Doctors Without Borders (MSF) Team to Tour Eastern Cape
Wednesday, 1st July 2015
Upcoming tour of shopping centers to include discussion on the role of media in humanitarian crisis and health issues while face-to-face fundraisers give shoppers insights on MSF’s medical relief work
Johannesburg – Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres) will for the first time host a panel discussion on the role of media in humanitarian crises in Port Elizabeth with working journalists, and journalism and media students from around the city. This event forms part of a six week fundraising tour in the Eastern Cape by MSF face-to-face fundraisers between 16 June and 25 July.
The debate, which will be held at the Media Workshop in Port Elizabeth on 22 July, is aimed at encouraging journalists to evaluate their role in reporting on humanitarian and health issues, and to encourage and aid their reporting on these areas.
Two seasoned journalists, Denise Roodt, a former SABC editor and former journalism training co-ordinator at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) and Estelle Ellis, health writer at the Herald newspaper in Port Elizabeth will share their experience of covering humanitarian and health issues, while Kate Ribet, the Media Liaison Officer for MSF will provide perspectives on how NGOs work with media to cover critical issues.
MSF organises fundraising tours three times per year in various provinces, including the Eastern Cape, Limpopo and Mpumalanga where the organization does not have permanent fundraisers. The teams raise awareness among the public about the organization’s medical relief work in over 65 countries worldwide – including the recent response to emergencies like the xenophobic attacks on migrants in Durban, earthquakes in Nepal, ongoing conflicts in South Sudan and Central African Republic (CAR) and Ebola in West Africa.
While in the Eastern Cape, the fundraisers will visit nine shopping centers in four towns including East London, Port Alfred, Grahamstown and Port Elizabeth.
“We want to reach all corners of Eastern Cape - showcasing the work we do around the world and how our donors’ support enable us to save lives in hard-to-reach places. We are excited to be going back to the Eastern Cape because we received overwhelming support during our previous tour there,” says Kelly Barlow, MSF Southern Africa’s face-to-face (F2F) travel teams coordinator.
While in the Eastern Cape in June last year, MSF interacted with shoppers at various malls resulting in 529 people pledging to support MSF through regular monthly donations.
Tour schedule and further information:
F2F team schedule in the Eastern Cape Province (16 June – 25 July 2015)
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16 – 20 June |
Vincent Park Mall, East London |
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22 – 27 June |
Hemingways Mall, East London |
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30 June – 1 July |
Heritage Mall, Port Alfred |
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2 – 4 July |
Rosehill Mall, Port Alfred |
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7 – 8 July |
Checkers, Grahamstown |
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9 – 10 July |
Peppergrove, Grahamstown |
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11 July |
Grahamstown Arts Festival, Grahamstown |
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14 – 18 July |
Greenacres Mall, Port Elizabeth |
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20 – 23 July |
Walmer Park Mall, Port Elizabeth |
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24 – 25 July |
The Bridge Shopping Centre [1], Port Elizabeth |
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Media discussion at the Media Workshop, Port Elizabeth (22 July 2015)
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Wednesday, 22 July, 14:00 – 17:00 |
Topic: Role of the media in Humanitarian and health issues, at the Media Workshop, Port Elizabeth
Address: 99 2nd Ave, Port Elizabeth, 6045 |
About MSF:
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is an international, medical humanitarian organization that provides medical care to those affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural and man-made disasters, and speaking out on behalf of the most vulnerable. MSF gives assistance to people based only on need and irrespective of race, religion, gender or politics. In 2013 MSF treated over 9 million patients around the world in over 60 countries – including South African, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique and Malawi.
In South Africa, MSF is currently implementing HIV and TB programmes in the KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape, while remaining ready to respond to emergencies. MSF South Africa supports projects throughout Southern Africa by providing medical expertise, recruiting medical and other professionals, and advocating for improved healthcare policies.
About MSF fundraising:
MSF is registered in South Africa as a Non-Profit Company (NPC) and as a Public Benefit Organization (PBO) and firmly adheres to the good governance principles of fairness, accountability, responsibility and transparency. Any donations made towards our programmes in South Africa can be accounted for a corporate BBB-EE scorecard.
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To arrange interviews or for more information, please contact:
Angela Makamure - MSF SA Communications/Press Officer | Cell +27 79 872 2950 or 084 9777 553 | angela.makamure@joburg.msf.org
