Our Mission
Our mission is to deliver integrated health care and humanitarian support to children and adults of limited economic resources in Ecuador. Our services are free and are available to all regardless of race or religion. Our patients are treated with respect and receive quality, compassionate medical care. We are dedicated to supporting the physical and social well-being of Ecuadorian families.
More FIBUSPAM videos can be viewed on our YouTube Channel.
Our Values
Our Values
We are committed to providing high-quality medical care and hope to the people of Ecuador.
Where We Work
Where We Work
Chimborazo Province is an area of unique interest and great need. The population is largely indigenous with a unique culture in terms of language, religion, family and social structure, work, music and dance. It is also an area of widespread poverty, unemployment and hopelessness.
Over 25% of the adult population of Ecuador has now fled and many come from this area. Many children are left behind with other family, friends or just abandoned. Child trafficking is a significant risk to these children, as is malnutrition and lack of medical care.
The nearby erupting volcano, Tungurahua, adds other health risks, as does the widespread problem of water quality and sanitation. The economy is largely subsistence farming, families are very large and, because most children are born at home, infant mortality is very high.
Bios
Bios
Paul Martel, Founder and President
Paul has been doing humanitarian work in Central and South America for over 15 years. He has organized 14 surgical missions to four countries including Ecuador, Colombia, Guatemala and Paraguay. With his wife, Terry, he has brought 9 children to the USA and his home to provide life changing surgeries such as open heart surgery. Paul is the Founder and President of YHB Investment Advisors located in West Hartford, Connecticut. For Paul, the work of FIBUSPAM and its Clinic is a dream come true and he feels blessed to know and work with his talented and dedicated staff and the army of volunteers they work with.
David Guacho, Executive Director, FIBUSPAM Ecuador
David graduated from Universidad Nacional de Chimborazo and has led our foundation since its inception in 2007. He is a great humanitarian, and tireless defender of children and the poor. His dreams, energy and commitment have no limits.
David is responsible for all employment, financial and administrative matters at the Foundation, and has deep relationships with organizations and leaders in Chimborazo Province and throughout Ecuador.
Sarah Marjane, Executive Director, FIBUSPAM Inc.
Sarah is a passionate humanitarian and is truly dedicated to our mission. She believes that every child deserves health, education, and love and is committed to serving the poor. Sarah joined FIBUSPAM in 2015 and holds a Master’s degree in Public Health from Benedictine University and a bachelor’s degree in International Studies from the University of Scranton.
Prior to joining FIBUSPAM, she served as a Senior Administrator at PATH, an Assistant Manager at CLUSA, and a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mozambique.
B.F. Cecilia Toaquiza
Cecilia is Pharmaceutical Biochemist. She received her degree in Public Health from ESPOCH in 2009. Since our founding, she has been responsible for our pharmacy and medicines, patient registration and record-keeping and nursing care.
Like all of our staff, Cecilia has a profound dedication to children’s health and, like most of our staff, speaks both Spanish and quechua. Cecilia has worked tirelessly to advance the dreams of our foundation and is a fundamental part of the many Caravanas we run to remote communities throughout Ecuador.
Dr. Lenin Garcia
Dr. Lenin Garcia is the consummate humanitarian and dentist. His practice is based in Guayaquil.
Lenin has traveled extensively throughout Ecuador providing free dental care to needy children. He has been a tireless friend of FIBUSPAM since its inception and he travels the long distance to Riobamba frequently to provide service in our Clinic and our many caravanas to remote communities. Lenin is a constant voice of inspiration and counsel in the development of our foundation.
Olga Zapata
One of Paul Martel’s true heroes, Olga is an inspired humanitarian that has been responsible for arranging tens of thousands of surgeries for needy children throughout Ecuador.
With FIBUSPAM, she is responsible for compliance and coordination with Ecuadorian law relating to Customs, the Provincial and Federal Departments of Health and all procedures relating to shipments and donations of medicine and equipment. She also coordinates the planning and support of our national and international surgical missions.
Luis Villa
Luis is a founding member of FIBUSPAM. An electrician by trade, he is a generous and giving friend who helps coordinate our frequent community outreach projects.
Currently, Luis is collaborating with our friends at local TV station Channel 13 in the building of a new home for an extremely poor family in Riobamba.
Behind the scenes, he is always active in the logistics of our caravanas and improvements to and maintenance of our physical plant.
Florcita Tello
Florcita Tello came to the USA from Riobamba in 1994 and lives in Connecticut with her husband and three children. Seven years ago, by coincidence she met Paul Martel in his office and began assisting him in his humanitarian work.
In addition to her duties at YHB Investment Advisors, Florcita is involved in all aspects of the Foundation. This includes translation and communication, preparation of legal documents relating to Customs in Ecuador, assistance with travel details and other legal and compliance aspects of our medical missions.
Her counsel and her knowledge of the customs, government and history of Ecuador have been an important help for many years and she is grateful for the chance to help the people of her country.
In-Country Staff
- David Guacho – Executive Director
- Dr. Harol Alfaro – Technical Director and Ophthalmologist
- Dr. Rodrigo Hinojosa – Family and Internal Medicine
- Dr. Rainier Cabrera – Dentist
- Rocio Asitimbay – Senior Nurse
- Ana Lema- Nurse
- Victor Guangasic – Pharmacist
- Olga Zapata – Senior Administrator and Inter Institutional Coordinator
- Wilson Guacho – Logistics
- Ruth Pomaquero – Reception and Statistics
Where We Work
FIBUSPAM Ecuador’s Founding Members
The following 10 individuals bring a wide range of talent to our Foundation. All are dedicated, experienced humanitarians with a deep commitment to helping needy children.
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- Dr. Lenin Garcia, Guayaquil, Ecuador
- Lic. David Guacho, Director, Riobamba, Ecuador
- Paul R. Martel, Founder, Connecticut, USA
- Dr. Enrique Minta, Riobamba, Ecuador
- B.F. Cecilia Toaquiza, Riobamba, Ecuador
- Olga Zapata, Guayaquil, Ecuador
- Luis Villa, Riobamba, Ecuador
- Florcita Tello, Connecticut, USA
- Lindsay C. Buckner, New York, USA
FIBUSPAM Inc. Stateside Officers and Board of Directors
In early 2013, we formed our own entity here in the U.S. to provide support for our efforts in Ecuador. The organization provides the continuity we need to properly support our clinic and staff in Ecuador.
FIBUSPAM, Inc. Board Members
Paul Martel, President
Paul R. Martel is the founder and President of YHB Investment Advisors, Inc. in West Hartford, CT. The company was founded in 1989 and currently manages over $1 billion for a variety of clients. For more information, visit www.yhbia.com. Paul has served as a humanitarian in Latin America for nearly 20 years, has organized 20 international surgical missions and helped bring a dozen children to the U.S. for urgent surgical care. In 2007, Paul founded a medical clinic in Riobamba, Ecuador that has grown into a fully accredited multi-specialty surgical center serving the poor. In 2013, Paul established non-profit organizations in both Ecuador and the U.S., affectionately known as FIBUSPAM, to support the medical needs of the poor in Chimborazo Province, Ecuador. To date, FIBUSPAM has provided medical care to over 30,000 children and adults throughout Ecuador. Paul is the author of “A Humanitarian’s Defense of Capitalism-The Paradigm of Freedom” and “To The Least Of Theses My Brothers.” The profits from his literary works are donated directly to FIBUSPAM.
Jessica Kott, Vice President
Jessica Kott works as a Senior Portfolio Manager (Registered investment Advisor) at YHB Investment Advisors, Inc. Prior to joining YHB Investment Advisors in 2009, Jessica worked as a Senior Portfolio Manager at U.S. Trust / Bank of America Private Wealth Management. Jessica is an active volunteer in her church and community. She currently serves on investment committees for Mattatuck Museum Arts and History Center, Housatonic Community College Foundation and the Girls’ Friendly Society. Jessica volunteers for Foodshare’s Speakers Bureau and The Town That Cares Fund in West Hartford. Jessica also enjoys teaching investment courses for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Connecticut.
Florcita Tello, Board Member
Florcita Tello was part of a dream that began in 2007 as a founding member of FIBUSPAM. She currently works at YHB Investment Advisors and actively assists with the day-to-day work of FIBUSPAM. Florcita is originally from Ecuador and she enjoys and is thankful for the opportunity to help the people of her native country.
John Herd, Board Member
John has been a friend to the FIBUSPAM family since 2011, when he brought a group of students from West Hartford, CT and joined with a group from the Escola Americana de Rio de Janiero, Brazil. That unified team played a significant role over the summer in the constriction of the clinic’s second floor, now the primary OR Theaters in the facility. The trip set the stage for Volun-Tour Trips, sponsored by Renbrook School West Hartford, CT in the summers of 2012-2015. These trips spawned the format for offering Volun-Tours to a variety of schools, colleges, and general volunteers that continue to be a pipeline for fundraising and volunteer recruitment. John is a mentor and teacher at Renbrook School, a 3-year-old 9th grade Independent Day School in central CT. He has organized and lead volunteer and adventure trips to Europe, Australia, South and Central America, in addition to a variety of in-country explorations over his 23 years at the school. Alumni and alumni parents have rallied around the trips to raise awareness and funds to grow the foundation’s presence in New England.
Caroline Christy, Board Member
Caroline Christy is a Seattle-based CPA, with more than 10 years of non-profit accounting experience. She previously worked for PATH, a global health non-profit, and currently works for Infectious Disease Research Institute (IDRI), a non-profit bio-tech. She is primarily interested in financial reporting, grant accounting, and developing processes and procedures.
Fernando Ascencio, Board Member
Fernando Ascencio is a healthcare consultant, specializing in change management and communication strategies for large healthcare systems undergoing widespread transformations. Previously he served as Vice President of an international nonprofit focused on children’s health and as Executive Director of a DC nonprofit focused on supporting Latino families affected by cancer. Through those experiences, he brings expertise in grants and program management with direct experience in managing multi-million grant programs locally and internationally. Additionally, Ascencio serves as the Chair of the DC Cancer Action Partnership, the group accountable to the DC Department of Health (DOH) of upholding the community’s contribution to the DC Cancer Control Plan. Ascencio received his Masters in Business Administration in 2008.
David Maydoney, Board Member
David Maydoney is currently the Assistant Controller of The Mountain Institute. With ten years of experience in non-profit accounting, specializing in US federal grant work, David has previously worked for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Freedom House, and Boston EMS/Boston Public Health Commission. He has a bachelors from Suffolk University and is pursuing further degree work at University of Maryland University College. David currently lives in Seattle, Washington with his wife and two cats.
Dr. David Khorram, Board Member
Dr. David Khorram is a physician, writer, and educator with extensive experience in grassroots development, capacity building, and global ophthalmology. After completing his training in eye surgery in the United States, he spent 22 years in the South Pacific developing eye care in the Mariana Islands. In addition to co-founding Marianas Eye Institute, he helped establish programs to build capacity in health care and administration among island residents. He now lives in the US where he participates in and leads international eye care projects. He is the creator of the Global Medicine Field Course, taking undergraduate and graduate students to low income countries to consider issues of healthcare, economic justice, and social progress. Dr. Khorram has been listed in Guide to America’s Top Ophthalmologists.
Dr. Marti Bornstien, Board Member
Dr. Marti Bornstien began her professional career as an organic chemist with Bristol Myers in the 1980s, and then worked as a high school biology/earth science/physics teacher. In the 1990s, she followed her dream and entered medical school. Growing up in abject poverty, Marti’s mission was and is to provide for the disenfranchised. Sadly, an accident forced an early retirement from obstetrics/gynecology. Since then she conducts childbirth courses to expectant parents, trains physicians in medical care and practice, teaches adolescents to cook, and mentors young women, encouraging them to go into the sciences. She serves as vice-president of the Jean Axelrod Memorial Foundation, Inc., a 501 (c) (3) charity, and is a longtime volunteer with Operation Understanding DC (OUDC), an organization bringing Jewish and African-American youth in the Washington, DC metropolitan area for dialogue, education and development as community leaders. She lives in Maryland with her husband and their cat, Molly.
Medical Advisory Committee
- Howard Boey, MD ENT Surgeon, Middlesex Hospital and Yale New Haven Hospital
- Rita Nenonen, MD Pediatrician, Hasbro Children’s Hospital
Partners
Our Partners
FIBUSPAM succeeds because of the dedication, generosity and hard work of a small army of physicians, humanitarians, and friends both in Ecuador and in the U.S. We thank them for their commitment to FIBUSPAM and the people of Ecuador are honored to have the chance to work with each one of them.
We are also extremely grateful to our funders and implementation partners who make our work possible.
