Surgery in the Forest ProgramA surgery takes a few hours. In the Amazon, the wait takes years.
Gallbladder, thyroid, fibroids, skin lesions: simple surgeries wait for years. Meanwhile life stops — work, sleep, family. We take the operating room there.
Next expedition: 28 Nov to 6 Dec 2026
I want to donate
Adriel was number 1,685 in the queue. In Belterra, he got out of it.
Adriel needed his gallbladder removed. He was number 1,685 on the public health system's waiting list and could no longer play.
His mother, Nikita, saw on television that Zoé was at the Belterra hospital and went there with no guarantee at all. The team stepped in, and Adriel was operated on during that expedition.
On every expedition we hear dozens of stories like Adriel's. For someone who has been waiting for years, a simple surgery gives back much more than health: it gives back playing, work, sleep and the life that was put on hold.
Families who live hours away from any hospital.
What Zoé has already done
What we operate on — and why it changes a life
General surgery: hernia and gallbladder
Unable to carry weight, people who live off farming and fishing stop working for years.
Understand the surgery
For people who live off farming and fishing and carry weight all day, a hernia grows and can strangulate — an emergency hours from the hospital by boat. Gallstones cause repeated attacks and serious infections. These are the most frequent surgeries in the program: 310 since 2020.
Gynaecological surgery
Years of bleeding and anaemia, with no strength to work or care for the children.
Understand the surgery
Fibroids, cysts and prolapses affect women for years with no gynaecologist nearby: anaemia, constant pain, difficulty working and caring for their children. We operate with an all-female team whenever possible, with a consultation and ultrasound beforehand.
Head and neck surgery: thyroid
A lump in the neck that grows for ten years until it presses on the throat.
Understand the surgery
Nodules that grow unmonitored press on the windpipe, make swallowing and breathing hard, and can hide a cancer. The surgery needs a specialised surgeon, safe anaesthesia and ultrasound. We bring the whole team.
Skin surgery
Under the Amazon sun, an ignored spot can be skin cancer.
Understand the surgery
Decades of sun on the river and in the fields, never once seeing a dermatologist. Suspicious lesions, early skin cancers and cysts are removed the same day, as outpatient procedures: 295 surgeries since 2020.
Every case goes through screening and a pre-operative assessment weeks before the expedition.
For companies
Sponsor one surgical front or the whole expedition, with an impact report of your own and presence at our events.
Andreia Laplana, executive director: andreia@ongzoe.org
Why trust us
- BDO audit 2024 and 2025
- Doar A+ Seal for Management and Transparency
- Humanizar Saúde Award — Teva Brasil 2024
- Veja Saúde Award 2025
- ORG Impact Awards 2024
- Top-Ranked Organization GlobalGiving 2025
144 partner institutions, among them Faculdade Sírio-Libanês, HC-FMUSP, Fundação Salvador Arena and SESAI/DSEI.
Transparency (latest audited report) →
Frequently asked questions
What kind of surgery does the Surgery in the Forest Program do?
Elective small and medium-sized procedures that can be done safely in a municipal hospital and have a predictable recovery: general surgery (hernia and gallbladder), gynaecological, head and neck (thyroid) and skin surgery. Cases that need intensive care or high complexity are referred to the specialist network.
Who chooses the patients?
The queue is organised together with the municipal health department and the local hospital, from the demand already registered in the public health system. Zoé assesses every case before surgery.
And after the team leaves?
The immediate post-operative period is followed by the team on the ground; longer follow-up stays with the local network, with guidance from Zoé and a direct channel for questions. In Belterra, Zoé keeps a continuous presence through its other programs and the branch opened at the Municipal Hospital in 2026.
Does my donation go only to surgeries?
It goes to the Surgery in the Forest Program: everything that makes each surgical expedition possible — logistics, supplies, medicines, tests, lodging for the team and infrastructure. The volunteers are paid nothing. Zoé's accounts are audited by BDO and published.
Can I donate to a specific expedition?
Yes. Until 6 December 2026, everything that comes in through this page goes to the 55th expedition, in Belterra, as part of the “Last Gift of the Year” campaign. Whatever exceeds its cost stays in the Surgery in the Forest Program and secures the June expedition.