Volunteers for Inter-American Development Assistance (VIDA) is an international non-profit organization whose mission is to provide medical relief and development assistance to health institutions aiding underserved communities in Latin America regardless of race, religion or politics. Our other mission is to help in the San Francisco Bay Area recycling and re-use effort by diverting from landfills surplus medical supplies, medicines and used medical equipment and giving them to health institutions in need.

Description:
VIDA is an international non-profit organization whose mission is to provide medical relief and development assistance to health institutions aiding underserved communities in Latin America regardless of race, religion or politics. Our other mission is to help in the San Francisco Bay Area recycling and re-use effort by diverting from landfills surplus medical supplies, medicines and used medical equipment and giving them to health institutions in need.
VIDA improves the quality and availability of health care in underserved communities in Latin America and the Caribbean by providing medical supplies and promoting health education projects. VIDA, through partner organizations and chapter offices overseas, also delivers swift relief to victims of natural disasters, facilitates medical training and assistance, and creates projects that improve health standards in impoverished communities. Committed to supporting children, the elderly, and those suffering from unrelenting illnesses such as AIDS, cancer, and tuberculosis, VIDA programs are geared to help those in greatest need.
Since VIDA's inception in 1991, the organization has reached over 2 million people in underserved communities throughout Chile, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua and Peru. We have also diverted more than 170 tons of medical supplies, medicines and used-medical equipment from ending up in the San Francisco Bay Area landfills. VIDA now ships 25 containers per year carrying over $20 million worth of medicines, medical supplies and equipment to developing countries in Latin America.

History:
VIDA was founded in 1991 in Northern California as a response to the cholera epidemic that afflicted Peru. As a result of poor sanitary and inadequate health conditions, cholera rapidly spread to other countries in South America. After learning about the crisis, a group of concerned San Francisco Bay Area residents, both American and Latin American, collected $2 million worth of medical supplies which were promptly shipped to the affected regions. VIDA has since extended its efforts throughout the Americas: its health assistance has reached over 2 million people in hundreds of remote and economically depressed communities in Chile, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua and Peru. In 2004, VIDA shipped 25 containers carrying over $20 million worth of medicines, medical supplies and equipment to underserved communities in Latin America. The projections for 2005 have us exceeding the 2004 figures.

Contact people:

Alan Arredondo, Director Of Operations, (phone), (email) Bill Sievert, Warehouse Coordinator, (phone), (email) Daniel Stauber, Warehouse Assistant, (phone)

Office fax number: (510) 655-8281

Address:

6251 Hollis St. Emeryville, CA 94608 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.vidausa.org

Directions:

From I-80 take the Powell St. Exit . Take a right on Powell St. and then go over bridge to traffic light which is Hollis St. Take a left on Hollis St. Take a left on 63rd St. and. . . (more)   Nearest Metro/Subway Stop: MacArthur/ with shuttle,   Walk distance (in minutes): 1 to shuttle   Nearest Bus Stop: Emery-go-round shuttle, 0 minute walk