Tracey and I had a remarkable day on Saturday at the Tramlines festival in Sheffield. Many of you were kind enough to engage with our posts as I nervously awaited my time to speak on the Library stage. Tracey and yourselves calmed me down enough that I was able to give (hopefully) a good account of both myself and MSF.
Alex who interviewed me was very kind and guided the conversation superbly. We talked about my experiences in the field, what it’s like to work with MSF, the recruitment process, the positives and negatives and some stories patient stories.
We finished on Gaza and I made a point that Tracey had raised earlier in the day. She observed that around 50,000 people were attending at this festival, since 2023 55,000 people have died (including 12 MSF colleagues). The realisation that numerically, everyone at the festival (plus more) represented an individual who was loved and who had died in Gaza was extremely powerful. The genocide being committed by Israel MUST STOP.
After the Q&A with Alex, a number of people who had listened queued to donate and chat which was lovely. Tracey and I then went to the main stage area and stood in a busy thoroughfare for a couple of hours, Fundraising. in total we raised £748.43p which is fantastic. I think I’ve made it clear how MSF values the money to have the highest impact possible on its beneficiaries.
I will close here with two requests. First of all, please share posts about what is happening in the world. It is so important that these peoples lives are not forgotten. Secondly and especially if you are feeling helpless at this dreadful time, please donate to MSF. It is one way of being connected and although you may never meet the person whose life you have changed you can rest with the knowledge that you have been the difference and for that, I say once again, YOU ARE MSF!
