I was first introduced to Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) almost 20 years ago through my brother who volunteered for MSF. I recently became aware of MSF’s work in India a year ago and have been supporting them since. What I like about MSF is that it is a principled organisation and operates abiding by values of Independence, Impartiality and neutrality. MSF reaches out to people who are desperately in need of healthcare, be it remote areas and difficult geographies; patients trapped in a conflict zone; in scenarios of disasters and epidemics and even to populations who are ignored or neglected. As a donor, what I appreciate most about MSF is the financial prudence it conducts itself with. Eighty per cent of the funds raised by them are spent on social missions and 20 per cent on administrative expenses. I support many NGOs both financially and as a consultant and while supporting financially it is always a concern that how much of it actually reaches the beneficiaries. The fact that MSF maintains this ratio of 80:20 and is transparent about its finances strengthens my trust in the organisation. I will continue to support MSF and will also spread the word about them to other donors.
