For millions around the world, “refugee” is more than just a term. Médecins Sans Frontières estimates there are 42 million people displaced from their homes. To raise awareness, the organisation took its exhibit, A Refugee Camp in the Heart of the City, on tour in 2008, stopping at Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, and San Diego.
Last Tuesday, students borrowed the idea and set up an exhibit on the Hart House lawn. The 24-hour mock refugee camp featured four tents, which were focused on supplying vaccinations, food, medical supplies, and water and sanitation. A hospital bed with IV lines and other equipment reflected MSF efforts, which included the prevention of water-borne illnesses like cholera.
“People wanting to check out the exhibit will first have to be registered at the vaccination tent, where they will receive an identity, like an eight-year-old girl from Sudan,” said Stephanie Tom, executive director of the U of T chapter of Friends of MSF. “Their job is to visit the other tents to find out what happens to their character, to make the exhibit more engaging.”
“For example, the little girl’s village will be attacked and she’ll be disfigured, so the participant will learn about reconstructive surgery on the field at the medical tent,” said Tom.
Volunteers discussed their experiences of working and living in a refugee camp. Another speaker, Leo Johnson, is a former refugee who lived in camps in the Ivory Coast and Ghana. Johnson is now a third-year political science student at McMaster University.
The overnight fundraiser started around 4 p.m., with a dozen volunteers staying overnight in the tents. Their dinner was a simple meal of beans and rice.
Friends of MSF raised $1,700 towards their goal of $2,500, and they are still accepting donations online. Until Dec. 4, the group is also accepting donations of Aeroplan Miles to send volunteers overseas.
