Founding of Médecins Sans Frontières

Medecins Sans Frontieres, known in English as Doctors Without Borders, is an international humanitarian organization that provides emergency medical care to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters and exclusion from health care. It was founded in Paris on 21 December 1971 by a group of French doctors and journalists, some of whom had worked in Biafra during the Nigerian civil war and wanted to speak out about suffering they had witnessed rather than keep silent. The organization is committed to neutrality and independence, and it relies largely on private donations. It operates in dozens of countries, running hospitals, vaccination campaigns and surgical programs. It received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999.

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