In the world of volunteer abroad programs, it’s easy to get caught up in the idea of charity or short-term fixes to long-term issues. However, true transformation and impact come from ethical volunteering that prioritizes education, mutual benefit, and sustainable solutions. MEDLIFE’s founder, Dr. Nick Ellis, has always believed that volunteering should go beyond giving. It should be about learning, reflecting, and becoming part of a larger movement for equity and justice. His vision has shaped the nature of our Service Learning Trips, which focus on creating deep-rooted relationships with the communities we serve and empowering local leaders to make lasting change. Nick has penned a letter to provide more clarity on why we focus on sustainability and collaboration first and foremost when it comes to our volunteer abroad programs.
A Message from Our Founder
Dr. Nick Ellis, Founder & CEO, MEDLIFE
“What is a Service Learning Trip?
At MEDLIFE, we’ve been asking ourselves that question for nearly two decades. When we first began organizing Service Learning Trips, we focused—as the name suggests—on the service. And that’s still where our heart is: supporting communities in Latin America by improving access to health care, safe housing, and basic human rights.
But over time, we came to understand that service alone is not enough.
If we want to address global poverty—arguably one of the greatest and most enduring challenges humanity faces—we need more than clinics and construction projects. We need a generation of people who see the world differently. Who understand inequality not as an abstract problem to solve, but as a lived experience that shapes real lives in real places.
And that starts with education—not education through books, films, or lectures alone, but through firsthand experience.
For many students, a Service Learning Trip with MEDLIFE is an introduction. It’s the first time they’ve stepped into an informal settlement, spoken with a family without land rights or running water, or partnered with a local doctor in a remote health clinic. It’s the first time they’ve asked hard questions—not just about poverty, but about their own role in it.
This is not tourism. This is not charity. This is transformative experiential learning, built on humility, reflection, and ethical service.
We believe the true value of a Service Learning Trip isn’t what students give with their hands—especially if those hands are untrained—but what they take with their hearts and minds. The value lies in helping students begin a path—toward deeper engagement, clearer purpose, and lives committed to equity and justice.
The old model—the idea that privileged students can parachute into low-income communities to “help,” without training, without context, and without partnership—is broken. It doesn’t work. And it shouldn’t continue.
The model that does work is different. It’s built on:
- Empowering local doctors, nurses, and community leaders
- Working within existing systems, not replacing them
- Offering students an ethical, immersive education
- Creating mutual benefit—not extraction
- And providing long-term support, year-round, from staff rooted in the communities we serve
The vast majority of our team—including myself—live and work full-time in Latin America. We’ve built MEDLIFE with deep roots, deep relationships, and deep respect for the people we serve. And we operate with a core belief in humility: that we don’t have all the answers, that we’re constantly improving, and that identifying a problem is only the beginning of the work.
Dr. Paul Farmer, one of my greatest inspirations, once asked:
“When you find a problem, is that the end of the conversation—or the beginning?”
For MEDLIFE, it’s always the beginning.
If you’re a student, a volunteer, or a partner, we invite you not just to serve, but to learn deeply, reflect honestly, and grow boldly. Let this be the start of something bigger—because the world doesn’t need saviors. It needs listeners, learners, and leaders committed to long-term change.
Welcome to MEDLIFE.”
MEDLIFE’s volunteer abroad programs emphasize ethical volunteering, ensuring that each participant not only helps but also learns and reflects on their own role in the global fight against poverty, and we invite you to be part of these transformative experiences.
Join us on a Service Learning Trip where you can grow as a leader and advocate for justice, while contributing to meaningful change. Let this be the start of a journey toward a deeper understanding of the world and your place in it. To learn about how you can get involved with MEDLIFE today, fill out the interest form below, download our free brochure, or check out some of our upcoming trips!