Public Health Trip to Peru

Your adventure in Peru begins today when you touch down in Lima. You will receive a crash course in local customs and culture during the day as you visit the Museo Larco with a tour guide. Learn about pre-Columbian civilizations like the Inca, and the role that Spanish conquistadores played in shaping modern-day Peru. 

After your group finishes touring the museum, you will immerse yourselves fully by visiting the Main Square of Lima. There are monuments and exhibits abutting this big open area, so be sure to take pictures.

It’s time to roll up your sleeves and get to work. International Volunteer HQ has several projects that require volunteers, and your group can choose to help in a few different ways.

Those more interested in helping children can go to local schools and assist with health evaluations for students and give health prevention talks. There are many at-risk children in Lima, and this assistance is vital.

For those looking to be more hands-on with their help, you can volunteer in at-risk communities by taking vitals and identifying potential problems. You will be able to assist in health-related workshops too.

Tuberculosis is a major problem in Peru, and the country has the highest incident rate of the disease in the Americas. There are 117 cases of tuberculosis for every 100,000 people in Peru, so this is one area where the country most needs help, according to the UN’s most recent SDG Index. Efforts to fight the disease have been quite successful over the last decade, and your group can join the fight.

Today will be a half-day as your group takes a bus to La Merced to begin the second part of your journey.

Every morning you will have breakfast at your homestay before heading to La Merced. Your group will be working closely with FIMRC, and they will provide a list of ways to help that will correlate to your groups’ prior knowledge and skill set.

While volunteering in La Merced, your group will be able to experience working in public medical facilities rather than just working in NGO clinics. That will give you first-hand knowledge of the conditions local doctors work under in their communities.

Some of the other activities your group can assist with include: suturing, clinical observations, observing in the operating room, working with native communities, and helping with FIMRC’s “Vida Saludable” (Healthy Life) program.

In your spare time, be sure to check out some of the natural beauty in the area. There is a lot of exotic scenery in La Merced and in the surrounding Chanchamayo Province.

On the last day, you’ll have the opportunity to say goodbye to everyone you worked with before taking a bus back to Lima. While traveling back, think of all the memories you’ve made, people you’ve helped, and experience you’ve gained over the past nine days. The bus will take you back to the airport where you will board your flight home.