Bringing medical aid and international recognition to the vulnerable populations around the globe
Lilia Malkin, MSc
Contributing Author,
Geriatrics & Aging
In today's turbulent economic and political climate, it is often easy to focus on the headlines and statistics, and to neglect the individual human faces behind the facts and maps. Surrounded by seemingly, never-ending references to violence and disaster in news reports, and in popular culture, our society often appears virtually desensitized to the masses who are suffering around the globe. Fortunately, we are also frequently reminded that there are thousands of individuals who are committed to the humanitarian goals of helping those in dire need of assistance. One such reminder came in the fall of 1999, when Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) received worldwide acclaim and recognition by being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their thirty-year effort to aid the planet's populations in distress.1,2 For the past three decades, the volunteers of MSF (known to the English-speaking world as 'Doctors Without Borders') have been at the sites of natural- and human-made disasters, making a valiant attempt to help the wounded and the vulnerable.
