FRANCAISMédecins Sans Frontières - Comments
4) The financial resources
-As a policy, MSF-France refuses governmental subsidies and tries to be free from ECHO’s funds (European Community Humanitarian Office). The other national sections, in particular in Belgium, are less bothered about that. In 1999, on the 304 million euros of resources of the whole MSF movement, 26% came from institutional donations. This limit is to be lowered to 15%. Thanks to the support of the Rockfeller Foundation, one of the main fundraising centres is located in the United States. Therefore MSF-France can focus on its programmes, even though it makes this section more dependent on the wishes of the American public. Other “operational” sections seem to rely more on their national market and Ian Smillie noticed for instance that MSF-Holland spent 37% of its 1990 gift income on publicity and fundraising.
-Considering its financial independence from governmental grants, MSF-France is able to work on its own funds in countries that are less promoted through the media, as Angola or Chechnya as compared to Afghanistan in 2002, to say nothing of original programmes still unseen among other NGOs, especially in prisons in Côte d’Ivoire and Madagascar.
