English practice 10

Doctors Without Borders

In America, we take many things for granted. If we don't feel well, we see a doctor. If we're hungry, we eat something. If we're thirsty, we drink some water. These very basic actions can be amazingly difficult, if not impossible, in some parts of the₁ world. Yet these₁ doctors and nurses from around the globe saw what was happening in Nigeria—physicians started₂ to take action. At that time, everything from starvation, and disease, to death and outright murder happening in the streets, and neither the United Nations nor the Red Cross seemed to do anything to stop these atrocities₅.

The doctors felt that, although they couldn't put an end to the fighting itself, they could at least help to alleviate the suffering, thus they₇ declared themselves neutral in the conflict and entered war-torn areas to provide aid to anyone who needed it, regardless of which side of the conflict the person was on.

In contrast, the original₈ mission was simply to provide health care as well as medical training to up-and-coming₉ doctors attention₁₀ suffering in war-torn regions certainly felt the aid Doctors Without Borders supplied was important.₁₃ When not in the direct line of fire between two opposing military groups, however, the organization puts special emphasis on the preventative aspects of health care, especially vaccinations, good nutrition, and sanitation. These seemingly simple goals₁₂ have made substantial strides in the overall quality of health in Africa.₁₁ where most of the work of Doctors Without Borders has been focused over the last 40 years.

The book ended up on Oprah's book list ₁₅ cemeteries or at construction sites.