Undaunted and determined, Merlin saves lives. We deliver medical expertise to the toughest places. And we stay to help build lasting health care. 

In just 18 years, Merlin has grown into the UK’s leading international health charity, with a reputation for acting fast to save lives when a crisis comes. 

To date, Merlin has worked in over 40 countries and responded to some of the most serious humanitarian emergencies of recent history. 

These include the Rwandan genocide, the Asian tsunami, Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar (Burma), the Haiti earthquake, Pakistan floods and 2011's devastating food crisis in east Africa. 

Merlin now has over 6,000 staff members, 99% of whom are based in the field - and reaching the lives of 10 million people on average each year.

 

Our Mission

Our mission is to end the needless loss of life in the poorest countries caused by a lack of effective health care. We help communities set up medical services for the long term including hospitals, clinics, surgeries and training for nurses and other health workers.

We do whatever it takes and we stay for as long as it takes. But we couldn't do any of this without the passion and commitment of our supporters backing us all the way.

 

How Merlin is different

Just like Merlin, there are many organisations ready to respond to humanitarian disasters around the world. But not all of them stay for the long term. Merlin recognises that, at this point, a country's problems are only just beginning. That's why Merlin is different: we stay to help rebuild the health infrastructure, and we stay for as long as it takes.

 

Empowering communities

We don't want to help countries simply survive, we want them to thrive. To make that happen we have to involve communities: that means staying put, training health workers and educating the local population about better medical care. Our policy work is vital too: informing, inspiring and influencing decision makers has real impact on the frontline.

 

People not politics

When we get on a plane to help a country struck by disaster, we leave our politics and religious alliances at home. We don't point fingers, and we don't lay blame: what's most important to us is what we can do to help vulnerable people today and in the future.

 

Money well spent

When a supporter entrusts us with a donation, we believe it's important to be efficient. That way, we can devote more funds to where you want them to be spent - saving lives.  On average, 96p pf every £1 spent goes directly to our field operations.