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Cholera intervention in South Kivu

Learn about our mission, our charter and principles, and who we are.

How we work

See what triggers an intervention and how supply and logistics allow our teams to respond quickly.

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What we do

Médecins Sans Frontières brings medical humanitarian assistance to victims of conflict, natural disasters, epidemics or healthcare exclusion.

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Medical Activities

MSF Measles Vaccination in DRC

Learn about how, why, and where MSF teams respond to different diseases around the world, and the challenges we face in providing treatment.

Crisis Settings

Aden besieged

Learn about the different contexts and situations in which MSF teams respond to provide care, including war and natural disaster settings, and how and why we adapt our activities to each.

COVID-19 Project in Mons, Belgium

Learn about our response and our work in depth on specific themes and events.

Where we work

In more than 70 countries, Médecins Sans Frontières provides medical humanitarian assistance to save lives and ease the suffering of people in crisis situations.

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Africa

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Middle East & North Africa

Middle East & North Africa

Europe & Central Asia

Europe & Central Asia

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MSF Websites

A Global Network

Our offices around the world

Our offices around the world

Other Sites

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MSF Association

Our staff “own” and manage MSF, making sure that we stay true to our mission and principles, through the MSF Associations.

Access Campaign

We set up the MSF Access Campaign in 1999 to push for access to, and the development of, life-saving and life-prolonging medicines, diagnostic tests and vaccines for people in our programmes and beyond.

Staff blogs

Read stories from our staff as they carry out their work around the world.

Patient blogs

Hear directly from the inspirational people we help as they talk about their experiences dealing with often neglected, life-threatening diseases.

CRASH

Based in Paris, CRASH conducts and directs studies and analysis of MSF actions. They participate in internal training sessions and assessment missions in the field.

UREPH

Based in Geneva, UREPH (or Research Unit) aims to improve the way MSF projects are implemented in the field and to participate in critical thinking on humanitarian and medical action.

ARHP

Based in Barcelona, ARHP documents and reflects on the operational challenges and dilemmas faced by the MSF field teams.

MSF Analysis

Based in Brussels, MSF Analysis intends to stimulate reflection and debate on humanitarian topics organised around the themes of migration, refugees, aid access, health policy and the environment in which aid operates.

MSF Supply

This logistical and supply centre in Brussels provides storage of and delivers medical equipment, logistics and drugs for international purchases for MSF missions.

MSF Logistique

This supply and logistics centre in Bordeaux, France, provides warehousing and delivery of medical equipment, logistics and drugs for international purchases for MSF missions.

Amsterdam Procurement Unit

This logistical centre in Amsterdam purchases, tests, and stores equipment including vehicles, communications material, power supplies, water-processing facilities and nutritional supplements.

Southern Africa Medical Unit

SAMU provides strategic, clinical and implementation support to various MSF projects with medical activities related to HIV and TB. This medical unit is based in Cape Town, South Africa.

Kenya Supply Unit

Regional logistic centre for the whole East Africa region

Brazilian Medical Unit

BRAMU specialises in neglected tropical diseases, such as dengue and Chagas, and other infectious diseases. This medical unit is based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

MSF Medical Guidelines

Our medical guidelines are based on scientific data collected from MSF’s experiences, the World Health Organization (WHO), other renowned international medical institutions, and medical and scientific journals.

MSF Field Research

Find important research based on our field experience on our dedicated Field Research website.

Manson Unit

The Manson Unit is a London, UK-based team of medical specialists who provide medical and technical support, and conduct research for MSF.

Epicentre

Providing epidemiological expertise to underpin our operations, conducting research and training to support our goal of providing medical aid in areas where people are affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or excluded from health care.

Evaluation Units

Evaluation Units have been established in Vienna, Stockholm, and Paris, assessing the potential and limitations of medical humanitarian action, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of our medical humanitarian work.

LGBTQI+ Inclusion in Health Settings

MSF works with LGBTQI+ populations in many settings over the last 25-30 years. LGBTQI+ people face healthcare disparities with limited access to care and higher disease rates than the general population.

LUXOR

The Luxembourg Operational Research (LuxOR) unit coordinates field research projects and operational research training, and provides support for documentation activities and routine data collection.

Intersectional Benchmarking Unit

The Intersectional Benchmarking Unit collects and analyses data about local labour markets in all locations where MSF employs people.

MSF Academy for Healthcare

To upskill and provide training to locally-hired MSF staff in several countries, MSF has created the MSF Academy for Healthcare.

Humanitarian Law

This Guide explains the terms, concepts, and rules of humanitarian law in accessible and reader-friendly alphabetical entries.

MSF Paediatric Days

The MSF Paediatric Days is an event for paediatric field staff, policy makers and academia to exchange ideas, align efforts, inspire and share frontline research to advance urgent paediatric issues of direct concern for the humanitarian field.

MSF Foundation

The MSF Foundation aims to create a fertile arena for logistics and medical knowledge-sharing to meet the needs of MSF and the humanitarian sector as a whole.

DNDi

A collaborative, patients’ needs-driven, non-profit drug research and development organisation that is developing new treatments for neglected diseases, founded in 2003 by seven organisations from around the world.

Asylum seeker in Serbia, JAN 2015 — “It is inhumane! I thought Europeans were good people. Now what am I supposed to think of them when they treat us worse than criminals?” said a Togolese migrant.

Transit denied: stranded in cold Serbia

War in Gaza:: find out how we're responding

War in Gaza: find out how we're responding

Photo Story19 February 2015

On their journey through the Balkans to seek better protection and assistance in Europe, many asylum seekers, refugees and migrants are stranded in forests and abandoned buildings in Serbia. They struggle through the cold weather without sufficient food or shelter, and have limited access to basic medical care. They are exposed to the risk of criminal networks, physical attacks and robberies. The European Union asylum system has so far failed to offer them aid and protection upon arrival. Not allowed to transit through the EU, they have no choice but to use irregular migration routes to reach safety and protection. Many have already experienced appalling conditions while being detained in Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. They are forced to continue this long journey, without knowing where it will end.

Asylum seeker in Serbia, JAN 2015 — No refuge found in Europe.

Asylum seeker in Serbia, JAN 2015 — In Subotica, near the Hungarian border, hundreds of asylum seekers and migrants used to shelter in an old brick factory, but now the place is empty. “The police came four days ago and took everyone who didn't manage to escape,” said an asylum seeker.

Asylum seeker in Serbia, JAN 2015 — “From walking all that time without socks I ended up having huge blisters. It's OK now, but look, we can still see some of them,” said a 37-year-old Afghan man who has made his entire journey without socks.

Asylum seeker in Serbia, JAN 2015 — A pair of burnt shoes left in the 'jungle'. “The police burnt everything. They asked us to remove our shoes, our jackets and burnt all our belongings,” said a 17-year-old Afghan refugee.

Asylum seeker in Serbia, JAN 2015 — The remains of the burnt belongings from the refugees and migrants. These include their jackets and blankets.

Asylum seeker in Serbia, JAN 2015 — On a mobile clinic consultation in Bogovadja, MSF provides a new pair of shoes, socks, fresh underwear, and a “transit kit” to a feverish Somali man. Despite the sub-zero temperatures, he will have to sleep outside tonight.

Asylum seeker in Serbia, JAN 2015 — MSF doctors examine the foot of a diabetic Somali man who has trouble controlling his blood sugar level due to the lack of proper insulin medication and his precarious journey.

Asylum seeker in Serbia, JAN 2015 — A six-year-old Syrian boy was burnt by a broken shower in a detention centre in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia six days ago. His wound had not been redressed for days and an MSF nurse changes the dressing for him during a consultation.

Asylum seeker in Serbia, JAN 2015 — A young Syrian man is examined by an MSF doctor. He left his country two months ago and has been in Serbia for three days. He has a sore throat and says he can barely swallow.

Asylum seeker in Serbia, JAN 2015 — A group of men from Togo, Gambia, Mali and Ivory Coast keep themselves warm around a small campfire in the garden next to the Bogovadja asylum center where they were denied access. The group has in total two sleeping bags for 10 men for the night.

Asylum seeker in Serbia, JAN 2015 — A Togolese man and others are denied access to the Bogovadja centre. “It’s been four days we are freezing outside… We did all that is required… but here again they refused to give us the papers,” he said with tears in his eyes.

Asylum seeker in Serbia, JAN 2015 — “I can't keep going like this without sleeping. It is for a maximum of five minutes each time. I am too cold to sleep, I don't even have a blanket. I have to stay around the fire outside to stay alive. I am beyond tired. Why are we treated like criminals?” said a Togolese migrant.

Asylum seeker in Serbia, JAN 2015 — MSF staff are leaving food and water in an abandoned house to asylum seekers and migrants who were refused access to the asylum centre in Bogovadja.

Asylum seeker in Serbia, JAN 2015 — “Some people were sleeping here last night. They left very early in the morning as they could not sleep. Last night was very cold and it was snowing all night,” said a Malian migrant.

Asylum seeker in Serbia, JAN 2015 — MSF staff are checking an abandoned house where some asylum seekers and migrants seek refuge for the night when they are not allowed inside the asylum centre in Bogovadja.

Asylum seeker in Serbia, JAN 2015 — The abandoned house has many missing windows and no heating. There is no running water, toilet, bathroom or electricity. Blankets are left by asylum seekers and refugees who stayed here before.

Asylum seeker in Serbia, JAN 2015 — “It is inhumane! I thought Europeans were good people. Now what am I supposed to think of them when they treat us worse than criminals?” said a Togolese migrant.

Up Next

Serbia

Asylum seekers and migrants left in cold

Project Update 19 February 2015