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CAR : A Forgotten Health Emergency

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What we do

Médecins Sans Frontières brings medical humanitarian assistance to victims of conflict, natural disasters, epidemics or healthcare exclusion.

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Medical Activities

MSF Measles Vaccination in DRC

Learn about how, why, and where MSF teams respond to different diseases around the world, and the challenges we face in providing treatment.

Crisis Settings

Aden besieged

Learn about the different contexts and situations in which MSF teams respond to provide care, including war and natural disaster settings, and how and why we adapt our activities to each.

COVID-19 Project in Mons, Belgium

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Where we work

In more than 70 countries, Médecins Sans Frontières provides medical humanitarian assistance to save lives and ease the suffering of people in crisis situations.

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MSF Association

Our staff “own” and manage MSF, making sure that we stay true to our mission and principles, through the MSF Associations.

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Access Campaign

We set up the MSF Access Campaign in 1999 to push for access to, and the development of, life-saving and life-prolonging medicines, diagnostic tests and vaccines for people in our programmes and beyond.

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Staff blogs

Read stories from our staff as they carry out their work around the world.

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Patient blogs

Hear directly from the inspirational people we help as they talk about their experiences dealing with often neglected, life-threatening diseases.

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CRASH

Based in Paris, CRASH conducts and directs studies and analysis of MSF actions. They participate in internal training sessions and assessment missions in the field.

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UREPH

Based in Geneva, UREPH (or Research Unit) aims to improve the way MSF projects are implemented in the field and to participate in critical thinking on humanitarian and medical action.

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ARHP

Based in Barcelona, ARHP documents and reflects on the operational challenges and dilemmas faced by the MSF field teams.

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MSF Analysis

Based in Brussels, MSF Analysis intends to stimulate reflection and debate on humanitarian topics organised around the themes of migration, refugees, aid access, health policy and the environment in which aid operates.

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MSF Supply

This logistical and supply centre in Brussels provides storage of and delivers medical equipment, logistics and drugs for international purchases for MSF missions.

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MSF Logistique

This supply and logistics centre in Bordeaux, France, provides warehousing and delivery of medical equipment, logistics and drugs for international purchases for MSF missions.

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Amsterdam Procurement Unit

This logistical centre in Amsterdam purchases, tests, and stores equipment including vehicles, communications material, power supplies, water-processing facilities and nutritional supplements.

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Southern Africa Medical Unit

SAMU provides strategic, clinical and implementation support to various MSF projects with medical activities related to HIV and TB. This medical unit is based in Cape Town, South Africa.

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Kenya Supply Unit

Regional logistic centre for the whole East Africa region

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Brazilian Medical Unit

BRAMU specialises in neglected tropical diseases, such as dengue and Chagas, and other infectious diseases. This medical unit is based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

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MSF Medical Guidelines

Our medical guidelines are based on scientific data collected from MSF’s experiences, the World Health Organization (WHO), other renowned international medical institutions, and medical and scientific journals.

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MSF Field Research

Find important research based on our field experience on our dedicated Field Research website.

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Manson Unit

The Manson Unit is a London, UK-based team of medical specialists who provide medical and technical support, and conduct research for MSF.

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Epicentre

Providing epidemiological expertise to underpin our operations, conducting research and training to support our goal of providing medical aid in areas where people are affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or excluded from health care.

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Evaluation Units

Evaluation Units have been established in Vienna, Stockholm, and Paris, assessing the potential and limitations of medical humanitarian action, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of our medical humanitarian work.

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LGBTQI+ Inclusion in Health Settings

MSF works with LGBTQI+ populations in many settings over the last 25-30 years. LGBTQI+ people face healthcare disparities with limited access to care and higher disease rates than the general population.

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LUXOR

The Luxembourg Operational Research (LuxOR) unit coordinates field research projects and operational research training, and provides support for documentation activities and routine data collection.

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Intersectional Benchmarking Unit

The Intersectional Benchmarking Unit collects and analyses data about local labour markets in all locations where MSF employs people.

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MSF Academy for Healthcare

To upskill and provide training to locally-hired MSF staff in several countries, MSF has created the MSF Academy for Healthcare.

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Humanitarian Law

This Guide explains the terms, concepts, and rules of humanitarian law in accessible and reader-friendly alphabetical entries.

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MSF Paediatric Days

The MSF Paediatric Days is an event for paediatric field staff, policy makers and academia to exchange ideas, align efforts, inspire and share frontline research to advance urgent paediatric issues of direct concern for the humanitarian field.

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MSF Foundation

The MSF Foundation aims to create a fertile arena for logistics and medical knowledge-sharing to meet the needs of MSF and the humanitarian sector as a whole.

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DNDi

A collaborative, patients’ needs-driven, non-profit drug research and development organisation that is developing new treatments for neglected diseases, founded in 2003 by seven organisations from around the world.

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Violence in Buenaventura — December 2016 – Francisca, 77, looks at a picture of her son who died six years ago in the Brisas del Mar district of Buenaventura, Colombia. She has been living in the neighbourhood for 32 years. Buenaventura is situated on the Colombian Pacific coast. It has gained notoriety as a city with the highest crime rates in the country, where a large part of the population is exposed daily to acts of violence, including killings, shootings, extortion, kidnappings and sexual abuse.

Violence in Buenaventura

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Photo Story16 August 2017

Since 2015, MSF has offered medical and psychological services to victims of violence and sexual violence in Buenaventura.

Buenaventura is situated on the Colombian Pacific coast. It has gained notoriety as a city with the highest crime rates in the country, where a large part of the population is exposed to daily acts of violence including killings, shootings, extortion, kidnappings and sexual abuse.

Despite the psychological trauma this violence inflicts on Buenaventura´s inhabitants, access to mental health treatment is still extremely limited. Many victims are too afraid to seek help from existing services. To address this gap, MSF opened a psychological helpline in August 2015, offering phone counselling to victims of violence and sexual violence.

Violence in Buenaventura — Buenaventura has around 400,000 inhabitants and the biggest port on the Pacific coast. It is also one of the biggest trafficking hubs for cocaine, much of which comes from illegal plantations around Buenaventura. Since the privatisation of the port in 1993, many people have lost their jobs, which has contributed to the emergence of "barrios populares" (slums) in the low-tide areas of the town.

Violence in Buenaventura — The makeshift bridge entrance to one of Buenaventura's slums. Many people living here are victims of forced displacement, and now continue to be exposed to violence at the hands of local gangs and criminal groups.

Violence in Buenaventura — Gisela, a victim of forced displacement and sexual violence, lives in one of Buenaventura's slums. Before coming to Buenaventura, Gisela and her son lived in Choco department, one of the least developed parts of Colombia. She escaped after she and her son were brutally raped in their house by rebels. Soon after that incident, she discovered she had contracted the HIV virus from her aggressor.

Violence in Buenaventura — Gisela by the side of the main road in Buenaventura. After discovering that she was HIV positive, Gisela suffered from anxiety, depression and panic attacks. She was deeply affected by the sexual abuse she and her son had suffered and started having suicidal thoughts. "I didn't have any desire to carry on with my life," she recalls.

Violence in Buenaventura — Gisela first reached out for psychological support after she spotted an ad for MSF's helpline. “I saw an ad saying if you have issues sleeping, if you feel anxious, call us," she says. "So I dialled the number and was immediately attended to by a psychologist.” After an initial consultation on the phone, Gisela was referred for one-to-one therapy with a psychologist, which helped her overcome the traumatic events from her past. Gisela is now a community leader and activist, working with women and youth on issues of sexual violence prevention, HIV/AIDS stigmatisation and treatment, and the empowerment of women. She still sees her psychologist once a month.

Violence in Buenaventura — Carolina Cuartas is an MSF psychologist who responds daily to the calls received through psychological first-aid phone line. “Many victims of violence in Buenaventura are too scared to reach out for help," she says. "Calling on the phone is easier for them, and it´s an opportunity for us to show people there is a way out of the trauma.”

Violence in Buenaventura — MSF doctor Jonathan Prieto talks to the mother of a patient who was diagnosed with psychiatric disorder. The patient is a former guerilla fighter and a drug user, and suffers from violent behaviour and hallucinations. In Buenaventura city there is not a single psychiatrist available for a population of more than 400,000 people. All the patients diagnosed with psychiatric disorders are referred by MSF to Cali, a city 80 kilometres north, which takes three and a half hours to reach by road.

Violence in Buenaventura — The Brisas del Mar district of Buenaventura. Many families here are victims of forced displacement.

Violence in Buenaventura — An awareness-raising workshop on sexual violence with women from Brisas del Mar district, Buenaventura. The community workshops include activities using games and group work to raise awareness of the importance of mental health and building self-defence mechanisms within the community. Many participants are women, who are the primary victims of violence, including sexual violence.

Violence in Buenaventura — Francisca, 77, resting with her granddaughter in front of her house in Buenaventura's Brisas del Mar district. She has lived in this area for 32 years. “It's calm here, thank God, but on the other side of the street there is always trouble,” she says. She lost her two brothers because of violent assaults, which she believes were probably carried out by armed groups.

Violence in Buenaventura — December 2016 – Francisca, 77, looks at a picture of her son who died six years ago in the Brisas del Mar district of Buenaventura, Colombia. She has been living in the neighbourhood for 32 years. Buenaventura is situated on the Colombian Pacific coast. It has gained notoriety as a city with the highest crime rates in the country, where a large part of the population is exposed daily to acts of violence, including killings, shootings, extortion, kidnappings and sexual abuse.

Violence in Buenaventura — Wooden houses built on low-lying areas in Buenaventura's Espacio Humanitario district. None of them has running water or electricity.

Violence in Buenaventura — During one of the outreach workshops, MSF psychologist Brillith Martinez identifies a potential patient, a survivor of forced displacement and domestic violence. She helps the woman to schedule her first psychological consultation through the MSF helpline. "Every day we hear harrowing stories of people who have witnessed or have been victims of unspeakable violence," she says. "Our patients tell us how they witnessed mutilations in public, that people were cut up like a chicken in front of them. What is shocking is that this level of violence has become something “normal” to people here.”

Violence in Buenaventura — Nuri sells fish at one of Buenaventura's markets. One of her sons was brutally murdered by a local gang 16 years ago. He was decapitated and his body was burned. Since then, Nuri has suffered from panic attacks, anxiety and symptoms of schizophrenia. She has been undergoing treatment with an MSF psychologist, which has enabled her to face her fears and continue to work in the market. “Before, I didn't talk to anyone about my problems. If I saw a person twice in the street, I thought I was being followed. But I am relaxed now – if something doesn't work, I have learned to let it go. I'm not afraid of everything anymore.”

Violence in Buenaventura — People wait to be attended to in front of the victims' centre (Unidad de Atención e Información para la Reparación de Victimas, UARIV). These centres were put in place in 2012 to offer assistance to victims of Colombia's civil war, including the right to compensation and the restitution of land lost during forced displacement. There are more than 133,000 people registered as victims of armed conflict in Buenaventura. That's more than a quarter of the city's population.

Violence in Buenaventura — A street vendor walks past a mural on one of Buenaventura's streets. The city's official unemployment rate is as high as 60 per cent, and 95 per cent of jobs are in the informal sector.