Welcome to the MEDLIFE year in review! What a year 2023 has been. Through the highs and lows, challenges and triumphs, we have been able to continue our dedication to providing service to our partner communities in Latin America and Africa. Without the commitment and enthusiasm of our incredible volunteers, we wouldn’t be able to carry out the work we do. So thank you to everyone who has supported the MEDLIFE Movement this year, and we are looking forward to a prosperous 2024.
Let’s have a look at our MEDLIFE year in review.
Top 3 Destinations
The most popular destinations that our volunteers visited were: Riobamba, Ecuador with 433 volunteers. Tena, Ecuador with 338 volunteers, and Lima, Peru with 309 volunteers.
Top 10 Chapters
These Chapters showcased their dedication by organizing the most Service Learning Trips, with Universidad Puerto Rico Mayaguez at number one with a total of 60 trips organized. Way to go MEDLIFErs! We couldn’t be prouder of your enthusiasm to assist low-income communities in accessing medical care, infrastructure, and education.
Statistics of Those Served
In this year alone, we have been able to serve thousands of people in our partner communities. With 171,180 appointments in total, bringing access to healthcare and education has been our honor. With the help of things like OBGYN visits, Pap Smears, and breast exams, the prevention of certain cancers and medical issues has been achieved. We have also seen through 31 Development Projects, which have benefited approximately 3,055 people.
Projects on the horizon
After taking a short pause on this project, our dedicated staff restarted the greenhouse project in the community of Chahauitiri in Cusco, Peru in 2023. This project was started because of a drought that had deeply affected the crops in this area. Our staff saw a need for a better and safer way to grow vegetables in this community, and began a project to build several greenhouses.
The project has been moving along smoothly and will continue into 2024. Currently we are working on adding thermal blankets to some of the greenhouses that have already been built. Our director of MEDLIFE Cusco, Heidy Aspilcueta, encourages volunteers to come to Cusco on their Service Learning Trips to aid in the building of these greenhouses. “We have about 30 greenhouses in this community but there are 150 families. Usually these types of projects that benefit individual families tend to extend, it really depends on the amount of volunteers we receive in Cusco.”
Over in Tanzania, our staff is currently working on something for the enjoyment of the children at Kilema Primary School. Where we have once renovated a kitchen in the school to aid in making the children healthy and tasty lunches, we are now going to begin building a dining hall. Currently, the students sit outside while eating their lunch. We’ll be working on a hall they can sit in to protect them from weather and so they can all sit at tables and enjoy their lunches. To help this project, you can donate to our Moving Mountains campaign and directly impact the lives of school aged children!
And that’s our MEDLIFE year in review for 2023! Our entire staff is looking forward to what is to come in 2024, and cannot wait to see what our MEDLIFErs can achieve when it comes to serving those in need and bringing accessible healthcare, education, and infrastructure to our partner communities.
If you are interested in volunteering abroad with MEDLIFE and working hands-on with medical professionals, check out our upcoming Service Learning Trips, download our brochure, or fill out the interest form below.