Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international humanitarian aid organisation that provides emergency medical assistance to populations in danger in more than 65 countries.
In Congo’s rainforest, MSF cured 15.000 pygmies affected by Yaws, a neglected disease, in 3 months (Sept – Oct 2012) using a new therapeutic regime. © Lam Duc Hien
Emergency medical aid
MSF has been setting up emergency medical aid missions around the world since 1971:
- providing essential healthcare during and after conflict
- treating people affected by epidemic diseases
- helping people in the aftermath of natural disasters
- offering medical care to those excluded from healthcare
Training, support and healthcare
In countries where health facilities are insufficient or even non-existent, MSF collaborates with authorities such as the Ministry of Health to provide assistance.
MSF also:
- rehabilitates hospitals and clinics
- runs vaccination programmes
- performs surgery
- operates feeding centres for malnourished children
- provides psychological support
- runs water and sanitation projects
MSF also works in remote healthcare centers and slum areas and provides training to local personnel.
Bearing witness
In carrying out humanitarian assistance, MSF seeks also to raise awareness of crisis situations. MSF acts as a witness and will speak out, either in private or in public, about the plight of populations in danger for whom we work. In doing so, MSF sets out to alleviate human suffering, to protect life and health and to restore respect for human beings and their fundamental human rights.
