APROQUEN

What APROQUEN does

APROQUEN (Asociación pro Niños Quemados de Nicaragua) is a Nicaraguan non-profit foundation founded in 1989 by Vivian Pellas following her survival of the TAN SAHSA Flight 414 crash. The organization operates the first independent pediatric burn treatment unit in Central America meeting international quality standards, located in Managua, with a secondary administrative office nearby. It delivers a comprehensive, multidisciplinary care model free of charge to child burn survivors and, since 2010, to children with cleft lip and palate, spanning nine service modules: intensive care, surgery, rehabilitation, hospitalization, outpatient consultation, psychology, nutrition, and dentistry.

The core product is integrated clinical care delivered through APROQUEN's own burn unit and adjunct dental services, supported by standard medical practices rather than proprietary technology. There is no commercial product, software platform, or app. Operations are sustained entirely through donations from individuals and corporate sponsors — including BAC Credomatic, Hospital Vivian Pellas, Claro Nicaragua, DICE GSA, and Flor de Caña — with all services provided gratis to patients. Over 34 years the organization has delivered more than 730,000 health services, distributed through a single-country, direct-delivery channel in Nicaragua with no geographic diversification beyond the Managua facility.

The business model is charitable donations funding free clinical delivery. There is no pricing model, no commercial GTM, and no revenue line in the conventional sense. Distribution is purely direct service delivery through APROQUEN's own facility, with marketing centered on emotional patient storytelling across social media (YouTube, Instagram) and a donation-focused website (aproquen.org) to drive community and corporate fundraising.

Name

APROQUEN

Legal name

APROQUEN (Asociación pro Niños Quemados de Nicaragua)

Website

https://aproquen.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

APROQUEN is a Nicaraguan non-profit foundation, founded in 1989, that runs the first independent pediatric burn unit in Central America. It provides free, multidisciplinary medical, surgical, rehabilitative, and psychological care to child burn survivors and cleft lip/palate patients in Managua.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pediatric Burn Treatment and Rehabilitation Services

NAICS

Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230)

SIC

Services-Skilled Nursing Care Facilities (8051), Services-Offices & Clinics Of Doctors Of Medicine (8011)

akta.pro primary industry

Inpatient Rehabilitation Hospitals (IRFs) (HLAFAHAG)

Keywords

• Pediatric burn treatment
• Burn rehabilitation services
• Non-profit healthcare
• Cleft palate surgery
• Charitable medical foundation

Headquarters

HQ city

Managua

HQ country

Nicaragua

HQ region

Latin America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a non-profit foundation, APROQUEN operates entirely on donations from individuals, corporations, and organizations. All medical services are provided completely free of charge (gratis) to patients and their families.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

APROQUEN provides free, comprehensive pediatric burn treatment and rehabilitation services through its dedicated Burn Unit (Unidad de Quemados) in Managua, Nicaragua. The organization delivers integrated care across intensive care, surgery, rehabilitation, hospitalization, outpatient consultation, psychology, nutrition, and dentistry for child burn survivors and cleft lip/palate patients. All services are provided completely free of charge, sustained by charitable donations.

Product overview

APROQUEN is a nonprofit healthcare organization providing a comprehensive, unified service model for child burn survivors in Nicaragua. The core offering is the Unidad de Quemados (Burn Unit), the first independent burn unit in Central America meeting international quality standards. Integrated within this are nine specialized service modules: Cuidados Intensivos (Intensive Care), Cirugía (Surgery), Rehabilitación (Rehabilitation), Hospitalización (Hospitalization), Consulta Externa (Outpatient Consultation), Psicología (Psychology), Nutrición (Nutrition), and Odontología (Dentistry). All services are provided completely free of charge as part of APROQUEN's holistic, multidisciplinary approach to pediatric burn care and recovery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Unidad de Quemados (Burn Unit) The first independent Burn Unit in Nicaragua meeting international quality standards, providing comprehensive and holistic care free of charge to child burn survivors. It serves as the operational hub for all APROQUEN medical services.
• Cuidados Intensivos (Intensive Care) Specialized intensive care area for treating children with severe burns, offering continuous monitoring, advanced life support, and close family accompaniment. Provided free of charge to pediatric burn patients.
• Cirugía (Surgery) Specialized surgical procedures for treatment and recovery of child burn survivors, including skin grafts, contracture release, debridement, and excision. Provided free of charge.
• Rehabilitación (Rehabilitation) Physical and emotional recovery support for children, including physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and scar management to restore mobility, independence, and confidence. Provided free of charge.
• Hospitalización (Hospitalization) Specialized pediatric hospitalization for burn patients, providing comprehensive medical care, fluid resuscitation, surgical cleaning, and regular wound dressing. Provided free of charge.
• Consulta Externa (Outpatient Consultation) Specialized outpatient medical care for child burn survivors, including comprehensive evaluation, physical examination, clinical history, and diagnosis. Provided free of charge.
• Psicología (Psychology) Specialized psychological support for patients and families, promoting emotional adaptation, pain management during procedures, trauma containment, and social reintegration. Provided free of charge.
• Nutrición (Nutrition) Specialized nutritional support including hypercaloric diets, amino acids, and micronutrients to support recovery, growth, and overall well-being during treatment. Provided free of charge.
• Odontología (Dentistry) Specialized free dental care for children with cleft lip and palate, including prosthetic rehabilitation, infection prevention, and scar and contracture management. Provided free of charge.
• Studio Danza Ilusiones A dance studio project founded by APROQUEN's Founder Vivian Pellas, combining her passion for dance with commitment to helping Nicaraguan children, serving as a space for inspiration, awareness, and demonstrating that art can transform lives.

Quantifiable outcome

• 730,000+ health services provided over 34 years

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• BAC CredomaticminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBAC Credomatic is listed as a corporate partner/logo on the APROQUEN website, indicating financial or promotional support for the organization's charitable mission.
• Hospital Vivian PellascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHospital Vivian Pellas shares the same location (Carretera Masaya, Km. 9.8) and appears to be a related/affiliated healthcare facility. The burn unit may be co-located or associated with this hospital.
• Claro NicaraguaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerClaro, a telecommunications company, is listed as a corporate partner supporting APROQUEN's mission through visible sponsorship.
• DICE GSAminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDICE GSA is listed as a corporate partner providing support to APROQUEN's charitable operations.
• Flor de CañaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFlor de Caña, a rum brand from Nicaragua, is listed as a corporate partner supporting the foundation's mission.
• Hospital Fernando Vélez Paiz (Historical)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistorical partnership: In 1993, APROQUEN redesigned, built, and equipped the first burn unit for children in Nicaragua at the public hospital Fernando Vélez Paiz, where they operated for 11 years before opening their own facility.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Operation Smile: Operation Smile is an international non-profit providing free cleft lip and cleft palate surgery to children in low- and middle-income countries. They share APROQUEN's model of donor-funded, free surgical and rehabilitative care for pediatric cleft conditions in underserved settings.
• Smile Train: Smile Train is a global non-profit focused on cleft lip and palate treatment, supporting local partners to provide free surgery and comprehensive care. They closely mirror APROQUEN's expansion into cleft care through a partner-driven, capacity-building model.
• Children's Burn Foundation: Children's Burn Foundation is a non-profit dedicated to preventing burn injuries and supporting pediatric burn survivors with treatment and recovery services. It is a direct peer in the niche of free or subsidized pediatric burn care and family support.
• ReSurge International: ReSurge International provides reconstructive surgery and related care to children and adults in low-resource countries, including burn reconstruction. They are highly comparable in mission, free-care delivery model, and pediatric reconstructive surgery focus.
• Shriners Hospitals for Children: Shriners Hospitals for Children operates a network of non-profit pediatric specialty hospitals, including a renowned burn care program providing free treatment to children. They share APROQUEN's model of free, multidisciplinary pediatric specialty care delivered outside the commercial healthcare system.

Broad incumbents

• Partners In Health: Partners In Health operates a global network of free or low-cost clinical facilities serving the poor, including specialty care. It is comparable in providing comprehensive, free healthcare in low-resource settings, but across a broader range of conditions and geographies than APROQUEN.
• Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders): MSF is a large international medical humanitarian organization delivering free emergency and specialty care in low-resource settings. It is a broad incumbent that overlaps with APROQUEN's free specialty care mission but operates at global scale and across many conditions.
• St. Jude Children's Research Hospital: St. Jude is a large US-based non-profit pediatric specialty hospital providing free treatment and family support. It shares APROQUEN's mission of fully free pediatric specialty care, but at vastly larger scale and with broader pediatric disease coverage.

Emerging players

• Interburns: Interburns is an international network providing training, education, and research to improve burn care in low- and middle-income countries. It is comparable in targeting the pediatric burn care gap in resource-limited settings, but focuses on capacity-building rather than direct clinical service delivery.

Regional players

• Hospital del Niño Dr. José Renán Esquivel: This is the leading public pediatric specialty hospital in Panama and a comparable regional pediatric care provider. It is comparable as a Central American pediatric specialty hospital serving children with complex conditions, including burns and reconstructive needs, though it operates as a public institution rather than a non-profit foundation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/aproquen1
• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=MPkJ6LOfXwo
• Facebookfacebook.com/dicegsa/?locale=es_LA
• Instagraminstagram.com/reel/DKSH6urSQoe/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about APROQUEN