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Preventative health education has been the focus for July

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MEDLIFE has a very rounded vision of development- we recognise one cannot simply eradicate poverty through one avenue alone, offering solely medical treatment for example. Our mission is focused on offering education, development, and healthcare to help families achieve greater freedom from the constraints of poverty. In addition to the mobile clinics that our volunteers provide a huge amount of support towards, a lot of time and effort is put into organising educational workshops for the communities of Peru.

Educational workshops help prevent illness and ensure more serious conditions are recognised earlier, increasing the chance of treating and curing them before they become detrimental. Last Friday two other interns and I joined Carlos, the director of MEDLIFE Peru, and two MEDLIFE doctors who would be delivering the presentation, on the journey to the community. After a couple of bumpy bus rides and a short climb into the hills, we arrived at our destination. We revisited a community that we had recently begun collaborating with. After confirming with them that a new staircase would be built in their area in late August, we continued to present an educational workshop. One of the women had an area out the back of her home large enough to hold the event; she had arranged rows of chairs for those who could attend.

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Once we arrived, we hesitantly walked through to the back of the house, not knowing exactly what to expect, how many people would come- it was really quite a chilly afternoon and potentially still working hours for some. Though of course, there was nothing to be concerned about as the seats were filled with men, women, and children, wrapped up warm and prepared for the occasion.

The MEDLIFE doctors made do with simple portable materials, including illustrations and some paper they stuck on the wall to write on and help explain health information. The doctors alternated for different sections of the presentation, and the audience sat continually engaged, quiet until the occasional question arose. The children played silently, the camera I was using also offered a great distraction! All the children I had met on the trips into the hills of Lima have been the most beautiful subjects a photographer could ask for, their smiles growing with excitement every time I share the photographs I have taken of them.

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The quality of the public education in Lima, Peru remains unsatisfactory partly due to low teacher wages and lack of school spaces for the ever-growing population. This, combined with the common practice for women to give birth young, means a substantial proportion of Lima’s migrant population won’t receive an adequate education. This exemplifies the necessity for the MEDLIFE educational workshops, which in some cases may save lives.

Before finishing the presentation, one of our summer interns, Alex, bravely stood at the front to share her health experiences with the group- a last minute request from Carlos. It was only in afterthought that it dawned on me why Carlos had really encouraged Alex to do this: health can often be a sometimes sensitive and embarrassing subject, one people don’t like to discuss and share. By Alex demonstrating that it’s okay to talk to others about her health experiences, it may just make it easier for them to do so in the future.

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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.