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 Doctors Without Borders/Médecins
Sans Frontières (MSF) is an independent international medical
humanitarian organization that delivers emergency aid to people affected
by armed conflict, epidemics, natural or man-made disasters, or
exclusion from health care in more than 70 countries.
Each year, MSF
doctors, nurses, logisticians, water-and-sanitation experts,
administrators, and other medical and non-medical professionals depart
on more than 3,800 field assignments. They work alongside more than
22,500 locally hired staff to provide medical care.
In emergencies and their
aftermath, MSF provides health care, rehabilitates and runs hospitals
and clinics, performs surgery, battles epidemics, carries out
vaccination campaigns, operates feeding centers for malnourished
children, and offers mental health care. When needed, MSF also
constructs wells and dispenses clean drinking water, and provides
shelter materials like blankets and plastic sheeting.
 Through longer-term programs,
MSF
treats patients with infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, sleeping
sickness, and HIV/AIDS, and provides medical and psychological care to
marginalized groups such as street children.
MSF was founded in 1971 as a
nongovernmental organization to both provide emergency medical
assistance and bear witness publicly to the plight of the people it
assists. A private nonprofit association, MSF is an international
network with sections in 19 countries.
Responding to Emergencies
 MSF is often one of the first
humanitarian organizations to
arrive at the scene of an
emergency. Its
large-scale
logistical capacity ensures that
MSF
emergency teams hit the ground with the specialized
medical kits and equipment they need to start saving lives immediately.
 Custom-designed by MSF for
specific field situations, geographic conditions, and climates, a kit
may contain a complete operating room, for example, or all of the
supplies needed to treat hundreds of cholera patients. MSF kits and
medical protocols have been replicated by relief organizations
worldwide.
MSF has proven expertise in the
field of epidemiology and is often called on to monitor, diagnose, and
control outbreaks of diseases, such as cholera, meningitis, and measles.
Independent Humanitarian Action
 MSF's decision to intervene in any
country or crisis is based solely on an independent assessment of
people's needs — not on political, economic, or religious interests. MSF
does not take sides or intervene according to the demands of governments
or warring parties.
MSF volunteers frequently work in
the most remote or dangerous parts of the world. When crises unfold,
they make themselves and their skills available on short notice, usually
dedicating six to twelve months to each assignment. Their expenses are
covered and they receive a modest stipend.
MSF teams are composed of
international volunteers and skilled local staff. Together, they work
closely with national medical professionals and cooperate with other aid
organizations.
Speaking Out to End Suffering
 MSF unites direct medical care
with a commitment to speaking out against the causes of suffering and
the obstacles to providing effective assistance. MSF volunteers raise
the concerns of their patients with governments, the United Nations,
other international bodies, the general public, and the media. In a wide
range of circumstances, MSF volunteers have spoken out against
violations of international humanitarian law they have witnessed — from
Chechnya to Sudan.
Based on its field experience, MSF
is addressing obstacles preventing people in the developing world from
obtaining
affordable, effective treatments for diseases such as
HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis. Through its Campaign for Access to
Essential Medicines, MSF is advocating to lower drug prices, stimulate
research and development of new treatments, and overcome trade and other
barriers to accessing treatments.
 In the United States and
worldwide, MSF raises public awareness of the plight of people at risk.
The organization sends field volunteers and staff to speak at
international and national conferences, and arranges informational
events and traveling exhibitions. Special public education projects have
addressed the stark realities of living without access to medicines, the
devastation caused by malnutrition, and the hardships of life in a
refugee camp.
Financial Independence and
Accountability
To maintain its operational
independence and flexibility, MSF relies on the general public for
nearly 80 percent of its operating funds. The remaining 20 percent of
funds come from international agencies and governments. The organization
counted more than 3.1 million individuals, foundations, corporations,
and nonprofit organizations among its donors worldwide in 2004. In 2004,
MSF's worldwide income was $568 million. In the United States, nearly
380,000 private donors contributed more than $91 million to MSF-USA.
Please donate to
www.doctorswithoutborders.org 
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