Kristel Eerdekens

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is the world's leading independent international medical relief organization, implementing and managing medical projects in close to 72 countries worldwide and as a worldwide movement of 25 associations, 24 sections, 17 offices and 6 operational entities. Our work focuses on emergency medical and humanitarian relief. We are guided by the principles of independence, neutrality and impartiality, as described in the MSF Charter. We implement our medical programs in areas where no health or sanitary systems exist, or where health structures are overwhelmed by the needs of populations. For 50 years, we have been providing medical assistance to people affected by armed conflicts, natural disasters, disease epidemics, malnutrition crises and other emergencies. We offer medical and humanitarian assistance to people based on their needs - irrespective of race, religion, gender or political affiliation. We observe neutrality in situations of conflict, and impartiality in the name of medical ethics. To ensure our independence, the majority of our funding is provided by private donations from members of the public. Additional funding may come from foundations, governments and international institutions.