Testimonials from previous Summer Healthcare Fellows in Guatemala
Download the Summer Fellowship Information Packet here: GH Guatemala Program Information Packet
Testimonials from previous Summer Healthcare Fellows in Guatemala
Our Summer Fellows come from a variety of backgrounds. Students in nursing, public health, French, and computer science have all been a part of our team and we continue to seek a great range of interests among our volunteers. No matter their field of study, Global H.E.E.D.’s trip participants have found volunteering with us to be very eye-opening and inspiring. A few former Fellows have provided the following testimonials regarding their experiences working abroad with Global H.E.E.D.:
Testimonial 1:
“I had an amazing time on the service trip to Calhuitz with my group. Some of the experiences were hard, but others were amazing, like being the first to hold a newborn baby girl. There are people in Calhuitz surviving with such few resources that it really made me appreciate everything I have so much more. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to help a population that isn’t even on a map, let alone a widely publicized village to receive aid from international sources. If you can find the time in your schedule to make this trip, I guarantee you’ll never forget it!”
- Martina W. (University of Pennsylvania), former Summer Healthcare Fellow
Testimonial 2:
“My experience in Calhuitz solidified my conviction that access to health care is human right. There is a great need for basic health services in this region of Guatemala; however, there is one doctor for more than 8,000 people and mountainous terrain preventing easy access to hospitals in the larger cities. In addition, the major language spoken in these communities is an indigenous language called Chu’j. Most doctors in public hospitals speak Spanish and there is often no interpreter available to facilitate communication, particularly dangerous during births. Casa Materna in Calhuitz was created in part to address the need for a clinic and birthing center sensitive to the needs of indigenous women who would otherwise deliver children in their homes or not seek care in an emergency. While in Calhuitz, our volunteer group worked closely with nurses and community health workers at the Casa Materna; assisted with provision of basic health services, health outreach, vaccinations, and prenatal screenings; and helped facilitate health education workshops and capacity strengthening sessions for midwives (comradronas).
Before volunteering in Calhuitz, I had volunteered in other clinics in medically underserved communities, but had never understood the complexity of challenges inherent in rural health care delivery. My experience in this community, seeing the amazing work undertaken by Seño Alma, Seño Juany, and Doctor Mario,
deepened my passion for education and advocacy. My exposure to these issues
strengthened my desire to continue working toward ameliorating health
disparities both locally and globally.”
- Kaylin P. (Stanford University), former Summer Healthcare Fellow, who decided to join the Executive Board after returning from the Guatemala Internship
Testimonial 3:
“Our trip to Guatemala was great! I had never been outside the United States before the Global HEED program, but the residents of Calhuitz, Guatemala made me feel right at home. The local on-site team was very helpful in enhancing the interns’ experience, and the residents of the community were very appreciative of the work that we were doing.”
“After seeing how little healthcare access there is in Guatemala, I became even more motivated to help during my time as an intern. The experience made me see how blessed we are here in the United States.”
“During our time in Calhuitz, every day was a new experience, whether it was travelling to neighboring villages for conducting medical checkups, aiding the teaching lessons for midwives, or watching a baby being born at the Casa Maternal (maternal healthcare house). In my two weeks as a Global HEED intern, I met many wonderful people and had an experience that was both extremely rewarding and a lot of fun.”
- Evan K. (Emory University), former Summer Healthcare Fellow
Testimonial 4:
“I will never forget the experiences that I had in Calhuitz. Global HEED gave me the opportunity to interact with and learn from many different people. It was an incredible experience being able to work with the other interns and graduate fellows since everyone came with different experiences and could contribute something innovative to the projects.”
“Our team met with the Banrural Grameen Bank (before we spent time in Calhuitz), so that we could learn about microfinance. We had the opportunity to travel to a village Grameen served, and attend a women’s group meeting centered around their microfinance projects. While the success of microfinance programs is evident on paper, it was incredible to experience the programs in action and see how a small loan proved to be life changing for many women. It was impossible to miss the sense of empowerment and confidence that these women exuded as they spoke about their experiences raising goats or selling fabric.”
“Each team member on my internship trip was highly motivated to make the projects successful and worked to maximize our time in Calhuitz. We were able to implement a very important strategic initiative within the village, which would allow the Casa Materna (maternal healthcare house) to create & teach health education programs in hygiene and nutrition, which we also were able to learn and add our own voice to! The initiative is still sustainable today, and due to our efforts many women in the village are gaining access to healthcare they would not previously have had.”
“The community was incredibly welcoming and the residents always seemed to have time to stop and converse with us. Some of my favorite memories from the trip are interactions that we had with the residents of Calhuitz. Whether it was playing a game of soccer with a group of young girls or helping teenage boys with their English homework, all of these interactions allowed me to experience the rich culture of Calhuitz and see what a unique and amazing place it is. During my three weeks with Global HEED I was exposed to countless experiences that left a lasting impact. My time in Calhuitz was truly unforgettable!”
- Alyssa S. (Brown University), former Summer Healthcare Fellow
Testimonial 5:
“My experience in Calhuitz, Guatemala is truly one that I will never forget. Not only was this trip my very first time in a foreign country, but it was also my first time being immersed in a setting completely different than I had ever experienced before. Our intern group was a wonderful, eclectic mix of public health students, pre-med students and myself, a nursing student.”
“This trip was especially important to me because it solidified what field of nursing I would like to enter into for my career as an RN. I had really enjoyed my maternity rotation during the spring semester prior to leaving for Calhuitz, but I was still wavering in my decision to commit to the field. Our group’s work with Nurse Alma in the Casa Materna (maternal healthcare house) made it clear that labor and infant delivery with underserved populations was the place for me.”
“The experiences I enjoyed most on this trip involved assisting with the birthing of infants, teaching health education to various communities, assisting with prenatal education and exams, and midwife training seminars with Nurse Alma. I am extremely grateful that I was able to attend this trip and hope to return one day to Calhuitz.”
“Thank you to Global HEED and the women of Calhuitz for helping to solidify my place in this world as a labor and infant delivery nurse!”
- Jessica M. (Emory University, School of Nursing), former Summer Healthcare Fellow