Assessment
The information that would prompt an assessment mission can come from various places: requests from local government or the international community, proposals from humanitarian organisations such as the United Nations Department of Humanitarian Affairs Department (UNDHA), requests from financial bodies such as the Humanitarian Aid Department of the European Commission (ECHO), local and national NGOs, or from MSF teams already present in the region.
Once the information has been checked and validated, MSF sends a team to the crisis area equipped with medical and logistical expertise in order to carry out a quick and efficient evaluation. The team assesses the situation, the number of people affected and the current and future needs and sends a proposal back to the MSF office. When the proposal is approved, staff at MSF headquarters start the process of selecting personnel, organising materials and resources and securing project funds.
Initiating a project
Once the project plan has been drawn up and confirmed, technical equipment and resources are sent to the area. In large crises, planes fly in all the necessary materials so that the work can begin immediately. Thanks to set protocols, the specialised kits and the emergency stores, MSF can distribute material and equipment within 48 hours, ready for the response team to start work as soon as they arrive.
Running a project
MSF projects generally have a life span somewhere between 18 months and three and a half years. There are clear differences between an emergency response and a long-term healthcare project, but they all follow roughly the same process.
Closing a project
Once the critical medical needs have been addressed (which could be after weeks, months or years depending on the situation), MSF begins a gradual withdrawal of staff and equipment. At this point the project closes or is passed on to an appropriate organisation, usually another NGO or government department.
MSF will also close a project if risks in the area become too great to ensure the safety of staff.