3/9/06

Doctors Without Borders’ independent funding

A commitment to quality and independent funding are key to the success of Doctors Without Borders, its U.S. head, Nicolas de Torrente, said during a lecture at Meredith College in Raleigh.

De Torrente is executive director of the U.S. office of Doctors Without Borders, an international humanitarian relief organization whose 2,500 field staff, including doctors and nurses, provides free medical care in about 80 countries worldwide.

The group works to alleviate suffering in locations devastated by crises, including war, famine and natural disasters.

The goal of Doctors Without Borders is to "reach people, whoever they are, without discrimination and to be able to focus efforts on those who need it the most," de Torrente said

To do that well, he said, the group relies on private funding.

"We've developed an independent funding base so we can focus on areas of biggest need with the most flexibility possible," he said. "We can't be reliant on government funding, or we can't do this."

[From an article by Ret Boney, Philanthropy Journal]

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