“Doctors Without Borders,” known as Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) to the rest of the world and to France where it originated, is dedicated to helping “people worldwide where the need is greatest, delivering emergency medical aid to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from health care,” according to their website.

On February 18, 2016, Patrick Craddock from the Presbyterian Emergency Room in Albuquerque visited Santa Fe High School to share personal experience and offer information on how MSF can change people’s lives.

He started off the presentation with a slideshow depicting the organization’s mission as well as pictures showing diseases and injuries that the doctors of MSF have come in contact with.

Though the screen depicted a small boy with a chunk of his eye missing, which would make most people cringe, Craddock said, “The important thing here is to remember they’re regular kids. Look at this guy, he’s pretty adorable.”

He went on to talk not only about what MSF does, but also about why it is important to have an organization like MSF. He engaged the audience of 5th period students gathered in Ms. Johnson’s room by asking them, “Why do war and natural disasters cause disease?”

Camila Seluja replied to his question saying, “It ruins infrastructure; everything goes downhill.”
To learn more about MSF or to contact Patrick Craddock, contact Ms. Johnson A138.