MS was founded January 24th 1944 under the name "Fredsvenners Hj?lpearbejde" to work in favour of reconciliation and reconstruction in post World WarEurope. In 1949 the name was changed to the present name, Mellemfolkeligt Samvirke.

In the beginning MS was engaged in relief work in, as examples, Norway (1945-47), Finland (1946-52), Poland, Austria and Germany (1946-48). MS had arranged workcamps since 1946, community development in Italy since (1953-59) and in India (1959-69). Furthermore, MS took active part in the aid to Hungarian refugees (1956-60), built high schools in Ghana (1958-63), collected money for blacks in South Africa (1960) and had a leading role in "Landsindsamlingen Danmarks U-landshj?lp" (1961-63).

In 1963 MS received a grant from the state to post the first team of so-called volunteers to Eastern Africa - the technical assistance which was later to become the backbone of MS''s development efforts in the South