Hospital Project: Medical Volunteering (Andes Peru)

Tired of being in lockdown? Do you want to travel again?

! Our projects in Peru are still closed, but all of our PROJECTS IN ECUADOR have already been receiving volunteers again since October 2020 !

(All you need are two negative tests and you can volunteer with us in Ecuador!)

Did you miss our Xmas discount?

No problem... For a limited time we are now offering our "Ecuador is Open"-DISCOUNT again.

For every registration being made until March 01, 2021, we guarantee the following discounts:

√ 100 USD additional discount for every 1-month stay

√ 250 USD additional discount for every 2-3 month stay

√ 450 USD additional discount for every 4-5 month stay

√ 1 month for free at your chosen project site. 5 months+ stay

--> Simply go to our website and register with your email for your discount!

You can find all of our projects in Ecuador here: https://ngotaxi.org/projects/

The Project:

Volunteering in a medical care facility.

Are you a doctor or nurse? Or do you want to study medicine? We are searching for open-minded and dedicated volunteers who like to work in medical services! At the medical centre you will work with doctors and nurses and help them care for the local communities in the Urubamba Province of Peru. The medical facility currently only has one small clinic, which tends to a number of nearby communities (totaling about 7,000 people), providing first aid and basic healthcare. As a volunteer you will assist in various areas of medicine, e.g. in dentistry, but you will also learn about medical administration. The program is suitable for professional medical staff, medicine students and for all volunteers interested in the medical field.

This is your chance to have a once-in-a-lifetime experience at a clinic in South America!

Project Summary

Healthcare is a serious issue in Peru, especially outside of the cities in small villages. Due to being understaffed and under-equipped, this medical facility can only provide basic medical care, and for serious conditions and emergencies patients have to travel to Cusco. However, the only “ambulance” is a small, 20-year-old run-down converted van, which is not reliable when having to transfer patients urgently to Cusco. The project site also has a severe lack of medical equipment; there are no x-ray machines and all files are paper-based.

Volunteer Duties

As a volunteer in the medical centre you will:

• tend to the elderly and children
• attend to hospitalized patients (serving meals, etc.)
• work in the administration area
• work in the midwife area
• work in the dentistry area
• work in the health clinic area
• work in the pharmacy or laboratories
• assist nurses
• prepare and clean medical materials and equipment
• run daily errands and learn to manage other administrative tasks
• assist with monitoring tasks by filing reports for NGO Taxi
• maintain a diary of your time at the project (photos and blog)

The exact tasks you will be asked to carry out will depend on the current needs and priorities of the project as determined by your medical supervisor and NGO Taxi management. The tasks stated here are therefore examples of some of the possible types of activities you will be asked to do.

Working hours

The working week comprises 30 hours from Monday to Friday. You will work from 8am until 1.30pm, as outpatients are only attended to at these times; however, if there are no patients, you are sometimes allowed to leave earlier.

Location

The project site is located in a district an hour and a half to two hours journey from Cusco (traffic dependent), the ancient Inca capital. You will be working in a small rural community, so you can expect to encounter a simple and basic lifestyle surrounded by the beautiful snowy peaks of the Andes and ancient Incan ruins. However, as idyllic as this sounds, you must remember that as this region is so rural, life can be very tough for its inhabitants. Most live in basic mud houses with no plumbing, intermittent electricity, and a lack of safe drinking water. Poverty levels are high here because almost everyone relies upon agriculture to support themselves, but as the community is situated at such a high altitude and the weather can be so changeable, they often receive fairly small crop yields, meaning that the cycle of poverty continues.

Transportation

You must pay for the 1.5 - 2 hour roundtrip from your accommodation to the project site. You can either take a bus (about €2 each way) or maybe share the costs of petrol with medical staff if one of them happens to go the same way (€1.50 each way).

Accommodation and Food

The standard accommodation is a basic hostel in Cusco, with a 1.5 - 2 hour commute to the project by bus or car sharing. This accommodation includes breakfast. However, you can choose to stay in a different type of accommodation at the time of registration. Your full accommodation options are: family homestay, hostels and hotels of different categories, and the NGO Taxi HQ. Prices vary for each and depend on the level of comfort and meals per day you want to enjoy during your program period. At the HQ, you will receive food (full board) and can socialize more with your fellow volunteers. When working on the project site, you can either take a packed lunch or buy your lunch from the local market.

PREREQUISITES

Professional requirements: 

You do not need a medical background, the clinic just requires volunteers who are sincerely interested in medicine or nursing and are keen to give a helping hand. Therefore this opportunity is open to all types of volunteers; however, those with a medical background will be prioritized. This project is a fantastic opportunity for those who are considering a career in medicine to come and discover what working in a clinic really involves. As this project involves children and adults in vulnerable situations, you will need to provide a current and certified complete criminal history record as well as a health certificate before placement can be pursued.

This project supports and encourages teamwork along with a great deal of flexibility, autonomy and initiative. If you are open and ready for it, you’ll learn how to deal with aspects of daily life and be able to adapt to different situations. It is important that you are able to handle upsetting situations as you are likely to encounter poverty, malnutrition, and difficult domestic circumstances on a regular basis.

Generally, you should be ready to respond to changes and be able to deal with the unexpected for any work in South America.

Language Requirements: 

You must be able to speak enough Spanish to be able to communicate with the staff and patients (ideally at an intermediate level). The project already includes a 20-hour intensive language course, which is designed to prepare you for your tasks at the clinic. If you have basic, little or no Spanish knowledge, you can take additional Spanish lessons prior to the project in one of our affiliated schools (individual or group lessons). Or you can complete your language course on-line via videos, Skype or in a virtual classroom (please specify in your application form).

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Minimum age: 

18 years

Start dates: 

1st and 3rd Sunday of each month.

Length of stay: 

A minimum stay of 4 weeks is required, but we advise at least 2 or 3 months in order to get the most out of this opportunity and to give the most back.

Special conditions: 

Please note that owing to the nature of the work, piercings are not permitted. You must keep your clothes clean and presentable, and if you have a medical uniform, please bring it! The project site can accommodate up to 3 volunteers. Come and volunteer with some friends of yours! 

• Sometimes you will find that you work with clinic staff only. At other times however, there might be more volunteers, so be prepared for the variety in the people you will meet and work with.

Pricing

1st month: USD 999.00

2nd month: USD 949.00

3rd month +: USD 899.00

Benefits

• get involved in the medical field
• make a difference within a poor Peruvian community
• learn about daily medical work and the situations medical staff face in Peru
• gain a profound experience of traditional Andean life in South America! (As the project’s location is in the Andes and because 85% of the population speak Quechua as a native language. Of course, speaking Spanish will be enough to work at this facility. You don't have to necessarily speak Quechua. See Language Requirements.)
• challenge yourself, work independently, and show initiative and patience with patients!