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History of AMIGOS

  • In 1965, a youth group, recruited by a Houston youth minister named Guy Bevil, agreed to spend part of their summer in rural parts of Honduras, fighting a growing epidemic of polio. Although Jonas Salk had discovered a vaccine against this disease several years before, very little effort was being made to immunize the less fortunate in Latin America.
  • Something amazing happened that summer. Thousands of lives were protected from the suffering of a crippling disease and a group of young people discovered the personal value of helping those in need. They returned to Houston more mature, more confident, secure in the newfound knowledge that "teenagers" could make a dramatic difference in the world.
  • Thus was the beginning of Amigos de las Américas (AMIGOS). For more than 45 years, this voluntary, not-for-profit organization has continued the tradition of selfless service and youth leadership. Over 24,000 volunteers have spent their summers in Latin America working on public health projects such as community sanitation, human immunization, animal rabies vaccination, oral rehydration and dental hygiene education, smoke free stove and teacher housing construction, reforestation and environmental gardening. They have provided millions of health services throughout fifteen countries in Latin America.
  • As the number of interested young people grew, so did AMIGOS, enabling it to respond to a wider range of health needs in more countries in Latin America. A nationwide system of chapters developed to provide training and support for volunteers across the country. For those who did not live in an area served by a chapter, a correspondent program was designed.
  • Today, AMIGOS offers a four-rung leadership ladder, which allows volunteers to progressively increase their leadership skills and level of responsibility by developing and managing public health projects in Latin America.
  • Each year AMIGOS sends approximately 700 volunteers, representing all four leadership levels, to live and work with people in Latin American communities. Life-long friendships have been forged between AMIGOS volunteers and their adopted communities. Thousands of young people have learned invaluable lessons about themselves, community service, and the true meaning of leadership. Most importantly, they learn that the greatest gift you can give yourself is the smile of someone you have helped.