COLLEGE GLOBAL HEALTH TRAVEL PROGRAM TO GUATEMALA
An opportunity to:
o Design, implement, and evaluate community health projects.
o Gain hands-on experience in a cross-cultural setting with an emphasis on health.
o Travel to an underserved community and make a positive impact.
o Work alongside local healthcare professionals in offering health services.
o Learn about social, economic, and human rights inequalities.
o Become immersed in a culture different from your own.
o Develop a new perspective about global health and international development.
Our College Global Health Travel Program to Guatemala offers a unique opportunity to create and implement community health projects that have a lasting positive impact on the community. Participants will have direct access to the community, working alongside our local partners to offer clinical screenings and health education activities.
By working in an underserved community, participants will gain a different perspective about how social, economic, and human rights inequities impact health accessibility and services in comparison to their own.
During the Program You Will
Work alongside healthcare professionals to provide aid to patients of all ages.
Design, implement, and evaluate community health projects that will have a lasting positive impact on the community.
Host health fairs within the community to provide on-site screenings and education.
Be fully-immersed in a cross-cultural exchange and learn about a new culture!
History
In 1996, Guatemala emerged from a 36-year-long civil war. As a consequence, Guatemala’s young democratic tradition is tenuous. Although the country is rich in mineral, agricultural, and human resources, poverty is acute and particularly widespread in the countryside and among indigenous communities (including the ones in which GPSA works). Rates of illiteracy, infant mortality, and malnutrition are among the region’s highest while life expectancy is among the lowest.
About the Program
Through our partnership with the Ministry of Health in Guatemala, participants are able to work in local health clinics, organize health fairs, and work in schools to teach children topics like hygiene, nutrition and maternal health. With this program, participants will get to experience Guatemala’s rich culture and beauty! Participants will have the opportunity to participate in cultural activities that can include visiting the magnificent Lake Atitlan, strolling through markets that exhibit handwoven textiles and locally grown vegetables, weaving classes, chocolate making classes, or hiking in the mountainous area. The program includes language training, an intensive course focused on Spanish or Mayan languages. Participants stay with host families in small villages surrounding Quetzaltenango, the vibrant economic center of Guatemala’s highlands.
Living with a host family creates a perfect atmosphere to practice a local language and learn and experience Guatemalan culture.
Besides implementing community health projects, college participants receive hands-on experience by learning and conducting clinical services such as:
- Screening for high blood pressure
- Screening for diabetes
- Reading vitals (temperature, oxygen levels, heart rate, respiration rate)
- Screening for malnutrition by measuring body mass index (height and weight)
- Vision exams