Our teams at Doctors Without Borders are used to dealing with emergencies, but we’ve never experienced anything on this scale. The novel coronavirus pandemic is so big that it threatens to overwhelm us all. But there are measures we can take—whether as individuals, governments, or corporations—to steer our way out of this crisis. By working together, we can collectively stand up to a virus that knows no borders.

I share the grief many are feeling about this crisis. But at the same time, I’m feeling tremendous gratitude for the health care workers all over the world risking their lives to save ours as well as for our generous supporters who help our teams go where they’re needed to save lives during crises like this.

Today is Giving Tuesday Now, a special day of giving created to recognize the great need that COVID-19 has created. For those of us at Doctors Without Borders, it means coming together as a global community to support medical care for people around the world. A health crisis of this scale requires an unprecedented amount of resources, and our supporters ensure we’re able to help where we’re needed most. 

Our teams are racing to respond to the novel coronavirus pandemic in more than 70 countries where we already run lifesaving programs, while opening projects in new countries as outbreaks occur. However, the challenges are many—while COVID-19 spreads and strains health systems around the world, other diseases continue to pose risks. Shortages of personal protective equipment like masks and gloves as well as other resources can make work harder for our teams and put lives in danger. And while dealing with the daily toll of the virus, we must continue our advocacy efforts alongside our medical care to ensure that any new treatments or vaccines are available and affordable to all.

For nearly 50 years, Doctors Without Borders teams have worked to provide medical aid and save lives around the world—and COVID-19 is no exception. We count on our donors to ensure that our teams have what they need to save lives everywhere they’re needed. For this Giving Tuesday Now, we’ve set a goal of bringing in 1,100 monthly supporters of our work that we have to hit by midnight to make the biggest impact—and time is counting down. 

When you give monthly, you allow our teams to plan ahead, knowing they’ll have the resources to help where they’re needed. To help make the biggest impact, consider becoming a monthly donor today.

Thank you,

Avril Benoît
Executive Director
Doctors Without Borders USA