Author Topic: Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors without Borders Photo Blog (Read 3861 times)

madelaide · « **on:** January 16, 2010, 12:10 »

Browsing the international MSF site (Doctors without Borders) I found their Photo Blog, with excellent examples of photojournalism.

http://msf.ca/blogs/photos/

vonkara · « **Reply #1 on:** January 16, 2010, 13:32 »

Edited

digiology · « **Reply #2 on:** January 16, 2010, 14:00 »

willie · « **Reply #3 on:** January 16, 2010, 18:17 »

to be a philantropist, you usually pay your own passage. if not, that would not be volunteerism.
if it's to help mankind, and to go to a place where you can also use your camera for editorial usage, there are lots of such NGO (i think that's what they used to call them) organization that are based in these places, central am, south am,etc..
some even give you citizenship if you remain with them for 5 years.
if it's for other reasons, such as excavation sites for archaelogy, there are similar organizations are well.

it's been a long time , but i know that was so with favela-ridden Brazil where you volunteered to help build communities. lots of young ppl, mostly from europe, during my days of travelling constantly used to volunteer to become "missionaries" to help with building houses, digging wells, building roads, education,etc.. in the most remote areas of Brazil.

maybe madelaide would know if it's still prevalent, but i know , as i said, many many years ago, Brazil used to highly values such services to , as i said, even offer you the choice to become Brazilian citizen after 5 years of volunteerism.
you pay your own passage naturally.

FD · « **Reply #4 on:** January 16, 2010, 18:53 »

Quote from: lclark on January 16, 2010, 14:00

I would like to volunteer for them in a logistical/admin position. They pay for all your living expenses and return flight.

Yes that's why their overhead, like in all the ngo "charity" industry runs so high. They attract a number of freebee adventurers.
I had one experience with MSF once years ago in a high poverty area (Mindanao). The guy (a country fellowman) drove around in a luxurious 4WD with a private driver and his girlfriend to make inventories of equipment in local hospitals. (Of course the driver needed a separate hotel room). I told the guy I could gladly do that inventory for MSF at 0.1% of the cost on my motorbike, but he really pissed me off when he called my (then) partner a "native". We were off speaking terms when I called his Antwerp girlfriend a "native" too.

madelaide · « **Reply #5 on:** January 17, 2010, 11:29 »

Vonkara, it seems you think that a refugee or displaced people camp is a kind of summer camp. I guess you have never been close to any tragedy. $:-\$

Perseus, there are many volunteer work here, and I know at least one international agency who organizes volunteer travels, but I never heard of this citizenship thing. Also many churches organize field trips in the developing countries, especially for teenagers, what I find very interesting for developing humanitarian values in a society that is growing ever so selfish.

willie · « **Reply #6 on:** January 17, 2010, 13:01 »

Quote from: madelaide on January 17, 2010, 11:29

Vonkara, it seems you think that a refugee or displaced people camp is a kind of summer camp. I guess you have never been close to any tragedy. $:-\$

yes, i got that impression too, as many youngsters think it's all fun and game with NGO volunteerism.

Quote from: madelaide on January 17, 2010, 11:29

Perseus, there are many volunteer work here, and I know at least one international agency who organizes volunteer travels, but I never heard of this citizenship thing. Also many churches organize field trips in the developing countries, especially for teenagers, what I find very interesting for developing humanitarian values in a society that is growing ever so selfish.

it's probably not so common nowadays as the last time i visited your country
many favelas have been transformed to something encouraging and liveable.

back to this citizenship offer.
it's was around 1994-1997, a long time ago. i think it was somewhere in maranhao or some then remote areas in Brasil . you go to a place where the sertao is prevalent, and you're in the middle of nowhere except for the cardboard boxes or shacks of the favela. and you actually construct houses, put tires on the side of hills to prevent erosion, built roads, dug wells, connect electricity ,etc.. literally get a place liveable for the poor and destitute. not sure if it was in Minais, or Bahia, or somewhere where it is mostly uninhabitable.
i met a young european boy when i was in Sampa , and he told me he was from a missionary family, and he sent me to a site that had all these infos. and yes, 5 years as a missionary and you attained naturalization to become Brasilero.

vonkara · « **Reply #7 on:** January 17, 2010, 15:40 »

Quote from: madelaide on January 17, 2010, 11:29

Vonkara, it seems you think that a refugee or displaced people camp is a kind of summer camp. I guess you have never been close to any tragedy. $:-\$

Yea, doing isolated traffic light all year long must took away all emotions and empathy. I will keep shooting objects, they don't judge someone on a single sentence