Dr Valerie Weiss treats a child with meningitis in a hospital in Anka, Nigeria in 2019; Credit: © Benedicte Kurzen / NOOR

In its 2019 report, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) revealed that the association had received €7.3 million from donors in Luxembourg last year to support its activities.

Dr Guy Berchem, President of MSF Luxembourg, explained: "2019 was marked by the 20th anniversary of the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to MSF. Twenty years after the awarding of this prize, the words of the speech delivered before the Nobel Committee by Dr James Orbinski still resonate: 'Our teams and our volunteers work with populations whose dignity is flouted daily. Our volunteers are freely committed to making this world a little more bearable. Their action can be summarised as follows: individuals who go to other individuals when they are in the worst difficulties. A bandage, a suture, a vaccine... And in the countries where we work, the possibility of telling what we see'. In 2019, MSF teams continued to work tirelessly with the intention of helping most vulnerable people".

Last year, MSF teams intervened in 72 countries. Its workforce of around 65,000 people, 80% of whom were recruited locally, provided medical and humanitarian assistance in crisis situations, particularly following conflict-related violence in Yemen, where the civilian population has no way out after five years of war, in Libya, where migrants in detention centres are exposed to ever more suffering and massive displacement, in Central America, where thousands are trapped by unfair migration policies, and in Mozambique following the ravages of two successive cyclones.

In 2019, MSF Luxembourg remained at the heart of innovation, in particular thanks to its operational research unit, LuxOR, based in the Grand Duchy. This allows MSF to improve the performance of its programmes, assess the feasibility of new strategies and / or interventions and advocate for changes in health practices and policies. Last year, LuxOR contributed to the publication of 77 articles in renowned scientific journals, covering thirteen themes and supported more than 65 research projects. To strengthen the skills of medical personnel, the unit also supported six training programmes dedicated to operational research in which 42 people participated in Kenya and Luxembourg.

These efforts have been supported by Luxembourg donors, who contributed €7.3 million to MSF's activities. Dr Guy Berchem commented: "We thank them for their generosity which allows us to preserve our independence and continue to provide care where the needs are greatest".

The MSF Luxembourg President concluded: "In 2020, we will continue to mobilise to provide the best possible care to vulnerable populations, to support fragile or war-affected health systems in a context of risk of spread of COVID-19 and to ensure the continuity of general medical assistance in more than 70 countries".