Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has issued an appeal encouraging supporters to consider leaving legacy gifts in their wills to sustain the organization’s medical humanitarian work. For over five decades, MSF has provided emergency medical care across conflict zones, epidemic outbreaks, and natural disaster sites around the world, operating independently from government funding.

The organization emphasizes that private donations are crucial to maintaining its independence, impartiality, and neutrality, enabling it to deliver aid without political or governmental influence. Approximately 20% of MSF’s projects are currently funded through gifts left in wills, highlighting the significant role legacy donations play in supporting ongoing and future operations.

MSF’s activities often involve providing critical care under challenging conditions—for example, performing surgeries in improvised settings such as floors and corridors, attending to childbirth in active warzones, and treating victims of explosions and epidemics. Henry Gray, an MSF staff member with experience in numerous crises, recalled establishing a hospital in the Democratic Republic of Congo where basic medical services were previously unavailable due to conflict. Beyond medical assistance, Gray described how the project also fostered community development by employing and training local personnel, which in turn stimulated local economic growth and improved living conditions.

MSF is committed to respecting donor privacy. The organization does not share personal data with third parties for marketing purposes and limits communication to essential updates, including its magazine Dispatches, invitations to events, and occasional emergency funding appeals. Supporters have control over how they receive updates and can adjust their communication preferences by contacting MSF UK directly.

The group underscores that without private contributions, much of its work would not be possible. By including MSF in their wills, donors help ensure the continuity of life-saving medical programs that respond swiftly to crises worldwide. The organization urges the public to consider these legacy gifts as a means to have a lasting impact on vulnerable populations in need of humanitarian aid now and in the future.