Program Reviews

I went on the medical trip to Guatemala and it truly changed my whole outlook on life. I realized more than ever that I want to be a doctor. I ended up writing a final paper for one of my classes about Vida and how I would expand the organization. The best part of the trip for me was getting to interact with the patients. I am planning on going on another trip next spring. I would strongly recommend Vida!

This was my first time visiting Guatemala, but not Central America. I felt like my time with the VIDA group allowed me to not only get the veterinary experiences I was going for, but also to get a great immersion into the local culture. They took many precautions to inform us on how to be safe and which foods not to eat, so my experiences in the cities and with the people were all really insightful and enjoyable.
The veterinary work was amazing! Getting to experience a clinic like that performing hands-on surgeries was only trumped by the huge impact I could tell we had on the people in the communities we visited.
Over all, AMAZING experience!

This was my second trip to Central America with VIDA and I am proud to say it was better than my first. The overall organization was great and I enjoyed the atmosphere the veterinarians and leaders provided. The leaders and veterinary assistants were always available to help during clinics. One thing I enjoyed was that during the last clinic, we were told to research more in depth one thing we found during clinic and talk about it with the group. I enjoyed this because for the rest of my life, I will always remember my cases of ascites and the causes and treatments.

Traveling to Costa Rica and Nicaragua with VIDA was a truly amazing experience. Our group leaders were very helpful, welcoming, and shared with us so many great facts about the area and the people. They were very easy to work with! Having the opportunity to travel to travel to Central America was amazing. The people were very kind, welcoming, and friendly. Working in clinic was an eye-opening experience with learning what a strong patient-physician relationship looks like, learning about the common diseases/illnesses seen in the area, and having a hands on experience with taking vital signs, etc. The doctors were all very knowledgeable, friendly, and really took the time to teach us.
The host families were great; they took care of us and I felt safe while staying with the families! Also, the fun adventures like zip-lining and dance classes were very enjoyable!
I have grown as a person from this experience from learning about another culture, learning more about their accessibility to resources (i.e. medical), and the the increase of awareness about medical issues.

Hi there,

This summer will be my third time participating in a VIDA trip to Central and South America. My experiences with VIDA have been absolutely amazing. I am an aspiring dentist and when I heard that VIDA offered trips to aspiring dental, medical and veterinary students I hopped on the bandwagon right away. I am so glad I did because I have learned so many great skills that I probably won't learn until I am in my 3rd year of dental school. I have provided flouride to patients, assisted the dentist in extractions, put on temporary fillings and taught the less fortunate how to keep up their oral hygiene.
Outside of the clinic days I have been surfing, zip-lining, rock climbing, climbed volcanoes, walked through the rain forest, and white water rafted. VIDA provides you with the right amount of volunteer work and fun. I reccommend this trip to anyone who wants to learn more about medical practices and loves helping the less fortunate.

VIDA provided hands on medical experience while also serving the local communities of Costa Rica and Nicaragua. The homestays were wonderful - our host mom patiently sat through our attempts to speak Spanish while making sure we were always full and comfortable. Never did I ever feel unsafe while in Central America. The food was delicious and having a few days off in between clinics allowed us to experience the culture as well. One of my highlights was seeing wild monkeys swinging in the trees while we were traveling to the ocean in Nicaragua. The trip is a little spendy, but totally worth it. Working alongside the physicians made me realize how much of a difference I could make in somebody's life by simply listening to them.

I had such an incredible experience volunteering in both Nicaragua and Costa Rica with VIDA. Not only was I able to perform evaluations and procedures that were years beyond my experience, but I was also able to connect with and invest in people of a different culture. I would definitely go again in the future. The experiences gained and lessons learned cannot be taught from a classroom; this trip is a MUST!

VIDA is a great program. I joined one of their veterinary adventures in Nicaragua. I learned sooooooooo much, not only about veterinary medicine, but about the importance of global volunteering and the culture of Nicaragua. I absolutely loved all of the people I met there. VIDA staff were wonderful at organizing, teaching, keeping us safe, and showing us to a fun time; home-stay families were extremely generous and loving; and pet owners were very grateful!

I enjoyed my VIDA trip to Nicaragua so much that I am currently coordinating the trip for my university! I had so much fun with the VIDA staff, they were great! I learned so much more about the medical field. I gained so much valuable experience working with patients. Also, I enjoyed the down time zip-lining and swimming at the lagoon.

The VIDA program was an amazing volunteer experience. We had a mix of clinic days and free days, in which we went white-water rafting and zip-lining. The clinic days were so useful in gaining experience in the healthcare field, as we worked directly with the doctors in Costa Rica, and were able to see different cases of tropical diseases. We were also able to serve many different patients in the communities on the clinic days. We traveled in a bus together, and were given time to explore the cities and towns we visited, sight-see, and experience some amazing sights of Costa Rica!