General purpose

• To provide support to ostomates in Spain (particularly expatriates).
• To improve the standard of public health service care for all ostomates in Spain.
• To contribute to international efforts to relieve distress for ostomists in countries where there is no adequate public health service care.

Objectives

(translated from our Spanish constitution)

Art. 3 Taking into account the fact that only expatriate ostomists are able to understand and support others in similar circumstances, the aims of the Association are as follows:

1. To provide help and support to all foreign ostomists residing in Spain, visitors, refugees, or other displaced ostomists, and their carers.
2. To provide help and support to Spanish ostomists should they so wish.
3. To generate and supply information regarding ostomy to the members.
4. To encourage mutual help among members.
5. To support the activities of Spanish ostomy associations.
6. To be a full member of the International Ostomy Association (IOA), subscribing to its aims.
7. To promote and aid in the development of the facilities for ostomists in the Spanish Social Services and of specialist stoma nursing.
8. To collaborate with companies and laboratories in the field of ostomy products for the advancement and development of such products and their availability.

Activities

• EOS maintains a confidential register of all known expatriate ostomists resident in Spain.
• EOS provides HELPLINE support, and specific information by mail,
  to anyone in Spain who has or is about to have an ostomy operation;
  to visitors to Spain who find themselves in difficulties;
  to people who are planning to move to Spain and particularly with advice on their obtaining an equivalent or as close an equivalent as possible to the appliance which they have used in their own country.
• EOS provides personal support by briefing members to visit people in hospital or at home where appropriate and possible.
• EOS provides limited financial support to members suffering distress due to illness.
• EOS produces an informative Newsletter for members, and also procures and distributes ostomy magazines to members.
• EOS organises social events on a local basis to promote solidarity and friendship among members and friends.
• EOS organises fund-raising activities for its own needs.
• EOS organises events, gives talks about its work, publishes articles and advertises in the press, in an effort to educate the public at large about ostomy.
• EOS supports and works nationally with the Spanish ostomy associations through the federation FEDAO, to seek a voice in government that will be effective in securing a better deal for ostomists through the public health services.
• EOS works internationally by direct intervention and through the IOA to assist people in developing countries where ostomy operations are carried out but where there is no aftercare other than by the surgeon and no equipment affordable by the patients.

What EOS is NOT and does not do

• EOS is not a club geared to the social needs of members. The primary aim of all meetings that are not purely administrative is the support of members as ostomists (and their carers) directly, or indirectly through fund-raising.
• EOS as an organisation does not provide nursing services, transport or accommodation for members or others in need.
• EOS does not raise funds in order to support other organisations, charitable or otherwise. All income is directed towards operating costs or projects.
• EOS does not promote any commercial organisation or product above any other. It receives no commissions or other benefits in lieu from commercial sources.
• EOS does not disclose personal details of members to any other body, commercial or otherwise, without that member's permission.
• EOS does not purport to represent Spain in ostomy affairs - otherwise than as a FEDAO delegate when so charged.