APECA has much to be thankful for this year. After many years of training volunteers from remote villages in health care, midwifery, leadership and conservation. APECA is now proud to supply health chests to villages with trained leaders.

Each chest is itself a symbol of the work of APECA. The boards used to build the chests have been cut from trees planted as part of APECA programs. Pablo designed and built the chests, as he has designed and built many parts of El Fundo.

The inventory of medications filling the chests was acquired through our relationship with government suppliers at a reasonable cost. The package of life saving supplies was delivered to villagers after their leaders had completed review training sessions about medication use and the management of the chest's inventory.

Not one of the trainees has held a salaried position, not one has insurance for their health, their home or their canoe! What they do have is the knowledge that APECA is there to empower them so that they can help themselves!

More than fifteen years ago, APECA began as a grass-roots effort with a vision and an independent floating health clinic.

Today we continue to meet challenges while remaining close to the people we serve. El Fundo is a model of hope for the villagers who gather there to learn and then return to their people with a sense of mission, empowerment and promise.

In 2010, APECA's work continues as a team of APECA staff and Ministry of Health employees provide a full service medical campaign to more than thirty communities on a tributary of the Amazon River.

During that campaign APECA will collect valuable demographic information for use in developing future human service programs for this critical rainforest area.

While our focus is often on helping villagers to develop self-sufficiency, APECA itself exists only because of others. Your gifts over the years have made all of APECA's programs a reality.

We cannot do it without you, please donate to APECA using the PayPal button in the top left side of the page and we greatly appreciate your continued support!