Partner for Surgery was founded in 2001. Our objectives are…

  • To serve as a bridge between patients in need of surgical care in remote communities and the international volunteer triage and surgical teams that come to Guatemala to help the impoverished
  • To educate and empower rural Guatemalans to initiate and advocate for vital health care services on their own behalf

With our activities we aim to:

  • Improve Health
  • Empower Communities
  • Reduce Poverty
  • Overcome Barriers

How we do this…

  • We develop sustainable health programs for rural Guatemalan communities
  • We provide a sustainable infrastructure that enables impoverished Guatemalans to access quality medical and surgical care
  • We provide screening and treatment for cervical cancer prevention
  • We work to build trust in the health care community among rural Mayans
  • We promote community participation in health care activities
  • We train local leaders to support their communities
  • We empower youth to help their communities through rural radio programs
  • We break down barriers by showing testimonials, videos, etc. and empowering people to make decisions about their own health

We collaborate with different social and economic layers of the Guatemalan society, as well as the Public and Private sectors and international organizations:

  • We help rural communities to help themselves. We have trained a network of Health Promoters – local leaders who help us with all our activities. Also, we have developed additional projects to involve rural youth in our health care activities. In addition, our requirement that most patients make at least a small, symbolic contribution to their surgery can be seen as a first step towards a reality where Mayans, who have a long history of oppression, take responsibility for their own life and health.
  • We support local organizational development. We have stimulated the founding of two independent Guatemalan non profits.
  • We seek collaboration with existing Guatemalan private foundations to foster a culture of philanthropy and volunteerism and to make Guatemala less dependent on foreign funds.
  • We seek collaboration with the Guatemalan government on a local as well as national level.
  • We collaborate with international volunteer surgical teams and with foreign organizations such as the US Peace Corps.