Amazonian Traditional Plant Medicine Internship

I interned with Amazon Learning during the winter of 2017 as a Public Health intern at the Runa Foundation. My time there was incredibly impactful in learning what field I would want to go into after graduating from college. I spent my two month internship learning about the chacra system and traditional medicine from local farmers and my host family, developing arcGIS mapping skills to help the Runa Foundation in their project aiding local farmers in the mapping of their land, and also assisted on a food security project which involved interviewing farmers about their family’s nutrition experience and needs. This experience helped my language skills immensely, launched me into the local culture of Archidona, Ecuador, and taught me that I want to go into medical anthropology and learn more about how indigenous communities engage with health care systems. These connections from my internship with Runa Foundation through Amazon Learning helped me make the connections that I would then use for a Fulbright scholarship this year. I am now researching women’s health in Archidona on a Fulbright grant, thanks to the help and support of Amazon Learning opening my world two years ago.

I was paired with the most amazing host family, who are growing dozens, if not hundreds of medicinal plants in their chakra (permaculture rainforest garden). I learned so much from them, and it was also a good learning experience to be volunteering with Amu Pakín, the Kichwa midwives association. There are also lots of botanical gardens you can go to that have information about medicinal plants. There’s so much to learn, I will definitely be coming back because in two months I barely scratched the surface! Of course, it was not all sunshine and rainbows, you have to know a good amount of Spanish to avoid communication problems, and going into the Amazon by yourself (or at least without anyone you know, Amazon Learning is still there for support) is not for the faint of heart. If you are staying with a host family, you should expect to be living rustic, and this sort of travel can be stressful. But if you are willing to overcome obstacles for this experience, it will definitely be worth it.

If you are interested in learning about traditional medicine from indigenous people this program is the program to do it with! I went into the program with an interest and left with a passion! You live with a host family in the Ecuadorian Amazon and learned so much about the jungle and yourself. I would recommend this program to anyone who is looking for an adventure and a life-changing experience!