In 1999 the clinic sponsored by the Lions Club in San Pedro, Ambergis Caye, asked for medical aid and support in order to provide affordable or free medical care for the needy in San Pedro. With the help of the Lions Club Germersheim and friends, Mr. W. Kahles (the Honorary Consul of Belize at the time) and Action Medeor (the German pharmaceutical aid organization) the first Belize Project came into existence. In 2000 forces were joined again and even expanded when Hurricane Keith had hit the most highly populated island Ambergris Caye (San Pedro). Many volunteers and sponsors, among others Nurse Natalie Palen (part of the Red Cross Belize and of the Hurricane Board) supported the activities. Today Nurse Natalie works at the Ambergis Hope’s Clinic. In 2002 Hurricane Isidore hit Merida and Yucatan, Mexico, unexpectedly hard and caused even greater damages. At that time Dr. Gonzales worked in a rural clinic in Izamal as part of his specialty training. Food, pharmaceutical products and clothes were needed in order to ensure that the spread of diseases and hunger did not worsen the catastrophe. A small team was set up quickly and without much bureaucracy. Through the reliable support of a Henkel’s employee from Mexico City, Kirsten Figge, provided food and clothes reached Merida within the same week. Her financial help made it possible to immediately buy the medications urgently needed, until the generous donation of pharmaceutical products from Action Medeor arrived. In 2003 (with the help of the Belize-Project) the Ambergris Hopes Clinic opened its doors to provide affordable medical care for everybody. This is the only possibility for more than 20 000 inhabitants within the reach of 35 kilometers/about 22 miles to receive encompassing general and specialty treatment. An operating room was established, a portable ultrasound was sponsored by donations. It is especially useful in OB-GYN as a non-invasive (partly live-saving) diagnostic method, and additionally, patients will no longer have to take the two-hour boat ride to Belize City and back, spending additional money on transportation. Furthermore the donations were used for medications, dressing material and other reconditioned equipment (for example ECG, OR-equipment, pulsoximeter, a stretcher and a wheelchair). Many pharmaceutical products are very expensive in Belize, because they have to be imported. Some patients cannot afford them after the doctor’s consultation. In order for these patients to receive a treatment, affordable or free medication is provided by the Clinic. Although San Pedro is growing steadily, there is still no (let alone public) hospital in San Pedro. Since the opening of "Ambergris Hopes Clinic” many patients have received an affordable medical treatment and we have been able to do the first abdominal surgeries ever on the island. The demand for these is great. To encourage health care informative lectures are held in schools and remote communities. Information is an important part of prevention of diseases. Talks should also reduce fears and motivate to use preventive and screening check-ups. We inform about e.g. family planning, education, cancer prevention and screening, dental care, hygiene, nutrition and infectious diseases (e.g. AIDS), as Belize has been declared the country with the highest AIDS-rate in Central America. 2004 using donations we were able to improve the Clinic by equiping it with an emergency anesthesia machine and HF-surgery machine and emergency equipment as well as medical materials and medication. In addition we were able to offer rapid hiv-testing, through a donation of Action Medeor. As every year we were able to support some families with donated food supplements, clothing, toys and educational books. Furthermore books and educational computer programs were given to the public library, which offers extra-curricular computer classes for kids. 2005: The new Ambergris Hope’s Clinic was opened: It offers more space for the demand of patients. The Clinic has an emergency OR, a OB/GYN-room, two consultation rooms and a patient room for two adults and two children. In 2006 the clinic is supplied with a patient bed, two stretchers, an OR-table, an emergency respirator, a steam sterilizer and medication and materials. The cost of these things and the cost of transportation were partially covered by donations. Especially locals take part in the Belize-Project as they have made it their goals to have a better life for themselves and their children. We want to especially mention the local organisation “Parents Association for Children with Special Needs”, which supports handicapped children in Belize City. Educational books were donated to them. In cooperation with other organisations we were able to support the public medical system with medications and materials. We are especially happy about the cooperation with the HIV-Organisation, Belize, which is managed by the infectiologist Dr. Wolfgang Guethoff and his wife. The organisation is located in Dangriga, southern Belize. This is where therapy-deciding CD4-cells can be measured now. For more information log on to: www.hiv-belize.de (The Belize-Project is not responsible for the content of links on this webpage.)