Amigos de las Américas

AMIGOS works towards this vision by inspiring and building young leaders through collaborative community development and immersion in cross-cultural experiences.

AMIGOS was founded in 1965 when 29-year-old Guy Bevil Jr., youth pastor at River Oaks Baptist Church in Houston led a team of 181 teenagers and young adults to Honduras to administer polio vaccinations.

After extensive training in the US, participants travel to Latin America where they live for anywhere between two weeks to nine months with a host family in a small community.

The programs are carried out in partnership with partner agencies, which have included Save the Children, Plan International, and the governments of the various countries above.

The National Office of AMIGOS is still located in Houston and employs a small staff year-round to manage the programs.