Fellowship Site

As a summer fellow, you will spend the bulk of your time in the village of Calhuitz.  Calhuitz is one of 26 municipalities located in a remote, mountainous area in northwestern Guatemala.   Unfortunately, this area is referred to as the “Triangle of Death” because it has the highest child/infant mortality rate in the country.

Thus over the years, Global HEED has developed a relationship with the village and our NGO partner in Guatemala, Curamericas (www.curamericas.org), in order to better serve the local people of Calhuitz.  On prior trips, we have provided public health education, assessed the viability of a microfinance initiative, and helped to construct a local school and health clinic.  Additionally, we work closely with the Casa Materna, the local birthing house and maternal-child health clinic that focuses on infant delivery and overall healthcare for pregnant woman and newborns.

Summer Healthcare Fellowship Responsibilities

While no trip is exactly the same, past Summer Fellows have had a number of opportunities to help Calhuitz.  Based on prior trips, your responsibilities may include:

• Helping to develop and teach public health topics, such as nutrition, hygiene, first aid, reproductive health and maternal-child healthcare.
• Assessing the community’s needs by collecting demographic information, statistics, or local testimonials via interviews, surveys, and/or local meetings.
• Making house-calls with the local doctor or nurse to provide vaccinations to local children.
• Obtaining basic patient information, such as height/weight.
• Shadowing/helping to assist in the delivery of a child.

Leisure & Travel Time

Aside from your work in the village and neighboring communities, you will get to spend some quality time with your team members, Casa Materna’s staff and community inhabitants, which will allow you to make lasting friendships. In addition, you will have the ability to read and write journal entries at night and on the weekends.

Finally, previous volunteer groups have been able to set some time and funds aside for sightseeing which may include visiting Antigua or Huehuetenango city. This last option will need to be coordinated in advance with your trip leaders and the Guatemala Project team.

Eligibility for the Program

Almost anyone with an interest in public health and volunteering abroad can be a Summer Healthcare Fellow.  Past summer fellows have included undergraduate students from across the country, as well as working professionals.  At times, licensed EMTs, nurses, and medical doctors have also participated on these trips.  If you are interested in becoming a Summer Fellow, you should be able to meet the following criteria:

• Have a strong interest in volunteering abroad and healthcare/medicine
• Be over 18 years of age
• Be able to travel to Guatemala for the duration of the fellowship (i.e. if you are a US citizen, then you need a valid US passport ; however, if you are a non-US citizen, you may need to obtain a visa stamped on your passport. Contact your country’s embassy for further details)
• Be able to pay the cost of your trip, including airline tickets and visas
• Have or be able to obtain all necessary vaccinations/medications for travelling to Guatemala.  The CDC Health Information for Travelers to Guatemala ( http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/guatemala.htm) provides good guidelines for all necessary and recommended vaccines
• Spanish fluency, basic proficiency, or some knowledge of Medical Spanish is recommended but not necessary.  Your Graduate Fellow trip leaders will help with interpretation and translation while traveling.
• Any medical training is also helpful but not necessary.

Expectations

Additionally, as a Summer Fellow, you are expected to do the following:

• Be open-minded and flexible!  Whether you have had a lot of experience with volunteering abroad or not, you will quickly learn that international service work never goes exactly as planned.  Approach everything with an open-mind
• Be culturally sensitive! We are guests in Calhuitz, and we are there to learn as much from the local people as they are to learn from us.
• Attend and complete all assignments from the Training Program

Costs

The trip will cost $1,999 which covers food, transportation & housing in Guatemala as well as a project donation to Global HEED. The donation will be used to complete the construction of the first healthcare clinic in Calhuitz, which will serve over 20 neighboring municipalities and over 10,000 people.

The trip cost of $1,999 does not cover health insurance, travel insurance, and incidentals. Regarding health insurance, we require that all Summer Healthcare Fellows register with Gallagher Insurance, which costs between $60-$80. As we get closer to the trip dates, Global HEED will sign you up for health insurance through Gallagher, and we will ask you to reimburse us for the cost by sending us an additional check for the exact amount that we pay for your insurance.

Learn more about Global HEED’s Projects in Guatemala

To learn more about our projects, visit the “Guatemala Program” section of our website: Guatemala Program

Questions? Feel free to contact us anytime.

Send an email to contactus@globalheed.org