Médecins Sans Frontières (Msf)

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international, independent medical humanitarian aid organization that delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, healthcare exclusion, and natural or man-made disasters. The organization was established to speak out publicly to bring forgotten crisis to public attention, to alert the public on abuses occurring beyond the headlines, to criticize the inadequacies of the aid system, and to challenge the diversion of humanitarian aid for political interests. MSF offers basic healthcare, performs surgery, fights epidemics, rehabilitates and runs hospitals and clinics, carries out vaccination campaigns, operates nutrition centers, and provides mental healthcare. The organization’s activities include the treatment of injuries and disease, maternal care, and the provision of humanitarian aid. Where necessary, it also sets up sanitation systems, supplies safe drinking water, and distributes relief to assist survival. Thousands of MSF health professionals, logistical and administrative staff, work on programs in some 70 countries worldwide. Médecins Sans Frontières was founded in Paris, France in 1971. Today, it is a worldwide movement of 24 associations, bound together as MSF International, based in Switzerland. Médecins Sans Frontières has offices in 20 countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the U.S. It has an international office in Geneva, an access to essential medicines campaign office in Geneva, and two U.N. liaison offices, one in Geneva and one in New York City. Eight MSF branch offices operate in Argentina, Czech Republic, Brazil, India, Ireland, Mexico, South Africa, and United Arab Emirates.

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