Our Story

Our Story

1979 Creation of AMI

In the seventies, a new conception of the medical humanitarian aid was born in France. Until then, it was represented by the International Red Cross. This conception relied on the fact that there is no need to wait for the authorization of the States to go testify where it is necessary and where the Human Right are not being respected. In 1979, AMI started its mission in respect of this new ethics. Our first missions to the civilian populations supporting Cambodian, Laotian, Afghan and Kurdish resistance, show that the choice of our missions is done according to a political situation that isolates an oppressed population where the sanitary situation becomes dramatic.

1980 First steps in Afghanistan

In 1980, AMI first team enters illegally in Afghanistan at the request of the population and the resistance. Since, we developed actions and continue to train health agents and women in particular.

1981 Kurdistan

The Democratic party of Iranian Kurdistan launched a call, the sanitary situation is disastrous, there is no doctor, no surgeon for a evaluated population of 4 billions people. AMI has pursued its training schemes of nurses, prevention and medical education to the population. We have done it alone for many years in very difficult conditions. Plus, the surgeron activity is essential due to the violence of the fights. AMI will stay 16 years there.

1985 School-hospital in Pakistan

We opened a school-hospital in Peshawar (Pakistan) near the border with Afghanistan where Afghan heath agents came for a 18 months training. The period of MTA (Medical Training for Afghan) will last 7 years and end in 1992, when the Communist government collapsed, then it became possible to take actions of training inside Afghanistan.

1986 The Karen population

In January of 1995, AMI intervenes for the first time near the Karens population. A large Birmese offensive causes the exodus of the civilian population of Karens towards Thailand where they are parked in refugee camps waiting for a hypothetical calming of the situation. AMI has gone with the Karen population on its escape, and since this event, it gives medical and logistical support in 3 refugee camps, it also sets sup health structures and trains medical staff.

1988 AMI-Afghanistan

The situation stabilizes with the departure of Soviet troops. Zones of tranquility are delimited, meaning no more military skate inside them, so that operations of lasting development can be set up. The rebuilding of Afghanistan requires a more specific support. In order to meet this requirement, AMI-Afghanistan was created on November 5th of 1988. Today this association does no longer exist, it joined AMI in 1994.

1992 AMI in the Tuaregs country

After an explorating mission, AMI started its activities in the Tuaregs country in March of 1993, which locates in North Mali. It started in Abelbarra with a curative and treatment work in Tuareg camps , then the mission settles in Kidal to begin the training of health agents needed for the future community clinics in the area. The training will make it possible to cover the area with qualified staff close to the population. AMI left Mali in 1992.

1993 Salamati : A magazine of medical training

Publication of the 1st medical review called the Salamati remotely from Afghanistan. The goal is to improve knowledge and medical pratices of the health agents who were trained by AMI. In 1996, Health Messenger (the Birmese version) was born, followed by a Cambodian version in 1999. Today these magazines are distributed at nearly 7000 copies each.

1998 From Mali to Niger

In Mali, where AMI has worked for 10 years, our teams were alerted by a Tuareg association on the terrible difficulties which the population of Northen Niger encounters. AMI decides to send an exploratory mission to check and eventually think about a mission over there. The program will be born at the end of 1998 with the goal to reduce women and children death rate.

1992 AMI is 20 years-old

AMI celebrates 20 years of existence showing that it can both meet the urgency by caring and providing a presence in the community clinics and maternity hospitals and prepares the future too by training those who will continue to take over.

2003 Beginning of the war of Iraq

AMI is in Afghanistan, Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, the Comoros, the Démocratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, the Palestinian territories, and in Iraq. AMI was the only French non-governmental organisation in Iraq during the bombings. Once the bombings calmed down, it sets up a blood collection program. For safety reasons, AMI had to leave Iraq in fall of 2004.

November 2004 AMI celebrates its 25 years

2005 Opening of mission in Sudan, Indonesia and Sri-Lanka

In 2005, AMI is still in Afghanistan, Haiti, Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, Thailand, and in the Palestinian territories. Following the disaster in the Darfour (Sudan), AMI opens a program of mobile private clinics and after the catastrophe of the Tsunamy, AMI sets-up two missions of formation to the psycological and post traumatic support in Indonesia and Sri-Lanka.

2006 AMI opens a new mission in Yemen

sent 28 June 2006