About us
Surgery for all who need it, wherever they are.
Photo © Geoff Ibbotson
Why we exist
Surgery is essential health care
Women with complications in childbirth, children who need life-changing procedures, people with treatable injuries and patients with operable cancers too often go without the surgery they need. We help close this gap.
9 in 10
people in low- and lower-middle-income countries cannot access basic surgical care.
Source: Lancet Commission on Global Surgery, 2015
Who we are
A Swiss foundation for safe surgical care
The Global Surgery Foundation (GSF) is a Geneva-based foundation working to expand access to safe surgical, obstetric and anaesthesia care in low- and middle-income countries.
GSF began as a UN-based initiative, set up following the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery and World Health Assembly Resolution 68.15. It keeps close links with the United Nations system, governments and international partners.
Our vision
A world where equitable access to surgical care enables every person to live a full and healthy life.
Our mission
We mobilise funding and accompany local implementing partners to expand access to safe surgical care in low- and middle-income countries.
Our model
How we work
Our model combines funding, accompaniment, and partner-led delivery.
01
Funding
SURGfund, our collaborative funding platform, mobilises, pools and channels funding to locally led work in low- and middle-income countries.
02
Accompaniment
We work alongside local implementing partners with technical guidance, clinical expertise and quality improvement, and train surgical care teams through SURGhub.
03
Partner-led delivery
Local implementing partners lead the design and delivery of each project in their own health systems. We work with them from the start.
We focus on four clinical entry points: maternal health, children’s surgery, trauma surgery and cancer surgery.
Where we work
Alongside national health systems
We focus on the countries that are furthest behind in access to surgical care, working with local implementing partners and ministries of health.
Our history
From a UN initiative to an independent Swiss foundation
GSF was initiated following the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery and World Health Assembly Resolution 68.15. These are the main steps along the way.
Our partnerships
Pooling funding and expertise
We work with governments, United Nations agencies, academic institutions and local organisations.
Through SURGfund, our collaborative funding platform, foundations, companies and governments pool their funding and channel it to locally led surgical care, so each contribution goes further than it would alone.
Partnerships work best when they are equitable. Local partners lead and we support them, and this principle runs through our processes, governance and culture.
Frequently asked questions
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The Global Surgery Foundation (GSF) is a Geneva-based foundation that mobilises funding and accompanies local implementing partners to expand access to safe surgical care in low- and middle-income countries. It began as a UN-based project, set up following the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery and World Health Assembly Resolution 68.15, and is now an independent Swiss foundation.
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Our model combines funding, accompaniment, and partner-led delivery. We mobilise funding through SURGfund, our collaborative funding platform, and accompany local implementing partners with technical guidance, clinical expertise, quality improvement, learning and evidence. Partners lead the work in their own health systems.
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Maternal health, children’s surgery, trauma surgery and cancer surgery.
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We focus on the countries that are furthest behind in access to surgical care. Our current projects are in Kenya, Nepal, Nigeria, Rwanda and Tanzania, and SURGhub reaches surgical care teams around the world.
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GSF is a foundation under the Swiss Civil Code. Its governance bodies are the Foundation Board, the High-Level Council and the Technical Advisory Council.
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Our work supports the UN 2030 Agenda, in particular SDG 3, Good Health and Well-being. Wider access to safe surgical care also contributes to SDG 1, No Poverty; SDG 5, Gender Equality; and SDG 10, Reduced Inequalities. Our partnership model reflects SDG 17, Partnerships for the Goals.
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GSF is a foundation under the Swiss Civil Code, not a US-registered charity. It has been certified as equivalent to a US 501(c)(3) organisation, and this equivalency determination is on file with NGOsource.
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GSF is a Swiss foundation, and donations are tax-deductible in Switzerland to the extent allowed by law.
Our friends and supporters based in the United States can support our activities through a contribution to the Friends of the Global Surgery Foundation (the “Fund”) at Myriad USA, a U.S. public charity within the meaning of Sections 501(c)(3) and 509(a)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code. Donors may be eligible for a U.S. income tax deduction for their contributions to the extent permitted by U.S. tax law. In accordance with U.S. tax law, Myriad USA retains complete control and discretion over amounts contributed to the Fund.
Supporters in Canada can give through Myriad Canada and receive a Canadian donation receipt.
To make a tax-deductible donation from the United States or Canada, visit our Give from the US or Canada page. For any other questions, contact info@globalsurgeryfoundation.org.
Explore
Find out more about GSF
ABOUT
Team and governance
Meet our team, Foundation Board, High-Level Council and Technical Advisory Council.
OUR WORK
Programmes
Programmes in maternal health, children’s surgery, trauma and cancer care, led by local partners.
OUR WORK
SURGfund
Our collaborative funding platform, pooling and channelling funding to locally led surgical care.
OUR WORK
SURGhub
The UN Global Surgery Learning Hub: online courses for surgical care teams, with more than 67,000 registered learners.
RESOURCES
News and events
Stories, updates and event recordings from our work and our partners.
RESOURCES
Publications
Research, reports and articles, including our annual reports.
Partner with us.
Join the funders and partners investing in locally led surgical care through SURGfund, or support our work with a donation.