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About us

Who We Are

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

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How we work

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

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How we're run

Discover our governance and what it means to be an association. Find a quick visual guide to our offices around the world.

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Reports and financials

Read through our annual financial and activity reports, and find out about where our funds come from and how they are spent.

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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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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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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.

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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.

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Patient blogs

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

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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.

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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.

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ARHP

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Humanitarian Law

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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War in Gaza:: find out how we're responding
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24 Results For "dysentery"
 
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Haiti

After third storm, food and water urgently needed for displaced

Max Cosci, MSF Head of Mission in Haiti, is in Gonaïves and he describes the situation in the country after it was hit by Hurricane Gustav, Tropical Storm Hanna, and Hurricane Ike. Voices from the Field - 9 Sep 2008
 
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Bangladesh

MSF focuses on Bangladesh's remote coastal areas affected by Cyclone Sidr

The teams will provide treatment for health problems linked to the cyclone, problems such as diarrhoea, dysentery, respiratory and skin infections as well as minor injuries. Project Update - 29 Nov 2007
 
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Democratic Republic of Congo

Ebola virus confirmed in Kasai, MSF reinforces its team already on the ground

An outbreak of Ebola haemorrhagic fever has been confirmed in West Kasai province, in the DRC. MSF is reinforcing its emergency team already working on the ground: a team of specialists is leaving on Thursday and additional material is being sent today. Press Release - 12 Sep 2007
 
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Sudan

West Darfur: "We are looking at a second catastrophe"

"The situation will deteriorate both in terms of the logistics for food supply, but also in terms of epidemics - the seasonal malarial peak is around the corner, and with no latrines, there could be cholera, dysentery, any type of major epidemics. When you think of the global magnitude of the problem - we are talking about one million displaced people - we are afraid tens of thousands of lives could be lost." - Dr. Jean-Hervé Bradol. Project Update - 25 Jun 2004
 
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Diarrhoeal disease

Treating diarrhoea in emergency settings

Diarrhoea will have claimed 92 million lives by 2025. Sally Hargreaves from the medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières takes a look at the treatment of diarrhoea in emergency settings. Project Update - 1 Dec 2003
 
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Afghanistan

Dr Jonathan Tomlinson's First Mission with MSF, in Western Afghanistan

Dr Jonathan Tomlinson is on his first mission with MSF, in western Afghanistan. Project Update - 27 Nov 2003
 
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Russia

The 'bomzhi' - homeless in Moscow

Moscow's homeless, numbering close to 100,000, are trying to survive in conditions where temperatures regularly fall below minus 30 celcius. They are considered vagrants and criminals; are deprived shelter and basic care; and often die in the streets without anyone noticing. MSF's homeless campaign is bringing essential attention these people during the freezing Russian winter. Project Update - 21 Jan 2003
 
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Angola

MSF mourns loss of life in Angola land mine incident

On the evening of November 29, a car belonging to Médecins Sans Frontières
drove over an anti-tank landmine. The result was tragic: 7 died and 6
others were seriously wounded. Project Update - 10 Dec 2002
 
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Somalia

Bare bone facts about Somalia - an MSF briefing document

MSF has been working in Somalia since 1986. We saw the terrible build up of slaughter and famine that eventually produced the American led and UN backed military intervention on November 9 1992. The civil war that erupted after the fall of the long-term dictatorship of Siad Barre smashed central authority and stimulated a multiplication of clan factions struggling for local power. Project Update - 9 Dec 2002
 
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Angola

Weak states in Africa - Angola: MSF statement to US Senate Subcommittee

Statement by Dr Morten Rostrup, International Council President of Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) on October 16, 2002 to the US Committee on Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs. Statement - 16 Oct 2002
Cholera intervention in South Kivu
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)

Independent medical humanitarian assistance

We provide medical assistance to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from healthcare. Our teams are made up of tens of thousands of health professionals, logistic and administrative staff - most of them hired locally. Our actions are guided by medical ethics and the principles of independence and impartiality. We are a non-profit, self-governed, member-based organisation.

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