Amazon Learning

I interned with Amazon Learning from May to July 2018. Over the course of 6 weeks, I participated in their Public Health and Traditional Medicine internship in completion of my MPH program’s curriculum. Given my concentration in global health and strong interest in investigating the intersection between Western and traditional health care practices/systems, this direction seemed suitable because it would allow me to engage in an under-researched topic within a global setting.

During my interview process, my interviewer was attentive to my interests and expressed flexibility in allowing me to combine aspects of different internships to meet my learning objectives. As part of my internship orientation, I received a cultural competency training in a group setting (this was my first time being exposed to a training of this nature). Take away points from this training established the foundation for my research (including ethical data collection methods). During my internship, I was placed in contact with local community members and experts (I lived with a local family), which enabled me to conduct ethnographic fieldwork. This facilitated a community-involved needs assessment, that informed the development and implementation of a culturally humble health promotion program for older adults.

In short, this experienced encouraged my professional growth. Beyond putting theories into practice, I took initiative to achieve my learning objectives, which helped me hone research and leadership skills. Drawing from the successes and challenges of this experience, I feel confident engaging in community needs assessments, as well as developing and implementing health programs in underinvested settings. For anybody wondering, staff members were accessible and responsive to my physical, mental, and spiritual well-being throughout the entirety of my internship. I would highly recommend interning with Amazon Learning!

I'm so thankful for my experience with Amazon Learning! They coordinated a home stay for me in the Ecuadorian Amazon with a lovely family. They provided thoughtful and useful training and support throughout the program. I appreciated the focus the program had on impact, and cultural sensitivity. They were available 24/7 for any emergencies and have a well planned risk management protocol. They also helped coordinate an internship where I collaborated with an association of Kichwa midwives. I learned so much from the experience, in many aspects. If you're looking to expand your comfort zone, learn about a new culture, gain academic and professional skills, gain personal skills, and breathe the fresh Amazonian air, I highly recommend the Amazon Learning!

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.

Choosing to go to Ecuador’s Amazon with Amazon Learning was one of the best decisions I ever made. Andy connected me with just the kind of people I wanted to live and work with. It is 6 months later and I still regularly call my host family. I lived with one of the midwives and her family; they treated me just like their daughter and still call me such. During the days I worked with a group of indigenous midwives who have banded together to preserve their culture and incredible knowledge. They greatly welcome foreigners and love to share their love and wisdom. I also had plenty of adventures on top of my work—like jungle trekking, waterfall swimming, camping, kayaking, water rafting, and dancing. I grew so much as a person while I was there and I got to learn and experience things that most people in the world will never get to experience!