Doctors Without Borders decided to
commit to providing help to those who need it, regardless of possible political
complications. This led to several situations where the organization was banned
from the country or the area, or sometimes even trapped in the conflict itself,
as in case of the Rwandan genocide. Given that, Doctors Without Borders
received the Peace Nobel Prize in 1999 for their uncompromising humanitarian
efforts (via Britannica), but also their role in peacekeeping operations. Their
work across 70 countries has been crucial for survival of many displaced,
war-stricken, and impoverished communities.
Doctors Without Borders was founded in
1971, in the aftermath of the Biafran famine of
the Nigerian
Civil War, by a small group of French doctors and journalists who
sought to expand accessibility to medical care across
national boundaries and irrespective of race, religion, creed or
political affiliation.[3]
Doctors
Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) offers medical humanitarian
assistance to people based solely on need, irrespective of race, religion, gender, or
political affiliation. Our teams of doctors, nurses, logisticians, and other
frontline workers are often among the first on the scene when peoples’ lives
are upended by conflict, disease outbreaks, or natural or human-made disasters. The decision to respond is based solely on
our independent assessment of medical needs. We work to ensure that our teams
can reach people in need without restriction and provide aid directly.
We
believe that the principles of impartiality and neutrality are not synonymous
with silence. When the world turns its back on crises, we are duty-bound to
raise our voices and speak out on behalf of our patients. With over
45,000 staff members of 169 nationalities working in more than 70 countries
around the world, we recognize that diversity, equity, and inclusion are
inextricably linked to the success of our medical humanitarian mission.
We strive to be as open
and transparent as possible when it comes to the work we do and the money we
spend.. Our financial independence ensures that the aid we provide is not used
to further any government’s political or military goals. Most of our funding
comes from small donations. 97.2
percent of the money we raised globally in 2020 came from individual donors and
private institutions.
