MSF is an independent international medical humanitarian organisation that delivers emergency aid in more than 60 countries.
The FT appeal raises money and increases awareness of a chosen charity through dedicated editorial coverage of its work. Charity partners are selected by FT employees; readers and corporate partners are encouraged to donate. FT appeals have raised over £16 million for charities over the last 10 years, says the FT.
Since MSF’s founding in 1971, the charity has grown to become the world’s largest emergency medical humanitarian organisation. In 2014 – the last year for which the full figures are available – MSF medical teams performed 8,250,700 outpatient consultations and helped 194,400 women to give birth. In 2014, MSF had 29,900 HIV patients under its care, and its surgeons carried out 81,700 major surgeries.
FT deputy editor and head of the seasonal appeal committee Roula Khalaf said: “The Financial Times is delighted to be working with MSF for this year’s seasonal appeal. Often operating in extremely challenging situations, MSF medical teams are flexible and innovative in their approach. From ongoing conflicts to forgotten crises, FT journalists will work alongside MSF to bring underreported stories to life.”
MSF UK executive director Vickie Hawkins said: “The scale of humanitarian crisis today is staggering. Many of those crises – be it conflict in South Sudan and Yemen, mass displacement in Cameroon and Burundi or outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo – happen out of the public eye. This partnership between the Financial Times and MSF gives us an opportunity to share the experiences of our medical staff working in these forgotten crises, raise awareness and provide life-saving support to those affected by them.”
