1. Building community capacity

Respect, dignity and the potential of each person and community to serve is at the core of our health care model.

We use participatory education relevant to the lives and situations of the people starting from the people’s own experiences in health and healing. AMOS provides qualified public health and medical personnel to train local community leaders with tools that enable them to serve as community health promoters who can effectively promote health, prevent disease and treat the most common illnesses of people in their own communities.

2. Health care based upon community needs

To make sure we can reach the most vulnerable members of a population, we help to take a census of the whole community in which each person is counted. The information collected by the census becomes the basis for helping communities prioritize their health needs and reach out to those most in need.  AMOS then accompanies each community to help provide curative and preventive health care services based upon their identified needs. After a year of training, community health promoters and health committees are able to run a small clinic stocked with essential medications, as well as implement health projects in their communities such as the construction of wells, latrines, family vegetable gardens, and health education campaigns. 

The result is the organization and participation of the community in a program for their integral health and well being.

3. Collaboration with local government authorities and other organizations

In many developing countries such as Nicaragua, the government institutions have extremely limited resources. In Nicaragua, there are few options for health care in the rural areas. 

AMOS works with communities that have limited access to health services and are perceived as having a special need by local health and education authorities.  We also seek to collaborate with other organizations that share a similar vision so that work is never duplicated and resources are used effectively to reach more people. 

4. Fostering integral development

Education, food, clean water, sanitation, and jobs are necessary elements of community health and well-being.  AMOS partners with churches, individuals, and other agencies to contribute to the education of all children, provide adequate nutrition to those children who are hungry and malnourished, provide small water and sanitation projects, and to seek opportunities for micro-credit in order to increase levels of income and generate jobs.