Water projects

One of the basic necessities for good health is access to clean, consumable water. The remoteness of many of the sites we visit has made us acutely aware of this need. Often water is untreated at its source and delivered by tubing buried in the ground. As the water collects in meager storage tanks, bacteria and nitrates grow, rendering it unsafe for consumption. People who drink this water develop parasites and other chronic gastrointestinal problems which lead to greater health risk. MEDICO assesses the water at many of the villages and communities it serves. We then partner with nonprofit organizations focused on solving these problems, pairing donors and donations with these organizations to bring clean water to the villages.

Individual surgeries

MEDICO brings individuals who cannot be treated in their home countries to the United States for surgery. In 1996 we sponsored conjoined twins from Honduras who underwent a historically significant separation procedure at Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah. Other individual surgeries have corrected facial deformities, club feet, and a little boy’s heart deformity. These special projects allow donors to share the journey and the joy of recovering health for people in desperate need. Many of the individuals who receive this care are identified by our short-term field teams.

Distribution of equipment, medical, or school supplies

MEDICO obtains and distributes medical equipment and supplies that are unavailable or unaffordable to public hospitals and not-for-profit organizations in the host countries. This is an ongoing effort as we discover new needs in hospitals and through organizations that request our help. MEDICO also engages in special programs to collect and distribute school supplies in many of the villages we serve. Through an arrangement with the host organizations, in-country civic organizations, MEDICO provides gently used and new school supplies to children who could not otherwise afford them. In addition to a special annual effort, MEDICO occasionally sends extra crates of supplies with the field teams to the children at the work site. This requires collecting school supplies and raising money ($100 per crate) to send these supplies with the field team.