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MEDECINS DU MONDE JAPON (Doctors of the World Japan)

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Guiding Principles

Doctors of the World is an international humanitarian aid organization whose volunteer provide medical care for vulnerable populations around the world.
The first mission of Doctors of the World is to provide medical aid to the victims of natural disasters, famines, epidemics, infectious diseases (malaria, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis), armed conflicts, political repression, minorities as well as to street children.
Speaking out against those who attempt to be obstacles to the access to healthcare, as well denouncing those who violate human rights and dignity are also missions of Doctors of the World's. Doctors of the World condemns all forms of injustice, whatever their origin .

History

Doctors of the World was founded in 1980 when fifteen doctors from Doctors Without Borders (including Bernard Kouchner) provided medical care to Vietnamese boat people who were fleeing their country and often drowned in the China Sea doing so.
Since 1981, the number of humanitarian missions in different parts of the world increases: Afghanistan, Salvador, Chad, Mali… and also in France, UK, Spain…, where Doctors of the World has opened free HIV/AIDS detection centers as well as has created health centers for migrant populations.
Today, the priorities of Doctors of the World are endangered children populations, the prevention and medical treatment of HIV/AIDS affected individuals as well as to offer medical counseling, care and support to migrants and refugees.

International Network

The international structure of Doctors of the World is composed of 14 branches: Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Spain, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland.
Since 1996, Doctors of the World has obtained a consultative role of general rank with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.

Doctors of the World Japan

Doctors of the World Japan is the only member of the Doctors of the World network with headquarters in Asia. This branch was founded in 1995 after providing help to the Kobe earthquake victims. Doctors of the World Japan, license as a “Certified NPO Organization”, is one of the few organizations in Japan offering tax deductions to its donors.

Today, the main activities of the Japanese branch are:

- Implementing medical aid projects in Japan and elsewhere
“Tokyo Project” started its activities in April 2010. Outreach activities towards homeless people take place once a week. Medical consultations are organized outdoor every two Saturdays, at the same time when distribution of food is organized by a partner NGO. Psycho-socio-medical orientations take place at Tokyo Project office. Training and support for professionals and volunteers working with homeless people are also organized regularly on our office.
“Operation Sourire” (Operation Smile) is one of Doctors of the World Japan's key international missions. Japanese teams work in Asia and in Africa providing free surgical operations to children who suffer from cleft plates, bear congenital deformities or who have been left scarred by the effects of war. The scars aren't only physical; they often suffer terrible social exclusion too. A simple surgical operation can put a smile back on their faces and allow them to lead a normal and healthy life, rejoining the society that once rejected them. Because our highly skilled volunteers give their time and often the equipment for free, it is a very cost effective mission. and shows very clear and quick results.
- Recruiting expatriates for the international programmes implemented by other branches of the network In the past 15 years, Japanese surgeons, nurses, and field coordinators have been sent on humanitarian missions to Rwanda, Kosovo, Vietnam, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Cambodia, Indonesia･･･
- Raising awareness of health crises among the general public in Japan
To generate public awareness, Doctors of the World Japan organizes photograph exhibits, solicits the press by sending mailings and informs the general public via its newsletter and website. Our latest mobilisation campaign focuses on the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It highlights the fact that our daily life is closely related to that in DRC through the use of coltan in mobile phones, DRC being one of the main producer of coltan. Campaign website : http://www.congophone.com/eng/
- Reaching out to the Japanese government through advocacy work The main themes of advocacy chosen by Doctors of the World are the financial accessibility to health, the shortage of medical human resources, violence against women and the right to health of migrants.
- Raising funds from individuals and public or private institutions in Japan and in Asia Doctors of the World Japan is financed with the continuing support of several thousand individual donors as well as with the generous financial support of several Japanese companies: American Express, Astellas, Felissimo, Asahi Pretec, Greeting Life, Alsok, Expat Alliance･･･
  • Board of Directors:
  • Gael AUSTIN (President) CEO of PMC Co.
  • Arnaud BOURDE Anesthesist
  • Patrick DAVID Anesthesist
  • Francois FOUSSADIER Surgeon
  • Masako HARADA Nurse
  • Hisanori ISOMURA Essayist
  • Akitane KIUCHI Axa Japan Special Advisor
  • Norihiko OHURA Surgeon
  • Sawako TERASHIMA Surgeon
  • Nobuyuki YAMADA Surgeon
  • Satoshi YOZA Surgeon

Make a Donation

Examples of what your donation could do:
・ 4,500 Yens will enable 200 people with infected wounds to be treated in Chechnya
・ 7,000 Yens will give food and shelter to four street children who are victims of the war in the Congo
・ 10,000 Yens will pay for the malaria treatment and save the life of 5 children

Make a regular donation (Smile Club):
Please call us and ask us the dedicated form, or download it from our Japanese website:
http://www.mdm.or.jp/pdf/smileclub11.pdf

Make a one-off donation by card:
Donation by the following credit cards are accepted: American Express, Visa, JCB, Jaccs, Master Card.
Please write down a note indicating the amount of your donation, your name, address, and phone number, the number, brand and expiration date of your credit card, sign it and send it to us either by fax (03-3560-8073) or by mail (Azabu-Zenba Bldg 2F, 2-6-10 Higashi-Azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0044 ).

Make a one-off postal donation:
Please use the remittance form at your Post Office and fill in the required information as follow:
◎Postal Account Name：Specified Non-Profit Organization Doctors of the World Japon
◎Postal Account Number：00110－8－172839

Types of Mission

In 2009, the 14 Doctors of the World organizations led 352 projects in 78 countries.

Emergency missions
An emergency mission is defined by the fact that it provides aid enabling the basic survival needs of distressed populations Example : Emergency care in Pakistan Doctors of the World brought relief to the victims of the earthquake in Pakistan. The MDM teams arrived on October 11th, 2005, thus, three days after the catastrophe. The presence of fifteen volunteers who have handled surgical and primary care was extended until Spring 2006.

Crisis missions
A crisis is defined as a rupture that has strong medical consequences for the populations concerned. There are four types of crisis: sanitary (aids, epidemics), implementation of politics that generate violence (Afghanistan, Iraq), economic considerations that do not enable populations, who require so, to receive adequate medical treatment (tritherapy) and environmental (nuclear). Example : Taking in charge HIV/AIDS affected patients in Cambodia A center, permitting free access to anti-retroviral medication as well as to psychological support was created in Phnom-Penh. Approximately 1,800 individuals receive regular treatment.

evelopment missions
A development mission is one that brings long term solutions to those who suffer health issues that are caused by poverty.
Example : monitoring the health of working children in Bolivia This is a mission operated by a local team. Its goal is to improve the health of the children who work in mines, to limit child labor, as well as to reduce the risk of teenage depression.

“Operation Sourire” (Smile Operation)
Today, many countries do not have the human and material resources necessary to help patients who present physical sequels of war, sickness or malnutrition.
Operation Sourire enables those who are handicapped by their physical and aesthetic appearance to lead a normal life. This is possible through punctual reconstructive and orthopedic surgery missions. Basic training in these fields is also provided to local care providers, surgeons, doctors, and local nurses. This enables Doctors of the World’s actions to be perpetrated locally in the long term.
Each year, approximately thirty short term missions (two weeks) of this type are provided in fourteen different countries: Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda, Benin, Togo, Cambodia, Madagascar, Chad, Mongolia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mali, Guinea, Laos.
During each mission, between thirty to eighty patients undergo surgery.
In fifteen years, more than 4,000 surgeries have been performed.
Operation Sourire is composed of close to one hundred volunteers (surgeons, anesthetists and nurses) from Japan, France and Germany who participate regularly in these missions, therefore ensuring the medical follow-up of their patients.

Contact

Azabu-Zenba Bldg 2F, 2-6-10 Higashi-Azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0044
Metro Station: Akabanebashi (Oedo Line)
Telephone : 03-3585-6436
Fax : 03-3560-8073
MAIL : https://www.mdm.or.jp/contact/mail.html

Other MDM websites