Medicins Sans Frontiers Thank You

Medicins Sans Frontiers/Doctors Without Borders sent me two mailings back to back. Instantly I thought of that saying, “the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing” because in one envelope they were asking for donations. In the second, they were thanking me for the January 2007 donation I had given. I guess in their minds their work is never done, therefore mine shouldn’t be either. After all, I did say it is my favorite charity.
In the thank you packet they sent me a poster outlining the progress they have made from 1971 to present. A black and white photo of a small child receiving medical attention is framed by a timeline of important historical events in the existence of DWB. The poster’s title is in white, “Independence. Impartiality. Commitment. From 1971 to today.” I hung it on my filing cabinet in my office. I face those words every day.

In the “You can do more” letter DWB described the effects of cholera on Zambia’s capital of Lusaka. It’s a small message but powerful just the same. Look at what we still face, even today.
I think of the volunteers of MSF/DWB as angels on earth. When a friend casually said, “my dentist used to do that – for several months a year” I instantly wanted to meet this tooth guy…until I learned he was killed by a stray bullet while trying to remove plaque from a child’s mouth. Again, look at what we STILL face, even today.