Click here for more information about Medecins Sans Frontieres.

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My story begins early this year during the final 200 metres of the London marathon. As I rounded the bend past Buckingham Palace and up the Mall, I decided that the one thing that was really needed right now was a sprint finish. Fail. My right leg did not agree, cramped immediately, and so when I crossed the finish line it was less an exhilerating stride to glory, and more of a painful hobble to relief, punctuated by hissing and swearing.

There's no point to this story really, but I thought that if you're thinking about donating your hard-earned money you should at least get a humorous anecdote for your troubles.

But that's not all, because by donating to Médecins Sans Frontières/ Doctors without Borders (MSF), your money will also provide support for a great charity. Here's some more information about them:

 

What they do

 

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international humanitarian aid organisation that provides emergency medical assistance to populations in danger in more than 60 countries.

Emergency medical aid

 

MSF has been setting up emergency medical aid missions around the world since 1971:

- Providing essential healthcare during and after conflict

- Treating people affected by epidemic diseases

- Helping people in the aftermath of natural disasters

- Offering medical care to those excluded from healthcare

Training, support and healthcare

 

In countries where health facilities are insufficient or even non-existent, MSF collaborates with authorities such as the Ministry of Health to provide assistance.

MSF also:

- Rehabilitates hospitals and clinics

- Runs vaccination programmes

- Performs surgery

- Operates feeding centres for malnourished children

- Provides psychological support

- Runs water and sanitation projects

MSF also works in remote health care centres and slum areas and provides training to local personnel.

Bearing witness

 

In carrying out humanitarian assistance, MSF seeks also to raise awareness of crisis situations.

MSF acts as a witness and will speak out, either in private or in public, about the plight of populations in danger for whom we work.

In doing so, MSF sets out to alleviate human suffering, to protect life and health and to restore respect for human beings and their fundamental human rights.

http://www.msf.org.uk/ourwork.aspx

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medecins_Sans_Frontieres