It's just me knowing what has to be done out in the villages in the mountains where no one else cares. Nobody knows about these places, but there are human beings there and each human being has a value as high as another one. - Dr. Dan Murphy
Dr. Dan Murphy has spent the past seventeen years working in East Timor, a Southeast Asian nation which gained independence from Indonesia. He grew up in Alton, Iowa and received his medical degree from the University of Iowa but realized his help was needed outside the U.S.
In the last 20 years, he's traveled to Mozambique, Laos, and Nicaragua but found East Timor most in need.
“East Timor was kicked around worse than any other country I can think of… and it’s a place that cried out for attention.”
East Timor is an extremely poor country fighting diseases like tuberculosis, malnutrition, and poor environments for child birth. In order to fight these issues, Dr. Murphy founded Bairo Pite Clinic and recently published his autobiography, Breakaway, the story of his life leading to the founding the clinic.
He talks with Charity Nebbe during this Talk of Iowa interview about his work in East Timor and why he stays. Also in the hour, Charity talks with John Hodgman, known for his role as Resident Deranged Millionaire on the Daily Show, about Maine, comedy, and his crush on Terry Gross.
