Médecins Sans Frontières is an emergency medical organization providing emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, exclusion from healthcare and natural or man-made disasters.
For over 50 years, MSF has been helping people in distress, regardless of their ethnic origin, religion or political beliefs. The organization's interventions are based on medical ethics and the principles of neutrality, impartiality and independence.
Doctors and nurses, but also logisticians, administrators, finance and human resources managers work for MSF. Teams are made up of people from all over the world, 90% of whom are recruited locally, where we operate.
MSF's support includes primary healthcare, surgery, psychological support, vaccination campaigns, treatment of malnutrition and infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. The organization is also fighting against epidemics such as Ebola, cholera and Covid-19.
MSF aims to improve the living conditions of people around the world, and also speaks on behalf of those who cannot do so, or who are not listened to. For this reason, speaking out and bearing witness are rooted in MSF's history and form an essential part of our identity.
In 2022, the Swiss section of MSF was active in 31 countries, with some 6,200 staff providing aid on the ground, for example in Ukraine, Yemen, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan. Around 400 people support the local teams from Geneva and Zurich.
MSF Switzerland is mainly financed by private donations (over 95%), thus ensuring its independence of action. The humanitarian organization is ZEWO certified.