Médecins sans Frontières
msf.org | Partner since 2014
Challenge
Conflicts, natural disasters and other crisis situations can affect tens of thousands of people with little to no warning. They cause death or injuries, disrupt access to essential goods and services such as food, water and medical care, and force people out of their homes and into uncertainty. In such situations, it is often the most vulnerable who are at greatest risk.
Many humanitarian crises unfold across different timeframes. In the immediate aftermath of a disaster, people primarily need urgent assistance to ensure survival. Over time, as the immediate danger passes, needs shift. People may be displaced and infrastructure destroyed. Where this is the case, health systems may need to be rebuilt, water and sanitation services re-established, shelter provided, and nutrition assured over longer time periods.
Response
Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) provides medical and humanitarian assistance to people whose lives are in danger due to armed conflicts, epidemics or natural disasters.
Its international network of aid workers and supply centres can respond rapidly to large-scale catastrophes and local emergencies. It assists local first responders rapidly with life-saving tools and interventions, from emergency supplies to surgical kits or even mobile hospitals. When people are forcibly displaced, MSF works alongside them on their journey as well as at points of arrival such as refugee camps, providing essentials such as safe drinking water or hygiene kits as well as healthcare, including routine vaccinations, malnutrition treatment and mental and reproductive health services.
Most recently, we’ve supported MSF’s response to the crises in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.