In the midst of the novel coronavirus pandemic, I hope that you and your loved ones are staying safe and healthy.

This pandemic will touch each of us—our families, our friends, our communities, and, of course, the people we serve. A crisis of this scale presents us with enormous challenges that we must face together. The rapid spread of the novel coronavirus makes clear how important it is to be prepared for emergencies—and because of you, Doctors Without Borders teams are working hard to meet the challenges of this pandemic.

Here’s just some of what we’re doing right now:

• Our teams are working in Italy, Spain, Switzerland, France, Norway, Greece, and Belgium, to offer strategic advice, support, and training for front-line health workers as they work to control the spread of the novel coronavirus and treat the disease it causes, COVID-19.
• In Iraq, we’re supporting a hospital in Baghdad, improving infection and control measures, and training staff, all while our previously existing projects continue to provide lifesaving health care while reinforcing capacity to identify COVID-19 patients.
• In Syria, where daily bombing and shelling have put 80 hospitals out of service, we’ve set up hygiene committees and triage systems to help stem the spread in a difficult situation.
• Meanwhile, in Hong Kong, our teams are providing health education and mental health support for vulnerable groups.
• In South Africa, we’re helping with contact tracing and developing health promotion materials.

Our decades of experience fighting epidemics have enabled us to offer vitally needed support now. As you may know, Doctors Without Borders does not accept US government funding, which means it is the support of our donors that helps us maintain our independence and our ability to rapidly respond to the novel coronavirus crisis.

We’re facing a global crisis and much will change in the coming weeks and months. Health systems strained by COVID-19 will need our help caring for patients with other illnesses. At the same time, Doctors Without Borders has been a leader in responding to infectious disease outbreaks for nearly 50 years, and we stand ready to respond wherever medical care is needed most. It is your generosity that makes this possible—and we’re so grateful for our supporters who help fund that critical work.

To learn more about the important care Doctors Without Borders teams provide, please visit doctorswithoutborders.org/covid19 and read more about our lifesaving work around the world.

You and your loved ones are on my mind as we make it through this difficult time.

Avril Benoît
Executive Director
Doctors Without Borders USA