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UCL Friends of MSF - fundraising for Pakistan
18 November 2010
Links:
msf.org.uk/pakistan.focus" target="_self">MSF's work in Pakistan UCL Friends of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) are holding an event at UCL on 22 November to raise money for the victims of the recent flooding in Pakistan.
UCL Friends of MSF is a society dedicated to promoting awareness and raising funds for the internationally renowned charity. The event is open to all and will feature henna artists and Pakistani cuisine and music. All money raised will go towards MSF teams working in Pakistan to help victims of the flood.
Here, Tanya Miller (UCL
Biosciences) from UCL Friends of Médecins sans Frontières, explains why UCL
students continue to support the work of MSF.
"Every day, MSF members work across the globe in numerous countries that are in urgent need of emergency medical aid and public health. Working in countries devastated by natural disasters, poverty, warfare and conflict, MSF delivers services regardless of religion, ethnicity or gender.
As an organisation, MSF follows a motto of 'being totally committed to independent humanitarian action' and operates to provide services in a strictly unbiased manner. It is not a political organisation and thus the deliverance of aid does not discriminate. MSF received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999 and now operates in around 60 different countries.
Most recently, the devastating floods that swept across Pakistan during the monsoon season of 2010, leaving approximately 1500 people dead and the lives of millions more completely uprooted, has further added to the problems that aid workers face. With accessibility now proving to be a serious issue, MSF has launched a new action campaign to help victims of the floods.
As well as dealing with the healthcare problems that were present before the floods, aid workers now have a whole new workload to overcome, including a dramatic rise in demand for mental healthcare provision and counselling.
The flooding has proven to further highlight the country's underlying problems, with the full scale of childhood malnutrition and high infant and maternal mortality rates now beginning to show.
In order to remain politically independent, Médecins Sans Frontières maintains its policy of not accepting any government funding. With this total reliance on individual donations, it is imperative that people continue to donate to this remarkable charity so that it may continue to meet demands for aid that are still far from exhaustible."
The UCL friends of MSF fundraising event takes place on Monday 22 November in the South Cloisters 12-2pm.
It will be followed on Tuesday 23 November at 6pm by a
talk from Jean-Marc Jacobs (Press Officer for MSF UK)
who will be speaking about his experiences working in Pakistan and
providing an update on the current situation in the Pearson Lecture
Theatre.
Image: An emergency water supply provided by MSF
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