Child Family Health International

I participated in Child Family Health International's program in Kabale, Uganda hosted by the Kigezi Healthcare Foundation. I spent an incredible month learning about Uganda's healthcare system, social determinants of health and KIHEFO's innovative solutions to public health issues across the region. From pre-departure training to returning home, I felt supported by CFHI every step of the way. I was impressed by CFHI’s dedication to global health ethics and would highly recommend CFHI to anyone seeking an immersive experience abroad.

My experience with CHI was nothing short of amazing!
During my clinicals settings, the medical officers were very welcoming and engaging in conversations. They all were more than happy to help me understand medical issues and expose me to different cases I may not have been exposed to back home. My favorite part of clinicals was attending surgeries every Wednesday. This experience was amazing because I was able to witness all the moving parts that play a role in surgeries and it was also my first time watching surgeries be performed on children as young as 2 months old! I also really enjoyed the Outpatient Department and being able to see all the new cases and clinics each week. This was super interesting and engaging because there was something new that I could learn every day from asthma clinic, neuro clinic, and just regular OPD. I developed cultural competency during my time here which will really help me with my career in the future when dealing with diverse populations. Finally, outside of clinicals, I was able to have the independence to explore the city and learn more about myself. I felt extremely safe in Accra and being able to go out and explore during my free time allowed me to learn many things about myself and pushed me out of my comfort zone. The local team was extremely accommodating and very nice! They always were available if I needed anything or had any questions.
This experience really changed my life for the better and I am so happy I meet so many great people and I plan to continue to build on the friendships I have made. CFHI is the absolute best and I HIGHLY recommend this program!

I’m a fourth-year medical student who participated in the Global Health in Quito, Ecuador program through CFHI. I would highly recommend this program to anyone interested in learning more about the unique Ecuadorian healthcare system, practicing Spanish with host families, patients, and other healthcare workers, and exploring Quito, surrounding cities, and the Galapagos! I spent three weeks in Quito and 1 week in Otavalo at many different clinical sites including OBGYN clinic and wards, the OR, the pediatric ED, and primary care clinics. I spent many hours practicing speaking with Spanish and building my physical exam skills. I was able to really explore what makes the Ecuadorian healthcare system so unique and get an understanding of how it operates. Throughout my month, I participated in many home visits for patients that couldn’t make it to the clinic, which allowed me to see more of the country and the people of Ecuador. My host family was amazing. They made me feel very welcomed and treated me as a part of their family. We only spoke in Spanish so that I could be fully immersed and continue to improve my Spanish. They made sure I had everything I needed and gave me wonderful advice on fun things to do in the city and surrounding areas on my free afternoons and weekends. My daily Spanish classes were very helpful and focused on getting a solid foundation in medical Spanish to make my time in clinic easier. The afternoon excursions through the school allowed me even more time to learn about Ecuadorian history and culture and practice Spanish in a real-life setting. After my program ended, I went to the Galapagos Islands where I saw thousands of animals and saw firsthand many of the things I had learned as an undergraduate Biology major – including visiting museums focused on the discoveries of Charles Darwin!

CFHI is a great program to experience cultural immersion, clinical exposure, and language acquisition. It was a very well rounded experience with a lot of helpful support in place from the coordinators, my host family, and alumni advisor. We had enough structure in our schedule to reap benefits from the experience and enough free time to relax and enjoy the environment. I definitely would recommend it to other students!

It was interesting to see some of the common chronic diseases (diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia) because of diet and food access, also seeing unique tropical diseases like Dengue and Chagas, and seeing the younger age that women tend to have children as a result of social factors.

My host mom was very kind and helpful and an amazing cook! She would always be interested to get a recap of our days so we could practice our Spanish. I really enjoyed my stay with her.

Spanish classes were also super helpful and I learned a lot that helped me increase my fluency. My teacher, Rocio was extremely kind, patient, and supportive to help us make progress on a lot of grammatical and conversational skills.

The many beautiful beaches and the overall environment in Puerto Escondido were very beautiful to enjoy. We even took a weekend trip to Oaxaca which was also a wonderful place to visit.

My name is Jenna Frantz, and I am a fourth-year medical student (just weeks away from graduating as an MD) at Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine. As I am preparing for my residency and career in emergency medicine, I am continually inspired by my foundational goal: to serve Hispanic patients facing barriers to healthcare, both domestically and abroad. When I found the rotation to Tarija, Bolivia, through Child Family Health International (CFHI), it was a great fit with my goals to obtain further education and experience in global health. I had previously rotated in Peru, Guatemala, Ethiopia, and Puerto Rico for service-learning opportunities (not affiliated with CFHI), and I could tell my experience with CFHI would be different. I was so excited for the stellar learning experience and cultural immersion provided by CFHI.

While still stateside, CFHI made sure I was well prepared for my trip logistically, culturally, and educationally. To facilitate this, there were multiple required online modules about the program, Bolivian culture, cultural sensitivity, and global health ethics. Additionally, the team remained in close email contact with me, and there was even a virtual orientation session to ensure I was prepared prior to takeoff.

Once I arrived in Tarija, I was immediately received with warm, kind smiles from Fabricio – the local program coordinator – and my host family. I got to live with a lovely host family for 8 weeks. The family had 3 daughters about my age, and they took me under their wing immediately, inviting me to hang out with their friends, to walk around the town, to go to the local cultural festivals, and so much more.

Aside from the amazing experience I had with my host family, I had a very comprehensive medical rotation. I rotated for 2 weeks in internal medicine, and 1 week in each of the following: rural primary care, urban primary care, Chagas’ disease clinic, emergency medicine, general surgery, and OB/GYN. I quickly found that the rotations through CFHI are not the same as my medical rotations in the United States – despite being fluent in Spanish, it is difficult to be fully-integrated into the care team as a foreign student where the documentation and work-flow are entirely different from the system in the United States. Furthermore, the local students had to start pre-rounding on their patients at 4-6am; as my scheduled arrival time to the rotation was at 7-8am each day, it was hard to be as fully-involved in patients’ care, since much of the decision-making took place in pre-rounds prior to my arrival. Despite this, it was not at all a barrier to my learning experience, but rather a shift of focus. My learning on this rotation was much more focused on cultural influences in medical decision-making, the influence of government in healthcare in a universal healthcare system, and navigating barriers such as broken equipment and out-of-stock medications.

Another amazing part of this rotation was the extreme kindness and generosity of the local physicians and medical students. Although they had absolutely no obligation to do so, they frequently invited me out to experience the beautiful nature and the lovely culture and customs in Tarija. While rotating in the rural clinic in San Andrés, the physicians took me to the river in the countryside after clinic to enjoy the gorgeous views and to take a dip in the water. At the urban clinic, the physicians invited me to hang out with them during the Carnaval Chapaco, as they wanted to ensure I could experience this great cultural tradition. While rotating in internal medicine, I became good friends with a local medical student, and she and I learned more about the local cultural importance of wine while we toured the local vineyards together. During my experience in general surgery, the residents invited me to get coffee, dinner, and to take a hike to the Chorros de Marquiri, the most beautiful waterfall I’ve seen in my life. All of these people went above and beyond, helping me to have an amazing time in Tarija, and it was truly one of the best parts of my CFHI experience.

My experience with CFHI was valuable and enjoyable learning experience, and I knew I had the constant support of my caring host family and the local team. I would highly recommend an experience through this organization for any students in the medical field who plan on having a career in international medicine.