TESTIMONIAL

This is a great project for anyone, even if you only have a day to volunteer. This project comes ready-made with things to do. If you volunteer in the mornings, you will be expected to help finish getting the children dressed for the day, play with them, feed them lunch, and help clean them up and put them to bed for a nap. The clinic sorely needs volunteers on weekends as well, especially during the evenings as there are fewer nurses available and generally no volunteers. With less people around, the kids sit around doing very little when they could really use some stimulation. I have loved this project - the kids are happy, engaging, and generally excited to see you. And while there are expectations (as listed above), as a therapist with a background with special-needs kids, I have been allowed access to the therapy room and can choose which children I want to work with. It is up to me to use what kind of therapy or skills I want to provide for that child (not all children here receive therapy). Not only is there a lot of freedom in this aspect, the clinic is also flexible in regards to your schedule. Sometimes when I can't make it during the week, I make up my time on the weekends. The children love spending time in their large playground, playing with toys in their rooms, going for walks (or wheelchair races) around the clinic, and they especially love it when volunteers bring bubbles, balloons, balls, and simple art projects. Most of the children are pretty low-functioning - about 25% can communicate or walk or attend school, whereas the rest have much higher needs. You don't need a particularly high level of Spanish for this project as most of the kids are unable to speak or are only capable of understanding quechua. Plus, the nurses, for the most part, keep to themselves unless you actively engage with them. What needs to be done is pretty clear to see in this project and it is a great place for a volunteer to be.

I had a wonderful experience volunteering at a clicic for mental health in Peru. The best part was the freedom of my job. I began, with beginners Spanish, making art with the lowest functioning patients. As my Spanish improved, I changed my schedule to incorporate some psychology workshops with the higher functioning patients. Observing the workshops at first, I learned about the focus of the group and before I knew it, I was leading the workshop when the nurse was not present. My vocabulary grew with the increased responsibility and my relations with the patients grew as well. After two months I had been through good days and bad but, over all I made a lot of friends (I even went to a Grupo 5 concert with my co-workers), learned a lot about the mental health system in Peru, and used my Spanish in a social services setting. What i will look back on is the strong bond I built with the patients, and the many friends I have at the project. Both are wonderful people to work with.

I chose Peru because I wanted to gain fluency in the Spanish language and felt that Cusco would be a great place to learn. On top of that, I have always wanted to go to South America and explore the Sacred Valley. I begin my day at about 8 in the morning and get to choose which doctor I work with during the day or I work in triage. Triage is where they view all patients that come in and give basic nursing care. I spend my day working with a variety of patients of all ages and illnesses and see a variety of acute sickness and injury. Working in the clinic has helped me learn and improve my knowledge of medical spanish. I have gotten to see first hand how the medical system works in Peru and am more trained in the medical issues that are currently effecting this country. My hope is to present a positive example of a medical student and be able to teach some of the people here the preventative medical methods that are available to them. This can hopefully influence them in their future to make healthier choices. My desire is that through my work at the clinic I will be able to contribute my knowledge to the Peruvian medical system. I hope that as my Spanish improves and I become more fluent, I will be able to help a more diverse range of people from all over the world. Doing medical volunteer work in Peru has given me a new international perspective to medical care that will help my future work and career goals both abroad and in the United States.