background: When Phil Marsteller came back to the place he grew up as a missionary kid, to found Amazon Tours Inc., he began to see a people in urgent need of help. It started with people asking for medical supplies from the Amazon Queen's first aid kit, but the donation of occasional medical supplies was only the first step in a journey to provide medical and dental services to the inhabitants of the middle Rio Negro. In 1999 Phil and Ruth formally established the Rio Negro Foundation, a 501c registered non-profit to provide social services and fund research in the middle Rio Negro region.
dream: The dream was to make a real difference that went beyond a hand-out and would change the lives of the local inhabitants for the better. This dream was first realized with the opening of the Clyde Gibson Medical Clinic on September 20, 1999, but this was only the beginning.
projects: Next came the Bob Borland Dental Clinic, which introduced dental care to many people who had up to that point never seen a dentist. In addition, the Rio Negro Foundation established a garden which provides jobs and training as well as food for those communities in need. Other examples of community out-reach services provided by the Foundation are monthly donations of diesel to local villiges to run generators and our annual Christmas party for the children of the local communities.
environment: Not only does the Rio Negro Foundation seek to help the local people, but also the environment by petitioning the state and Federal government to protect the local fisheries by banning large-scale commercial fishing, which could vastly impact populations of peacock bass. In addition, the Rio Negro Foundation has built research facilities used to conduct studies on the flora, fauna and aquatic ecosystems of the Rio Negro. A major research effort is currently under way studying peacock bass and how to best ensure their sustainable management.
support: These programs are the realization of a dream first laid out by Phil and Ruth Marsteller many years ago. Non of these projects would be possible without the help and support of many who helped make this dream a reality. We need your continuing support to continue and expand these programs which have made a lasting impact among the communities of the middle Rio Negro.
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