Providing care with expertise and humanity
Because health is a fundamental right, we operate in 13 countries to make healthcare equally accessible to the most vulnerable, working closely with individuals and their communities to reduce mortality and disease with the aim of achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
Taking action means remaining profoundly human
In a challenging context, 2025 was a particularly intense year for Damien Foundation. Our main challenges included declining public funding, growing geopolitical pressures and the tensions that exist in some countries. Although 4.5 billion people still lack access to essential healthcare services and 2 billion face financial hardship due to healthcare costs, the right to health has been deliberately sidelined by many global policies. 2025 was “the year we cut spending on humanity!”
This situation is a cause for concern. However, what strikes me most is that, thanks to the dedication of our teams, Damien Foundation is continuing to make progress in the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of people affected by tuberculosis or neglected tropical skin diseases (such as leprosy and leishmaniasis), by strengthening our academic partnerships but above all through the connection we maintain with each patient and their community. At a time when wars are tearing apart the fabric of society, we are working with seven other Belgian NGOs to reinvent collaboration in international cooperation through the Health Impact Coalition. Acting to ensure equitable access to resilient health systems throughout the world, including in Belgium, is the urgent priority we have chosen to address by proposing practical, positive and effective solutions, in collaboration with our partners, to promote everyone’s health.
In 2026 we will stay true to our mission as we continue to refine our intervention strategies so that no one suffers or dies from diseases that can be prevented and cured. This means looking at their real impact in the countries where we operate, so that the resources allocated can be used as efficiently as possible. The ties we forge on a daily basis with all those involved in our action are key to our progress and our impact. They are the national authorities, public health facilities, the academic sector, foundations and businesses, and the national and international NGOs with which we collaborate. Beyond the organisations themselves, however, they are the men and women who, like us, choose every day to contribute positively to humanity and to act for a fairer world where every human being can live with dignity.
Pascale Barnich
General Manager
