Student & Involved with MSF? Is that Possible?

October 31, 2006 by soren kudsk-iversen

You might find yourself wanting to get involved with organisations like Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Merlin, Red Cross/Red Crescent or Medicins Du Monde, but being nothing but a student, you might only find closed doors: ‘Experience needed’, ‘no electives offered’ and ‘qualified personnel only’.

Does that mean you have to wait till you qualify? Well, MSF for one specifies you need to have completed 2 years at senior house officer level before considering going out as a volunteer with them [1]. With the introduction of the Foundation Programme in August 2005, medical doctors completing the training will be required to have successfully completed F2 plus at least 1 year post F2 professional experience before you are ready to work for MSF. Nevertheless, getting involved with MSF is more than going out into the world, and as a student there is a wonderful variety of ways to support MSF, some of which are listed below. Personally, I have had an amazing time last year setting up the Sheffield ‘Friends of MSF’ (FoMSF) group, and the support from MSF head-office has been second to none. Furthermore, the speakers who came to speak were extremely supportive and had great patience in answering the multitude of questions which an excited student audience have to offer.

So my advice is to start up your own FoMSF society at your university. To do this, make contact with MSF’s Human Relations office (see below) and your Students Union or MedSin group. As most of the current FoMSF groups around the UK have started within 2005/06, they will be able to share good advice when putting together the constitution and group format, so feel free to take contact.

To get a new group approved with the university or Students union is different at each university, and it might take a while to get through. However, it is worth the time, as you often get great benefits – in Sheffield, for example, they have free room booking for events and an allowance for copying & speaker travel cost.

Most groups have had extremely well-attended and inspiring speaker events, where returned MSF volunteers have shared their experiences. Below follows a quick mention of some of the activities FoMSF where up to in 2005/2006.

The KCL group arranged a 10K Fun Run in March which raised more than £5000 for MSF.
Contact: msfsoc@excite.com

The Cardiff group held a couple of successful fundraiser concerts. Furthermore, they collected more than 600 pens and pencils for donation for a Cambodian school.
Contact: medecinssansfrontieres@cf.ac.uk, website: www.studentmsf.com

The Oxford Group put together a speed dating event where funds were raised for MSF.
Contact: OxfordUniMSF@gmail.com, website: http://users.ox.ac.uk/~chri2327/OFMSF/

In Sheffield they had a sold out French hip hop night for charity held together with Oxfam society as well as a great street collection. Furthermore, they have started an on-line newsletter, ‘Under-Reported’ (www.underreported.msf.union.shef.ac.uk), which reports on under reported crisis zones around the world.
Contact: Sheffield.msf.soc@googlemail.com, website: www.msf.union.shef.ac.uk

Here at Leeds Friends of MSF, having only just started, we have our launch party on November 16, with all proceeds to MSF's Campaign for Access to Essential Medecines. Furthermore, we are organising our first speaker event for late November.
Contact: Leeds.friends.of.msf@gmail.com, website: www.leeds.msf.union.shef.ac.uk

[1] MSF UK. Medical students. [online]. [Accessed 16th October 2006]. Available from World Wide Web: www.uk2.msf.org/working4us/MedicalStudents.htm

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