NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Brazilian administrator Fabio Biolchini has just returned from a year with Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF)’s emergency team in Democratic Republic of Congo, responding to epidemics and other crises across the breadth of this vast country.

I’ve just come back from Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where I lived for one year on my fourth assignment with Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF), after working in Haiti, Turkey and Central African Republic.

This huge African country is known for its stunning landscapes and majestic river Congo, but also for its constant epidemics and its poverty. DRC comes near the bottom of the human development index (HDI) despite being rich in natural resources.

MSF has been working in the country for more than three decades now, and operates many different projects with the aim of providing medical and humanitarian assistance to local people.

Among these projects is one initiative that stands out due to its dynamics and speed: the Pool d’Urgence Congo (PUC), or Congo emergency team. With more than 20 years’ experience in the country, the PUC is responsible for providing a rapid response to epidemics, natural catastrophes and human crises due to violent internal conflict within Congo.

The PUC works at a number of different levels.