Hope in Hell

By exploring the origins of MSF and sharing the experiences of its field staff, this book illustrates the principles and necessity of humanitarian aid. It serves as an excellent introduction to MSF, particularly because it focuses not only on medical staff but also on non-medical personnel such as water and sanitation specialists and logisticians. In particular, by addressing MSF’s philosophy of “not only treating but also bearing witness,” as well as failures and ethical dilemmas encountered in the field, the book avoids being a simplistic, feel-good story and instead offers a perspective on the tension between idealism and reality. On the other hand, there are very few instances where locally hired staff or patients are given a voice as protagonists. Overall, the recipient communities are positioned as the backdrop of the narrative, and the account is structured primarily around the perspectives of expatriate staff from the Global North. In this respect, the book retains a postcolonial asymmetry in which “those who provide aid speak, while those who receive aid are spoken about.” That said, the book was published in 2006, and it can be argued that this structure reflects the structural characteristics inherent in humanitarian aid activities at that time.