The biggest refugee camp in the world is full

As more and more people crowd the camps and the surrounding desert, the availability of essential services – such as water, sanitation and education – is shrinking, and living conditions are getting rapidly worse. Project Update - 10 Jun 2011

Child health

Child mortality observed to be 50% lower with better food

MSF Niger study reinforces that high-quality nutritious foods should be a pillar in Global Fight Against Childhood Mortality; G8 countries should ensure that appropriate foods reach vulnerable children Press Release - 24 May 2011

Colombia

Treating vulnerable populations in Buenaventura

The port city of Buenaventura is the primary place of refuge for populations displaced by the armed conflict on the Pacific coast. Precarious living conditions and the privatization of the health care system have created significant obstacles to obtaining access to medical care. In June, 2008, MSF opened a primary health care center, which conducted more than 22,500 patient visits in 2010. Project Update - 20 May 2011

Meningitis

Meningitis vaccine for 607,000 people in rural Chad

Thanks to the vaccine, the people of Laokassi, Moundou, Melfi, Kelo, Benoye and Kroumla should be protected against the disease for the next three years. Nonetheless, for the inhabitants of a country where meningitis is endemic, such as Chad, the new vaccine, which offers five years’ protection, cannot come soon enough. Project Update - 22 Apr 2011

Italy

Survivors of boat collapse off Lampedusa coast receive medical and psychological care

One young Somali who survived the shipwreck said: I received injuries to the face when the boat took on water…. I know how to swim, but two other passengers were holding on to me so as not to drown…. It was a struggle to survive.” Project Update - 12 Apr 2011

Côte d'Ivoire

MSF in Ivory Coast works amidst high insecurity to supply and support medical facilities

There is a great concern that many wounded people and patients suffering from medical emergencies and chronicle disease cannot access to proper care. The dangerous conditions in Abidjan have also put on the road an estimated one million people, who are fleeing towards the north of the city or to their villages further away. Project Update - 7 Apr 2011

Japan

MSF psychologists work with quake and tsunami survivors in Japan

While running the mobile clinics an assessment determined that, while health needs were largely being met by national actors, psychological assistance was an area in which MSF could offer increased assistance. Voices from the Field - 5 Apr 2011

Japan

MSF teams spread to new areas throughout the earthquake zone

The majority of consultations were elderly patients with chronic diseases. Many of them were running out of medications for hypertension and diabetes. Overnight, the weather in the area was poor, with snow and sub-zero temperatures. A few hyperthermia cases were seen, as well as some respiratory tract infections, possibly due to the crowded conditions in some of the evacuation centres. Project Update - 17 Mar 2011

Côte d'Ivoire

Mobile medical response for tens of thousands of Ivory Coast refugees near the border in Liberia

Since early December, 2010, following the post election violence and tension in Ivory Coast, tens of thousands of Ivorian fleeing their country have sought refuge on the Liberian border. Project Update - 24 Feb 2011

Niger

Letter from the field: Satisfactions and sadness in Niger's intensive care malnutrition centres

Dr. Awras Majeed is a medical doctor from Wellington, New Zealand. For the past seven months, she has been working in Zinder, Niger, providing medical care to severely malnourished children. This is her first field placement with MSF and here, she gives a glimpse into what it is like to work in Niger during the ‘hunger season’. Voices from the Field - 4 Feb 2011

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)

Independent medical humanitarian assistance

We provide medical assistance to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from healthcare. Our teams are made up of tens of thousands of health professionals, logistic and administrative staff - most of them hired locally. Our actions are guided by medical ethics and the principles of independence and impartiality. We are a non-profit, self-governed, member-based organisation.

Learn more

About us

What we do

Where we work

MSF Websites