Lauren Volunteer Abroad in Cuzco, Peru Volunteers Abroad Reviews and Feedbacks http://feedback.abroaderview.org
My Favorite Memory: Working with the patients- we had many patients that really found relief with us and that is why we all do trips like this.
I was surprised that…. we saw relatively little cosmetic/ derm complaints- in my experience, there are typically a large number of patients seeking help for blemishes, moles, sun spots, etc in addition to pathological derm problems- we didnt see much of that in Cuzco.
The most difficult thing I experienced was…….. Having to turn people away at the end of the day because we did not have the time to see them all. …
Tip for future volunteers (Clothing, travel, personal items, donations, sightseeing etc) If you are participating in a medical trip: Bring as much steroid/ anesthetic as possible because arthritis is always a prevalent issue and you cant have enough of these meds if you want to give pain relief for more than a couple weeks.
Personal Paragraph (Testimonial): I had a great experience in Cusco. Working with Maria Elena and Jonathon was a pleasure and I would return for future trips if I could work with these 2! They did an excellent job helping us through the clinic days and worked extremely hard to help us organize and communicate with hospital staff and patients. The location at San Sebastian was great- overall, the people we worked with were fantastic and since San Sebastian is already a health clinic we were able to advertise our presence to patients quite effectively.
How would you rate your experience working with the ABV staff, both in the USA, and in-country? First, I’d like to say that my personal experience with Maria Elena was wonderful and she exceeded all my expectations of what on-site directors can do in such a short period of time. It is normal to find bumps in the road when you travel to another country and try to set up a clinic in a place you’ve never seen and work with people you’ve never met. I have participated in several medical outreach trips in the past (including in Peru) and the directorship there is Cusco was really the best I have seen. Maria Elena’s compassion and commitment to her fellow Peruvians is quite impressive. The problems that arose seemed to stem more from communications coming from the US than anything else. Thank you to all the staff, because the on-site work was really fantastic and it was clear how hard Maria Elena was working to satisfy our needs. We still were able to see about 460 patients in 4 days and this is no small thing. Our trip was very positive and I hate to report anything negative, but I am very invested in international outreach and would rather communicate these problems to you than say nothing because ABV is a great organization. Thank you again for everything- I hope I can participate with ABV in the future.
How would you describe your accommodation (ie: host family, on-site, shared housing etc) Fantastic! I lived with Maria Elena. She embodies hospitality and graciousness- very welcoming, delicious food, and warm atmosphere- I felt at home!
Are you willing to speak to other potential ABV volunteers? yes, absolutely!
from Volunteers Abroad Reviews and Feedbacks http://feedback.abroaderview.org/2012/05/16/lauren-volunteer-abroad-in-cuzco-peru/
