Doctors Without Borders
1 Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières
(MSF) is an international medical humanitarian organization
created by doctors and journalists in France in 1971. In 1999,
4 the organization received the Nobel Peace Prize.
Today, MSF provides independent, impartial
assistance in more than 60 countries to people whose survival
7 is threatened by violence, neglect, or catastrophe, primarily due
to armed conflict, epidemics, malnutrition, exclusion from
health care, or natural disasters. MSF gives assistance to those
10 most in need. MSF also calls attention to neglected crises,
challenges inadequacies or abuse of the aid system, and
defends improved medical treatments and protocols.
13 Humanitarian Action
MSF's work is based on the humanitarian principles of
medical ethics and impartiality. The organization is dedicated
16 to giving quality medical care to people in crises not
considering race, religion, or political affiliation.
MSF operates independently of any political, military,
19 or religious views. Medical teams conduct evaluations to
determine a population's medical needs before opening
programs, with the objective of answering problems that exist
22 (instead of duplicating services that are already offered) or
reach communities that are not being assisted. The key to
MSF’s ability to act independently in response to a crisis is its
25 independent funding. Ninety percent of MSF's overall funding
(and 100 percent of MSF-USA's funding) comes from private,
non-governmental sources. In 2009, MSF had 3.8 million
28 individual donors and private funders all over the world. As a
consequence, MSF is a neutral organization. It does not take
sides in any armed conflicts, for example.
Internet: <www.doctorswithoutborders.org> (adapted).
Doctors Without Borders
