Vanessa Van Schoor

Humanitarian Endeavours

VANESSA VAN SCHOOR

Inducted 2007 - Humanitarian Endeavours

Vanessa traveled Africa and Asia for more than ten years as a member of the international group Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF).
Her chosen path has been challenging and, at times, even dangerous.
She studied at the Universities of Toronto and Amsterdam to become a medical anthropologist.
Her last field assignment was managing the MSF mission in Darfur, aiding hundreds of thousands who arrived in makeshift camps by providing medical attention, food, and water, as well as speaking out about mass violations of human rights and dignity.
Although she enjoyed her frontline work, in 2006, Vanessa took a position in Amsterdam headquarters as an operational manager, putting her in charge of operations in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sudan and Zambia, ensuring availability of medical support and supplies to people most in need.
In spite of her contributions, Vanessa humbly attributes the results and her inspiration to the Sudanese, Timorese, Mozambicans, Burmese, Ivorians, Liberians, as well as to others with whom she has worked.