[ti:Film Captures Risky Work of Doctors Without Borders] [ar: Steve Ember] [al:Development Report] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]This is the VOA Special English [00:02.71]Development Report. [00:05.01]"Living in Emergency: [00:06.94]Stories of Doctors Without Borders" [00:09.42]is a documentary by movie [00:12.22]director Mark Hopkins. [00:14.53]It tells the story of four doctors [00:17.08]and their volunteer work [00:19.44]in Liberia and the Democratic [00:22.11]Republic of Congo. [00:23.61]The award-winning film [00:25.91]was first shown [00:27.15]at the two thousand eight [00:29.02]Venice Film Festival. [00:31.26]It opened in the United States [00:33.43]last month. [00:35.11]Doctors Without Borders [00:37.17]is a humanitarian organization [00:39.97]also known by its French name, [00:42.77]Medecins Sans Frontieres. [00:44.82]It handles emergencies caused [00:47.37]by war, infectious disease [00:49.86]and natural disasters. [00:52.47]The group says this [00:54.58]was the first time it gave [00:56.89]a documentary crew unrestricted [01:00.06]access to its field operations. [01:02.73]Mr. Hopkins and his crew [01:05.28]filmed the doctors working [01:07.52]under some of the most extreme [01:10.07]and dangerous conditions imaginable. [01:13.74]The director says [01:16.26]"Living in Emergency" [01:17.94]is a story about how things are, [01:20.80]not how you wish things were. [01:23.73]Doctor Tom Krueger [01:25.97]from the United States volunteered [01:28.08]in Liberia in two thousand three, [01:31.07]after two civil wars. [01:33.24]TOM KRUEGER: "It was pretty [01:34.90]much of a shock when I got here. [01:36.02]I mean, if you're going to talk [01:37.95]to some of your friends [01:38.69]about some of the stuff you saw [01:39.44]-- and you can't describe the smells, [01:42.98]the feeling of the heat [01:45.22]on your body and the sweat [01:47.28]running down your back. [01:48.46]The smell of the pus [01:49.58]that hits your nose, [01:50.76]and of unwashed bodies [01:51.82]in a closed room. You know, [01:53.75]the circulation, [01:57.23]and the smell of your own panic, [01:58.61]you know, when you're [01:59.36]not sure what to do." [02:00.11]Another doctor in the film, [02:01.85]Australian Chris Brasheer, [02:03.78]has been with Doctors [02:05.45]Without Borders for nine years. [02:07.94]He has served in the Democratic [02:09.99]Republic of Congo and [02:12.42]spent time in Liberia. [02:13.91]He describes some of [02:16.03]the conditions he faced. [02:17.65]Chris Brasheer: "No water, [02:18.83]no electricity, no food [02:29.53]-- pretty apocalyptic really." [02:32.00]Doctors Without Borders [02:32.79]was established in nineteen seventy-one [02:35.76]by doctors and journalists in France. [02:39.37]Today, the group provides [02:41.11]humanitarian medical aid [02:43.17]in nearly sixty countries. [02:45.41]On an average day, it says, [02:48.27]almost twenty-seven thousand [02:51.01]doctors,nurses and others work [02:54.80]in teams of local [02:56.11]and foreign aid workers. [02:58.59]Doctor Chiara Lepora [03:00.83]from Italy also appears in the film. [03:03.63]She spent several years [03:05.87]working with the group, [03:07.18]and told VOA's Penelope Poulou [03:09.91]that she will probably return. [03:11.78]CHIARA LEPORA: "There are a lot [03:13.40]of doctors who are willing [03:14.39]to volunteer once, [03:15.45]but not many doctors [03:17.38]who are willing [03:18.56]to repeat their experience." [03:20.36]Doctors Without Borders [03:21.98]is structured as an international movement. [03:24.97]It has organizations [03:26.52]in nineteen countries, [03:28.76]including the United States. [03:30.69]Ninety percent of its money [03:33.49]comes from private sources. [03:35.29]In nineteen ninety-nine the group [03:38.47]received the Nobel Peace Prize. [03:40.71]And that's the VOA Special English [03:44.32]Development Report, [03:45.99]written by June Simms. [03:47.86]Transcripts, MP3s and podcasts [03:51.97]of our reports are at 51voa.com. [03:55.88]I'm Steve Ember.