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Lima, Peru

Population  Population: 8.432 million

Land Area  Land Area: 2,672 km²

Languages  Languages: Spanish & Quechua

Currency   Currency: Peruvian Sol

About lima

Map LocationLima is Peru’s capital and a modern sprawling city with around 10 million inhabitants. It is located on the arid coast of western Peru and is known for its world-class cuisine, wealth of history (pre-Inca and colonial), and vibrant art scene. MEDLIFE is headquartered in this diverse city, but for reasons beyond why a typical tourist might stop here.

Why You Should Come

Why You Should Come

Lima is Peru’s capital and a modern, sprawling city of 10 million inhabitants. MEDLIFE is headquartered in this diverse city, but for reasons beyond why a typical tourist might stop here. MEDLIFE’s work in Lima focuses on the human settlements or “pueblos jovenes” in the outskirts of Lima, where almost 1 million people live in impoverished conditions. These communities consist of small shacks, often made of reed mats or plywood and built into the precarious rocky hillsides around Lima. Most of these communities lack access to basic services like running water and electricity. While the entire city was badly hit by COVID-19, these communities were affected severely. With the majority of the population living hand-to-mouth on wages from informal jobs, the pandemic brought months of financial hardship and food insecurity. Our COVID-19 relief effort helped make sure that families didn’t go hungry, but further support is needed to get communities back on their feet.

 

How You Can Help

MEDLIFE addresses some of the most pressing issues in these communities through Mobile Clinics, patient follow-up, and community development projects. But our work would not be possible without motivated individuals like you choosing to volunteer in Service Learning Trips (SLT).

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Additional Travel opportunities

A trip to Peru would be incomplete without witnessing the majesty of Machu Picchu and experiencing the spectacular rolling sand dunes of Ica. With optional tourism extensions offered by our partner travel company, Good Life Expeditions, you can explore more of your SLT destination while continuing to support MEDLIFE partner communities and traveling sustainably.

Click here to view extension options

Hear it From MEDLIFErs

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Reya Seby
Western University

This trip motivated me more to pursue a career in the healthcare field so that I can use my resources to help those who need it the most, similar to MEDLIFE’s mission.

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Victoria DiCanio
University of Connecticut

It was most enjoyable to finish the hard work and see how big a difference a group of individuals can make. It was such an amazing experience.

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Anita Woo
University of Toronto

I enjoyed the mobile clinics the most, especially the dental and triage portions. I would definitely recommend a MEDLIFE trip, it was a great experience.

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David Saff
Maclay High School

The most enjoyable part of my trip was hanging out with the amazing group of kids I was with. I would highly recommend a MEDLIFE volunteer trip to others.

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Sydney Sansone
Nova Southeastern University

This trip made everything that I was learning in my public health courses come to life and immersed me in a new culture while also learning about medicine.

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Abygail Youmans
College of Charleston

Being involved with MEDLIFE is not like joining another club - its bigger than that. It is about joining a movement that seeks to help change people’s quality of life for forever.

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Emi Hofmann
University of Central Florida

Not only was I able to participate in a week long Mobile Clinic, shadowing doctors of all types of specialties including pharmacy, dentistry, gynecology, and more, but I was also able to learn about the culture and visit incredible places.

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Julian Takagi-Stewart
University of Toronto

One thing that I really loved about this trip was that MEDLIFE made sure that the volunteers got an understanding of the complexity of issues that lead to underprivileged people in communities outside of the main city

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Hannah Van Hofwegen
University of Ottawa

Whether it was basketball with the local kids, assisting the doctors, talking with families, building washrooms, holding babies, or spending time with the people who were on the SLT with me, this was an amazing opportunity that I would do over and over again.

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Isabelle Holt
Cornell University

I loved learning about the patients MEDLIFE has followed and how they offer real help to people with chronic/urgent conditions. It is amazing how the organization formed real connections with the communities.

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Valerie Lindeborg
Parent

Our family had the privilege of participating in multiple trips with Nick [founder] and his amazing staff. Their expertise made the trips unforgettable while instilling in my boys the fundamentals of good character: selflessness, compassion, and empathy.

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Harry Vildibill
University of Georgia

As an aspiring physician, MEDLIFE motivated me to further continue my goal of becoming a doctor. In fact, I enjoyed the Tanzania Service Learning Trip so much that I decided to go on another trip to Cusco, Peru.