(Mar. 14) – “Since high school I wanted to help people.” So speaks Elisa Brandi, a young worker from Doctors Without Borders. “After studying international relations, last year I went to Germany to improve my German language. There I met a person who had worked for many years with DWB, and he encouraged me to submit my online application. I always thought ‘it would be nice but quite impossible’, but thanks to his encouragement, I decided to send my résumé and a few days later I was contacted by the Rome headquarters for the selection interview. ” A dream soon became reality: “I worked for 3 months in Bukavu, in Congo – Elisa says -. The city lies on the border with Rwanda, near Lake Kivu, a lovely place from a geographical point of view even if marked by poverty and social wounds of armed conflict.” She works as a logistician: “My work was to follow, step by step, the provision of materials necessary for the mission. This logistic machine is all logistics – Elisa emphasizes – then allows our doctors and nurses to work in the best conditions ” It has been an mportant experience for Elisa, “a great learning from a human point of view but also from a professional one. DWB bets on the technical expertise of its workers”. The life of the Italian humanitarian operator is not perfect as it could seem to be: “Every day there are small and big challenges. There are difficulties, because the work context of is often very complex. But it is important to keep in mind the goal: helping people.” the experience in Bukavu has deeply changed Elisa: “Once I returned home, I started to give a very different value to many things that we have here and we consider as granted: water, electricity, clothing, or safety and freedom, even little things like the chance of getting out to take an ice cream or walking without being in danger, surrounded by friends. And I realized how much there is to work to make sure that the populations of many countries can have access to free and quality medical care. It has been and still is the most important target of Doctors Without Borders – Elisa concludes – for over 40 years. ” (Roc/ Peg)
