The Rio Beni Health Project began in 1997 through the volunteer efforts of a retired physician from Los Olivos, California; it has grown considerably since that time. The Beni River is located in northern Bolivia, at the base of the Andes Mountains where the Amazon jungle begins to form, and runs through one of the poorest and most inaccessible regions of the country. A small outpost in the town of Rurrenabaque serves as both a permanent medical clinic and as a base camp from which a small boat traverses the Beni River bringing much-needed health care and health education to the mostly indigenous inhabitants of this remote area.
Most of Direct Relief's donation of antibiotics, patient examination equipment, first aid materials, and personal care supplies was designated for the main clinic and for the Project’s health outreach programs. However, a portion of the donation was directed to the local public hospital as part of the project's partnership arrangement with the Bolivian Ministry of Health. Direct Relief has sent 24 shipments of aid donations to the Rio Beni Health Project since March 2000, and partners with Netzer-Brady International to provide aid in the region.
Donate to the Rio Beni project online