Sharing the gift of Health

Partners in Health of Maine is a nonprofit, nondenominational organization whose mission is to provide health services, training, education and volunteer opportunities for health care providers in third world countries. Its activities have been limited to Central America, with a focus on Nicaragua and Honduras. The organization grew around the volunteer work of Dr. Robert Bach, a general surgeon from Maine, and other health care workers who had been volunteering in Central America since 1975.

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Most of the work of Partners in Health of Maine has centered on the Autonomous Atlantic Region (RAAN), Nicaragua’s largest province, which occupies approximately a fifth of the land area and is located on the Northeastern Caribbean coast. This area is inhabited by indigenous Miskito Indians and people of Afro-Caribe and Spanish descent. One of the poorest regions of an impoverished county, the RAAN has lagged behind in the development of infrastructure and the economy. In addition, the area was a center of fighting during the Contra-Sandinista civil war and has been periodically devastated by hurricanes.