
Claire Bertschinger
aid worker
Claire Bertschinger was a Red Cross nurse in 1984, when a TV reporter filmed her in the grim task of choosing which of the hundreds of starving Ethiopian children would receive one of the limited relief meals that day ~ and by default, which children would be left to die. That image inspired one of the biggest relief efforts of all time. Back in England, singer Bob Geldof cried when he saw it ~ then brought together a who's who of musicians to record the single "Do They Know it's Christmas?" Simultaneous "Live Aid" concerts in London + Philly raised $286 million for hunger relief. Claire, now a lecturer at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, will never forget how it felt when planes started dropping relief supplies. "I thought, 'Wow,'" she said. "'We're saved.'"
a heart-rending picture | of her choosing…alongside starving children in Ethiopia
an extraordinary relief effort | Bob Geldof's Live Aid Concert
an ongoing mission | after spending 15 years as an aid worker in overseas, she now teaches foreign aid nurses in London
1983 | joins International Committee for the Red Cross as a nurse and goes to Lebanon
1984 | picture of her surrounded by starving people
2003 | returns to Ethiopia to put some ghosts of the past to rest
from | to
dyslexic child who bandaged her stuffed animals + dreamed of being a nurse | catalyst for huge relief effort that saved hundreds of lives in Ethiopia + an expert on tropical medicine
born on
around 1960
born in
Switzerland
birth name
Claire Bertschinger
citizen of
The United Kingdom + Switzerland
lives in
Essex, UK
educated at
Brunel University London
loved studying
nursing, but struggled in school because of dyslexia
inspired by
English missionary to China played by Ingrid Bergman in the film, The Inn of Sixth Happiness
advocate for
International Committee for the Red Cross
providing appropriate training to nurses working in developing nations
in her spare time
practices Buddhism
plays with dog, Zozo
gardens
tweets
@ClaireBerts
image credits
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
collapse bio bits"They must think that I am like a god who, with a nod of the head, can decide if they are in or out. You see, I have to select 50-70 children from over 1,200 who are all under nourished and sick in one way or another."
to British Red Cross | december 1984
"I'm a quite eccentric person in certain ways...and it was very difficult for people to understand me. So I decided just to blossom and to be and to enjoy life."
Never at Rest | 2005
"There is nothing sweeter, gentler or softer than water. But water has the power to move mountains."
Moving Mountains | july 2005
"Increasingly, I have become convinced of the centrality of education in making and sustaining any improvements in the developing world."
appointment to Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire | january 2010
"The empowerment of women, educationally and economically, is a major weapon in the fight against child mortality in the developing world."
appointment to Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire | january 2010
"To me, I was just doing a job that I enjoyed and was good at."
Claire Bertschinger ~ healthcare and peace ?worker | 2011
"...there are no winners in war, ever."
Claire Bertschinger ~ healthcare and peace worker | august 2011
"I finally understood that I did not have to work on the front line to create value."
Claire Bertschinger ~ healthcare and peace worker | august 2011
"We didn't choose the ones who were the worst because we knew they would die within a few days. I chose the ones with a spark of life in their eyes."
Nurse who inspired Live Aid when she appeared in television news reports about Ethiopian famine reveals she couldn't wait for Michael Buerk to leave | march 2014
"Listen to people. Find out why they're doing what they're doing before you start telling them what to do."
Claire Berschinger: Desert Island Discs | march 2014
"I eventually became a nurse by working hard at what I was good at ~ caring and compassion. Of course to pass exams I had to work twice as hard as anyone else, but I got there in the end."
Claire Bertschinger: Desert Island Discs | march 2014
for further reading about Claire Bertschinger:
curated with care by Kathleen Murray {september 2014}
Ethiopia | 1984
Food distribution by Red Cross volunteers in Ethiopia in 1984.
British Red Cross | CC-BY 2.0
Live Aid
Live Aid Concert at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia to raise funds for the Ethiopian famine ~ 1985
Squelle | CC-BY-SA 3.0
Queen Elizabeth II | awarding of Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire
In 2010, Claire was included on Queen Elizabeth's New Year's honors list ~ she's now Dame Claire {DC OBE, officially}. The honor was in recognition of her tireless service in harsh, unforgiving environments, + for her caring and compassion. Long after Live Aid, Claire continues to work to improve lives in developing nations ~ through advocacy and training nurses.
NASA | Bill Ingalls | http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/news/topstory/2007/queen_egress_8.html
Getting nutrition support to mothers and children
International organizations are now providing treatment for moderate malnutrition that is reaching 16,000 women and children in Ethiopia. Claire's work at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine helps prepare nurses for work in development, international aid + relief.
UK Department for International Development | CC-BY 2.0