non-medical professionals needed, ranging from logisticians, construction workers, mechanics, water & sanitation personnel, administrative staff, lab experts, etc. Even though majority of the need is still for medical doctors and nurses, there is plenty of room for other interested folks. You just have to call or apply and find out more.
My very first mission in 2015 was with Epi-Centre (a branch of MSF) as an Epidemiologist covering the Cholera outbreak in Homabay, Kenya. I am now currently working as a pharmacist and we’re based in Yida, South Sudan. In the future, it’ll be awesome to be able to combine experiences gained in both fields on a single project.
Yida, South Sudan
South Sudan was recently divided from a ten state country to twenty four states. Unity State is one of the northern states bordering Sudan. Yida is located in the northernmost part of Unity State, which is about 15 km from the border of South Kordofan, Republic of Sudan. This location serves as a safe area for refugees from the Nuba Mountains fleeing the on-going conflict which started in 2011.
Read | Notes From The Field – Nubian Women In Yida
Yida is about two hours flight on a small plane from Juba, the capital of South Sudan. I was very surprised when I first arrived in Yida, the setting does not look like those typical refugee camps seen on TV. It’s more like an isolated remote village, with limited access to many basic amenities such as roads, schools, hospitals, etc.
The population here comprises of an estimated 70,000 refugees and 4,000 locals (host population). Basic health care services are provided by Médecins Sans Frontières, and other NGOs such as International Rescue Committee (IRC), Samaritan Purse, World Food Program (WFP), also working on the ground.
Despite being a refugee camp, I find the people in Yida to be very colorful. There is a silent resilience and strength in the women. At the moment, I’m not sure I’m emotionally and mentally strong enough to absorb the details of their struggles and all that they have been through. So, for now, while hoping to get to know them better as time goes by, I’m not holding back from enjoying their beautiful and colorful dressings.
I am excited, nervous, and grateful for this opportunity to learn, grow and be of service to the people of Yida, my team and MSF in general.
