They report regularly to the Operations Departments at their headquarters. In countries where there are several projects, each project team is led by a field coordinator. Each of MSF's field missions is initiated and coordinated by one of the organization's five operational sections located in Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Geneva, and Barcelona. The Operations Departments of these offices are responsible for the field operations. An average field project team has 4 to 12 expatriate volunteers working in collaboration with up to 200 local staff members.
Expatriates generally supervise the work of local staff and provide training on medical techniques.
Local staff assist expatriate volunteers by helping them to better understand the needs of the patients and the overall social and cultural context. The team is managed by a field coordinator and supported by the operating section headquarters staff who visit the projects regularly and provide advice in program planning and management. Terminating a Project Once the acute emergency phase of a health project is over and the local health care infrastructure has been restored to an acceptable level, MSF begins to phase out its presence. Often, an entire program or part of it is handed over to other organizations which concentrate on reconstruction and long-term aid. In addition, MSF will terminate a project if risks in an area become too great to ensure the safety of the staff.