In 1980, the Brothers of Christian Instruction saw the need to implement a mission office, and set up an evangelization and development project. A million-dollar fundraising campaign was launched to fund various initiatives, in the area of education in particular, mainly in the African Great Lakes region where the Brothers of Christian Instruction were already very active.
In 1984, Avions Sans Frontières (ASF) took flight. Its goal was to relieve isolation for the Haut-Uélé region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (then Zaire) in order to favour development.

In 1986, the BCI’s evangelization and development project became Terre Sans Frontières. The purpose of this change was to open up the organization to other religious communities and dioceses, thus increasing its reach. Two years later, Terre Sans Frontières was accredited by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), which gave it access to an important new source of funds. A first water supply system was built in Gituza, Rwanda.

In 1992, Terre Sans Frontières and Avions Sans Frontières joined forces to form the core of the Sans Frontières family. Other professionals came on board with Optométristes Sans Frontières in 1998, Dentistes Sans Frontières in 1999 and Physiothérapie Sans Frontières in 2012.