Showman Fabricators announces that they will lend a hand--actually, many hands and many hours--in the construction of the Access to Essential Medicines Expo, a traveling exhibit for the international humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). Showman Fabricators owners Robert Usdin and Michael Cioffi have committed to donating over 1,200 hours in labor to complete the interactive multimedia exhibit, which highlights the need for increased access to medicines for people in developing countries--many of whom die each year from diseases that are treatable in industrialized nations. It is scheduled to tour 22 cities across the US beginning in mid-March.
"Our attraction to this project is that this is our first foray into charitable donating that will have a global impact and affect the quality of life for hundreds of thousands of people," says Robert Usdin. The interactive exhibit, which has already toured several countries in Europe, will include conventional exhibit elements, including multilingual graphics for the interior and exterior of the truck as well as many other features that are unique to portable exhibits. "This is a great project for the staff in that we’re handling the overall package--exhibit elements, HVAC system, generator, electric distribution, handicap lift, and lighting for the trailer," adds Usdin.
Upon entering the exhibit, visitors are invited to identify with one of five patients from MSF projects, each living with a treatable infectious disease: malaria, sleeping sickness, kala azar, tuberculosis, or HIV/AIDS. Through personal testimony, sound, photographs, and text, visitors will learn more about who is affected, the nature of the disease, what treatment options exist, and the current status of research and development for effective and affordable treatments. At the end of the exhibit, MSF aid workers, who have first-hand experience working in countries affected by the access crisis, give visitors a diagnosis of the disease.
Showman Fabricators Inc. provides fabrication, design, graphics, installation, rental items, storage, and trucking for television, theatre, museums, corporate events, restaurants, fashion, and retailers. The company has received Emmy Awards and Tony Award nominations for its work. Its website is www.showfab.com.
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) delivers emergency medical aid to victims of armed conflict, epidemics, natural and man-made disasters, and others who lack healthcare due to social or geographical isolation. For more information about MSF and its activities around the world, visit www.doctorswithoutborders.org.