« LÀ où ça fait mal » : MSF campaign bears witness to suffering around the world

• In the run-up to the festive season, the Luxembourg section of the medical humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is launching the second wave of its awareness campaign and appeal for donations: “LÀ où ça fait mal“ (Where it hurts, in English). 
• In keeping with MSF's original credo - to relieve human suffering, without distinction, wherever it may be - the aim is to raise awareness of the urgent need to act and to encourage the generosity of the general public.

We can all act, here and now

At MSF, our interventions are driven by impact, not media visibility. We go where it hurts (là ou ça fait mal, in French), where our field teams can make the biggest difference. Through images taken by MSF photographers in different contexts, the visuals draw attention to the living conditions and dangers faced by millions of people around the world.

The slogans used invite us to reflect on our own capacity for action by supporting a humanitarian medical NGO that intervenes on behalf of those who need it most.

This campaign is much more than a simple appeal for funds. It's a movement. A movement that wants to bring to light forgotten crises, those places in the world where need is crying out but attention is scarce". 

Thomas Kauffmann, General Director of MSF Luxembourg.

Focusing on forgotten crises that receive little media attention

With a capital "LÀ" (there, in English) placed in the heart of MSF's theatres of operations, this campaign highlights our commitment to tackling the lack of access to cancer care and our ongoing fight against forgotten crises that disproportionately affect people in the world's least developed countries. These are sometimes little-known missions, alongside our work in conflict zones, whatever side of the front line they may be on, and our health responses to epidemics that have long since disappeared in our own countries but continue to kill elsewhere.

A 360° campaign

Created by the communications agency Les Présidents, this 360° communication campaign was first launched in major French cities in December 2021 and has already been adopted by MSF Luxembourg in 2022, winning the "Best brand content of 2022" award at the Luxembourg Marketing & Communication Awards.

In 2023, the second wave of the campaign was launched this month on our digital channels and social networks. It will continue in December in the press, with an all-box distribution, as well as on billboards at the airport, on bus shelters and in certain shopping centres across the country.

Donors, the driving force behind humanitarian action

For more than 50 years, MSF has been working in the field, adapting to respond to the various crises, conflicts, epidemics and climatic disasters that its teams have had to face. The association relies on its presence in 74 countries, strong expertise in local contexts, and an efficient logistics system that enables teams and equipment to arrive on site and generally be operational in less than 72 hours. But none of this would be possible without the humanity of millions of generous donors around the world. 

MSF is 99% privately funded. This independence allows us to intervene whenever an emergency arises, anywhere in the world, such as during conflicts, natural disasters, epidemics or population displacements. For an organisation like ours, donor support is essential if we are to continue our missions.” 

Esther Leick, Communications and Fundraising Director at MSF Luxembourg.