Doctors without borders

History

It was created the December 20th 1971 by French doctors who had gone to the Biafra with the Croix-Rouge to try to help there the population at the time of a war which had opposed this independence area to the central government Nigeria N between 1967 and 1970. Estimating that the policy of neutrality and reserve of the Red Cross had been an error, they wanted to found an association which combines humanitarian aid and campaigns de publicity near the media and the political institutions.

most media Bernard Kouchner of the thirteen founders initially created the organization for the fight against the genocide in Biafra, and the following year, the Group of medical and surgical intervention in urgency (GIMCU) which was indeed the framework of MSF.

At the same time, there was a hurricane in Eastern Pakistan, now Bangladesh, which killed: 500000 people. The writers of the medical newspaper Tonus started to send the doctors to it, under the name French medical Secours (SMF). Bernard Kouchner gave an account of an idea - that an association would be better for the two organizations, and after a few months, MSF is born.

The founders of Doctors without borders are:

At the time of the operation “a boat for the Vietnam” in 1979, the most known founder of the public, Bernard Kouchner, defended the idea to charter a boat with doctors and Journaliste S to testify to the violations of the Human rights in this country and also to evacuate the Vietnameses who had fled their country after Vietnam had become a completely communist country. It followed a violent quarrel at the origin of a scission with the direction of MSF which estimated the operation too streetwalker. Bernard Kouchner will then leave definitively MSF and will create with about fifteen other doctors the organization Médecins of the world in 1980.

After this schism, MSF developed much, and took the route of the professionalisation.

MSF received the Nobel Prize of peace in 1999 in reward of its combat in favor of the humane interference. With this occasion, the 14th Dalaï Lama, also prize winner (and to undoubtedly advise) Nobel Prize of peace, addressed a message of thanks to MSF in particular for its work with the Tibet. However, in 2002, MSF made the decision discussed to withdraw Tibet after 14 years of collaboration with the Tibetans on projects of humanitarian and medical aids. The Chinese authorities maintain a strict control on the activity of the foreign ONGs to the Tibet. The Tibet has one of the lowest rates of ONG in the world, and the absence of MSF to the Tibet has an all the more important impact for the Tibetans, which would justify the return of MSF to the Tibet.

The Charter

The Charter of MSF recalls that the interventions are done in the name of the universal medical ethics and does not allow any discrimination of Race, of Religion, Philosophie or Politique. Its author is Philippe Bernier and not Bernard Kouchner, it says itself that it wrote it in ten minutes.

Internal organization

MSF counts 19 sections established in as much country (Germany, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China (HongKong), Denmark, Spain, the United States, France, Greece, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Norway, Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Sweden and Suisse). Only five are known as operational , i.e. in load of humanitarian operations on the ground. Those are:

MSF Belgium
MSF Spain
MSF France
MSF Netherlands
MSF

All the sections are active on the level of the mobilization and public awareness campaigns of funds. The not-operational sections generally have a privileged partner among the operational sections.

A International office located at Geneva takes care of the coordination of the action between the various sections. On the ground, a coordination more abstract intersection ensures the coherence of the operations. As example, the 5 operational sections of MSF are present in Democratic republic of Congo during the Second war, but on different projects as for their localization, their actions in the duration (of the emergencies to the support with the health system) or their nature (urgency, Sida, campaigns of Vaccination, support with the health system…).

“Regional Antennas”, animated by the voluntary ones, take part in the activities of information and communication of association like to the reception and the recruitment of the new volunteers at the beginning on mission.

Figures

In 2006, MSF has

collected 117,3 Million euros
dispatched 7020 tons of material
sent 1361 people on the ground

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