Sofie Van Ackerbroeck

Sofie is from Antwerp, Belgium, and has lived in Vienna since 2025. She completed her medical training and specialization at the University of Antwerp.

Have you ever been abroad for a significant length of time or on a humanitarian assignment before?

After finishing my specialisation in anaesthesia I started working humanitarian missions for Doctors without Borders (MSF). The passion for this work only grew and I kept this very important part of my life.

Why did you decide to go out on assignment with MSF?

I’ve known for a long time that I wanted to do something puporseful, something meaningful with my life. I wanted to try and contribute to a better and kinder world. Working with MSF brings this purpose, while also bringing so much adventure and connection and personal growth. I wanted to enrich my life while also enriching the world. It might sound grand, but the experience is also grand.

What do you value most about MSF?

I strongly support and believe in the principles of MSF: impartiality, neutrality, bearing witness! I love how the projects evolve around building up local healthcare and making it accessible for everyone in need. As international mobile staff I go to the projects purely in a supportive role of the national staff, who carry these projects.

What are you looking forward to most on your (next) assignment?

Working together with the national staff, being surrounded by a cozy expat family and experiencing a new country again.

Is there anything that you take along on every assignment?

A little speaker, to enjoy music on my own or with others. Gym/sports clothes, to keep up physical and mental health. Little gifts for the people in the projects, mainly chocolates or cheese (and a small stash of personal chocolate to ration throughout my mission and keep my Belgian heart happy).

What are you passionate about and how do you like to spend your free time?

I’m passionate about connecting to people (national and international) and about working in low resource setting (a completely different experience from working at home). In my free time I enjoy doing sports (alone or in group), watching movies and cooking together and organizing some fun group activities.

What was your most unforgettable experience during an assignment?

During my assignment in Yemen the conflict intensified and we had to treat an enormous influx of patients in the hospital. The medical work and the team work we performed was incredible and will forever be on of the most intense professional experiences I’ve had in my life. Shortly after, I was sent on a little break and togehter with a lovely group of people we were brought to an abandoned beach and could swim in our abaya’s (long black dresses). That will always stay one of the most beautiful days of my life.