Nozipho never thought she would see houses move. But that’s exactly what happened during the flash floods in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal Province on May 11—whole houses washed away, families left grieving the loss of loved ones, and thousands like her forced to relocate to shelters.
After the floods, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) was one of very few organizations providing medical and mental health care to people who’d lost everything—because for MSF, aid comes first.
MSF counselors supported patients who were experiencing anxiety and depression. But shelter leaders like Nozipho also took charge to help their fellow survivors manage their new circumstances. And a perhaps unexpected sound-filled shelter after shelter: singing.
In order to process the devastation that the flash floods wrought, and to cope with the trauma they experienced, shelter residents used music and dancing to entertain themselves, comfort each other, and take ownership of their new surroundings.
Taking cues from the community, MSF organized musical programs in the shelters hand-in-hand with residents and local musicians—including an opera singer moonlighting as an Uber driver. The program became a cornerstone of MSF’s comprehensive mental health strategy which uses singing, dancing, and listening to music to provide psychosocial support, reduce stress, and lift spirits.
“It’s a medicine that you cannot find from the doctor,” said Themba, an MSF driver and talented keyboardist.
With your support, MSF will continue to provide critical care on the ground for crises around the world. And we’ll also support community members as they find their own ways to cope—their own paths to find healing in harmony or a new rhythm in challenging circumstances.
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières USA
P.S. If your year-end gift and our email have crossed paths, we apologize and sincerely thank you for your generosity!
--- All gifts given, up to $1,000,000, will be doubled through 11:59 p.m. EST on December 31. Every dollar you give will be matched with $1. Gifts received after the match has been met will not be matched but will be used where needed most.
This email was sent from the U.S. section of Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), an international independent medical humanitarian organization that delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural and man-made disasters, and exclusion from health care.
You are receiving this message because [email protected] is subscribed to the DONOR COMMUNICATIONS list.
Manage Preferences Unsubscribe
Please do not email any credit card information to Doctors Without Borders as it is not a secure payment method. If you wish to make a donation, please click here.
40 Rector Street, 16th Floor, New York, NY 10006 | Phone: 212-679-6800
Make a donation: Toll-free at 1-888-392-0392 seven days a week Donate Online | Home Page | Privacy Policy
