Looking back on 2023 and wishing for the future - a year marked by solidarity and resilience
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On January 30, 2024, the Luxembourg section of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) brought together donors, volunteers and supporters for its traditional New Year's Eve party. The event provided an opportunity to take stock of the year 2023, which was once again a busy one for MSF teams.
On Tuesday January 30, the President of Médecins Sans Frontières Luxembourg, Dr Bechara Georges Ziade, and General Manager Thomas Kauffmann, presented their New Year's greetings to the donors, volunteers and supporters of MSF Luxembourg present that day.
During their speeches, each of them recalled the highlights of 2023, a year punctuated by numerous emergencies that mobilized MSF teams. In April, fighting broke out in Sudan between the army and paramilitary forces, leading to clashes across the country. Our teams are supporting the population despite the great difficulties they face. We also reported on the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, which led to open warfare between Hamas and Israel in the Gaza Strip. MSF is trying to help the victims despite the bombardments and the destruction of the healthcare system in the Palestinian territories. At the same time, our teams are still mobilized in Ukraine to meet the needs of the population, which has been in the throes of war for almost two years.
The destructive earthquake in Turkey and Syria in February was also mentioned. Other earthquakes will unfortunately be added to the list in 2023: one in Morocco in September, for which MSF has set up a psychological support offer; and the other in Afghanistan in October with several aftershocks, in the province of Herat, where MSF teams have offered their support to the Herat hospital. Finally, we addressed the climatic emergencies linked to Cyclone Freddy in Madagascar, Mozambique and Malawi, and the terrible floods in Libya.
"Together, we were able to respond quickly to emergencies, provide life-saving treatments and stand by people facing the darkest moments of their lives."
- Dr.Bechara Ziade, President of MSF Luxembourg
The evening continued with a talk by François Giddey, Logistics Coordinator for MSF, who shared his recent field experiences in both Yemen and Morocco, following the earthquake.
Of course, we took this opportunity to remind you that it is thanks to you, our donors, supporters and sympathizers, that we will be able to continue our interventions wherever emergencies call, while reporting on our actions with the highest degree of transparency.
"Your support is not only essential to the financing of our medical interventions: it also allows us to concretely embody our ideals of humanity, solidarity and to defend the conviction that healthcare is a fundamental right for all."
- Thomas Kauffmann, General Manager of MSF Luxembourg
