Philanthropy Friday #2

Philanthropy of the Week: Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)
Amount donated: $25

This is a great organisation.

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international medical humanitarian organization working in more than 60 countries to assist people whose survival is threatened by violence, neglect, or catastrophe.

Please see their websites, whether American or International, or their Wikipedia page, for more info.

You can follow MSF on Twitter (@MSF_USA--search for your own country's, as I know there's one for the UK, Australia, and Canada at least) or 'Like' it on Facebook to keep up with their activities as well.

Why I like it as a charity:

• It provides vital services in the face of harsh conditions such as war, disaster, etc.
  
• It does so without partisanship.
  
• 85% of the funding of MSF comes from private donations.
  
• It is well established, having been founded forty years ago.
  
• It has received the Nobel Peace Prize for its efforts.
  
• 'The organization actively provides health care and medical training to populations in about 70 countries, and frequently insists on political responsibility in conflict zones such as Chechnya and Kosovo. Only once in its history, during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, has the organisation called for military intervention. In order to be able to speak and act freely, MSF remains independent of any political, religious or economic powers.'--from the Wikipedia article.
  
• The American branch was given a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator.
  
• In 2008, according to Charity Navigator, only 13 cents per dollar raised were spent on fundraising for the American branch. 1.3% was spent on administrative costs. A full 86.8% was spent on programme expenses.