Blog Post #9

My monument proposal is dedicated to Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières, a humanitarian foundation which recruits nurses, surgeons, physicians, midwives, pharmacists, lab technicians and health administrators from all over the world to work in areas that need the most attention for outbreaks, disease, malnutrition, mental health issues and natural disasters. The care they provide is free and available to anyone in need. There are more 30,000 workers in the field on any given day. MSF has conducted more than 8.3 million consultations, 78,000 surgical procedures and delivered over 185,000 babies in approximately 70 countries since 1971. Once MSF has provided relief and the area has improved, the locals are able to take over operations. 88 cents of every donated dollar goes directly toward the services. The monument will take the shape of a large, square tent: 8 feet tall and 8 feet wide. One side is open, and there is a roof symbolizing security. On the inside, there is a life-size scene: a bed with a patient who is looking up at a doctor checking his heart with a stethoscope, two facing chairs: one for therapist and another for patient, a first aid kit with medicine and vaccines, and stacked boxes of therapeutic food. There is a world map that takes up the entire wall that is straight ahead of the opening. There are red dots on every country they have helped. Above the map, there is an engraved quote from the president of MSF in 1999, Dr. James Orbinski, when he was accepting the Nobel Peace Prize. "Humanitarian action is more than simple generosity, simple charity. It aims to build spaces of normalcy in the midst of what is abnormal." Every part will be made of concrete, except for the grass floor. I chose this style for my monument because I want it to represent what MSF is all about: selfless professionals helping their fellow mankind. The location would be in the middle of Times Square, which generates half a million people in a given day. This is important because it would be reached by a massive audience, drawing more attention and monetary donations to this wonderful cause. This foundation views the entire world as a community. All of humanity should be treated with love and respect.