CONTEXT

There are about a thousand tribes that inhabit the Amazon River, one of the longest rivers in the world. In most cases they are isolated and poor communities, without any access to the most common services, which have always guarded the natural areas they inhabit. Areas increasingly threatened by economic interests related to the exploitation of forest and mineral resources.

FRANCISCAN’S PRESENCE

In 2013 the Friars Minor founded a hospital dedicated to the inhabitants of the Amazon River, located in the town of Obidos (Parà), right on the left bank of the majestic South American river. Over time, however, they realized that too many people did not have the means to reach this place. So they came up with an ambitious project: to create a floating hospital capable of going up the river to reach the tribes in their own contexts. The Barco Hospital Papa Francisco went into operation in 2019, just in time to face the challenge of Covid.

THE PROJECT

The Barco Hospital has a crew of 20 doctors, mostly volunteers, who in ten days of expedition reach numerous locations on the Amazon River bringing treatment and health assistance to their inhabitants. The medical staff offers dental care, assists women in childbirth, assigns drug treatments and has an operating room for the most serious cases.

However, the friars have to face significant costs for the procurement of medicines necessary for the effective carrying out of the missions. The OFM Fraternitas Foundation has set itself the goal of helping to support these costs by activating a specific fundraiser.