Médecins Sans Frontières - Anja Junker

Unique Identifier Code / URN MSF212306

Date taken / Date Recorded 09/08/2017 12:00 AM

Country Unspecified Country

Commissioning section MSF-GERMANY

Copyright MSF

Usage Rights (MSF) External Media, MSF Publications, Social Media

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Editor's rating ★★★ (F)

Video format h264 (Main) (avc1 / 0x31637661)

Duration 5m23s

Maximum Size 1920px × 1080px 583.28 MB

Additional Information / Shotlist Anja Junker
Paediatrician, on her fourth mission
Do they really need me? Democratic Republic of Congo
DR Congo
Baraka, South Kivu

There are various reasons why I work for MSF. On my first mission, I naturally felt a lot of uncertainty. Is this really what I imagined myself doing? Do they really need me?
We have a large hospital that primarily admits paediatric cases, so sick children. My working day typically starts at 8 am at the hospital. We meet with the local doctors, who then distribute themselves across the stations. We, the international doctors, seek to accompany them or offer support where we can.
I usually get up just after 6 am and spend 1 to 1.5 hours at the office. I work on the computer and prepare training sessions.

Because of my experience on other projects, my other current focus is the malnutrition centre. Since we also see a lot of malnourished children here who are seriously ill, and because the mortality rate is unacceptably high, I'm now also focussing on the one hand on bringing the feeding centre up to scratch. I ensure we respect protocols better, that the work there is orderly. On the other hand I ensure that the nurses, local and international colleagues are prepared for dealing with paediatric issues.

Then we have a lunch break. We come back here between 1 pm and 2 pm for lunch and a drink. With the high temperatures here, this is very important. In the afternoon, I go back to the hospital and try to do a little training on the job.

There are also always radio calls, «Dr Anja, Dr Anja». I rush to where I'm needed.

The patients are incredibly nice. They love every «Hello», every «Jambo». We also talk with one another. They speak in Swahili, of which I understand little to nothing. I speak in broken French. We can still somehow communicate a little.

There is one really lovely patient who I will never forget. He is a little boy in the feeding centre. He came to us in terrible condition. I could see that my team was sure that he would die. We tried everything and worked really hard. Suddenly he stabilised and he has become my best friend. I have so much fun with him; these are wonderful experiences. For security reasons, there is a set time when we must be home. We walk, or else you have to go by car. But to avoid monopolising the car too much, we try to leave earlier.

I think that we live really well here in the Congo, in Baraka. It's really beautiful and comfortable. We have a really nice compound. Many of us have our own tukul (these small round huts). Those who have not been here for long have a room, but the rooms are also nice. Every day we have delicious food cooked for us. It's lovely. It helps when you get home after working to have a delicious meal waiting. Then, I sit at my computer and work for a bit longer. At some point you try to enjoy the rest of your free evening. You spend time with your team.

I started working for MSF in 2008. That's when I applied for my first project. That's when I realised: this is the type of work I want to do. I feel I can make a difference, a contribution. I'm still doing it because it's incredibly fun. It's just a great job.

There are many difficult moments here, after all you're being confronted with death and serious illness. Unfortunately you lose a lot of patients too, some during treatment. In these moments you feel helpless, and this helplessness obviously doesn't feel particularly good. You have to try to deal with it. But the good thing is that here you aren't working alone, you have a team around you. The team is made up of local colleagues from MSF, local colleagues from the Ministry of Health and the international team. There is an incredible exchange. When you have a bad day, it's nice to come back here. The team here is really nice, you can always say: I just need a cold beer and some distraction, I had a bad day. Then you sit down together, watch a movie, play cards, just chat and try to let go. The next day is a new day.

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Anja Junker - Paediatrician (ENG)

Anja Junker - Paediatrician (ENG)