About Us
Our History
For AMIGOS to continue, we must keep trusting in our young people….When we give them an opportunity to participate in the AMIGOS programs, they come back and inspire us.
It All Started with a Vision
AMIGOS was founded on the principle that young people can make a difference.
In 1965, a 29-year old from Houston, named Guy Bevil, led a team of teenagers into rural Honduras to fight a growing polio epidemic. Serving communities in remote areas of the country, this group of 270 young people helped protect thousands of people from the crippling disease and established friendships that crossed borders. The first cohort of AMIGOS alumni returned with greater perspective and inspired to continue working for others.
The passion and commitment that started with Guy Bevil has been carried on by 31,000+teens over 60 years of programs. This successful history supports the belief that young people have the power to rise to the challenge and make a difference.
History of AMIGOS
Amigos de Honduras, sponsored by the River Oaks Baptist Church in Houston, Texas, sent 277 volunteers to vaccinate in 5 provinces of Honduras (Cortez, Santa Barbara, Lempira, Copan, Octotepeque) and a few villages in Yoro. 1,156,000 inoculations were administered to 571,000 Hondurans. Founder, Guy Bevil was awarded “Order of the Lempira,” Honduras’ highest civilian honor.
AMIGOS was founded as an independent, secular organization based in Houston, Texas. Guy Bevil, Founder, serves as the first Executive Director.
The September 1966 issue of Good Housekeeping magazine includes “A Teenage Mission of Love” that tells the story about AMIGOS and expands the focus beyond Houston.
1967 was the first year AMIGOS worked in two countries. The new pilot project in Guatemala was largely limited to the state of Suchitepequez along the Pacific Coast. In addition, AMIGOS also worked in a small area of the state of Escuintla and the area around Lake Atitlán in the state of Sololá.
That year, the AMIGOS Chapter model was initiated in Denver, Houston, Santa Barbara and Tucson. 289 volunteers from 31 states worked alongside 33 physicians and nurses to provide medical assistance to communities.
The Star Lane property was donated to AMIGOS by Ed and Louise Frank. The property would be home to AMIGOS professional staff and the Houston Chapter until 2016.
AMIGOS hires the first full-time staff to run the operation. The first Chapter Training workshops are held.
AMIGOS initiates the first project in Paraguay with the Ministry of Health.
AMIGOS launches its first project in Ecuador.
Krisa Van Meurs was selected as the first female Project Director for AMIGOS, serving in Ecuador that summer. Volunteer assignments were lengthened from 3 weeks to 4 weeks for the first time.
AMIGOS expands to the Caribbean with a project in the Dominican Republic, partnering with the Cruzada de Amor and the Ministry of Health. The project was run in the provinces of El Seibo, La Romana, La Alta Gracia, and San Pedro de Macoris.
AMIGOS opens a project in Mexico in the states of Oaxaca and Hidalgo with a focus on community sanitation. Volunteers and community members built 110 latrines. Community sanitation projects would expand considerably through the 80s and 90s at the request of partner agencies.
Jane Watkins and the Trans Century Foundation changed AMIGOS by introducing newsprint, brainstorming and other training techniques.
AMIGOS expands to Panama and Venezuela. AMIGOS receives a grant from the Pew Memorial Trust. The first iteration of the National Advisory Board was formed.
The first three-day “Gateway City” training was held in Houston for volunteers who did not train with a local Chapter.
AMIGOS expands with projects in Costa Rica and Peru for the first time.
Margaret Guerriero named President and Lee Kerschner was named chairman. The Campus Representative recruiting program began.
Belize becomes the first non-Spanish speaking country to host program.
AMIGOS expands to Brazil. The 25th Anniversary celebration kicks off with aa reception and board meeting at the Organization of American States building in Washington, D.C. There was with a symposium of international development experts, and an alumni/chapter leader reunion.
An epidemic of cholera spread through South America. AMIGOS decided to send volunteers into affected areas, because public health was part of our mission. AMIGOS was honored for our work and participated in an international conference on cholera control in Ecuador because of our enhanced diarrheal disease prevention training and efforts in the rural areas that were most afflicted. Creation of six-month Fellowship for Senior Field Staff veterans.
AMIGOS returns to Honduras after an 11-year absence. DeWitt Wallace-Reader’s Digest Travel Fund grant received, enabling more scholarships for low-income volunteers and enhanced diversity outreach efforts. Extensive remodeling and expansion of AMIGOS headquarters in collaboration with the Houston Chapter.
AMIGOS celebrates 30th anniversary. Margaret Guerriero retires after an 11-year legacy of service. Dianna Johnson appointed President and Chief Executive Officer.
AMIGOS expands collaboration with local youth groups in Latin America. Each field project supplied a laptop computer, resulting in increased communication and operational efficiencies.
Emily Untermeyer hired as President & Chief Executive Officer.
AMIGOS returns to Nicaragua after 22 years. Two students from the Dominican Republic participate as AMIGOS volunteers. Increased focus on Service Learning activities within volunteer training. AMIGOS veterans give rebirth to Tucson Chapter after 12 years of inactivity. Mariann Marshall retires after 35 years of service to AMIGOS.
30th program year in Paraguay celebrated at the Ministry of Public Health with Emily Untermeyer, Walter Cook and Doug Alexander in attendance, all former Paraguay project staff. Grant from the CR-USA Foundation enables full-time staff person, Carlos LaMadrid, in San José, Costa Rica, and participation of tico volunteers.
Expanded veteran leadership and International Office financial support for new chapters. License Agreements reinstated for the International Office and chapters.
Luis Medina, a Oaxacan medical student, is the first Latin American to serve as Associate Project Director (Guanajuato, Mexico).
AMIGOS returns to Ecuador in the region of Cotopaxi, in partnership with Fundación FEPP and Plan International Ecuador. A new partnership was also established with Fundación de las Américas to recruit Ecuadorian students to serve as AMIGOS volunteers.
In Fall 2011, AMIGOS launches its first Gap Program in Nicaragua, offering semester and academic year long volunteer placements for high school graduates.
After more nearly 5 decades, the AMIGOS team left the building on 5618 Star Lane. More than 1,000 senior program staff were trained, nearly 2,000 Houston Chapter volunteers prepared for their experiences in Latin America, and generations of chapter leaders held meetings in the building before it came time to move on.
On March 16, 2020, AMIGOS suspends all in-person programs and evacuates all Gap Program volunteers in Uruguay and Ecuador.
62 Years of Impact
Sixty years is a long time to keep a promise. Since 1965, when the first AMIGOS volunteers traveled from Houston to Honduras, every AMIGOS program has been built around the same experience. Young people take on meaningful responsibility in a new community, with training before and support throughout. Destinations, formats, and program lengths have changed as the world has changed. The experience at the center has stayed true.