Program Reviews

This program was eye opening for me! It really gave me the opportunity to see how people live in parts of the world other than Canada. The fact that the owners Juan and Jose were involved in the trip made it a far better experience. The med rotations were very interesting, the volunteering was very rewarding and the tour portion was a blast!

In one day on Help Learn and Discover, we learned how to do examinations of the head neck and thorax, had a Spanish lesson, and ended with a dance party on a bus driving around the city. This trip gives oppourtunities to do things that I would have never have thought I would be able to do in my life. Every day is planned to make sure the participants can get the most out of the trip socially, culturally and in terms of medical education. I am so thankful to have been able to be a participant and would recommend it to any student.

This trip surpassed by expectations in every way possible. I was super excited when I heard about this amazing trip at my university, but no amount of information or presentations prepared me for the amazing adventures and life long friendships that I experienced during this trip.

I participated in the Pre-Medical Program for May 2015. I was blown away by the variety of things we did in 1 month. Some of the highlights during the "discover" part of the trip included horseback riding around a volcano, waterfall repelling, tubing (right to the doorstep of our hotel), surfing, hiking in the jungle, and much more. The one week of medical rotations gave me first hand experience in a hospital setting and the med tutors who we shadowed taught me more than I could have learned in any university course! One of the most life-changing parts of the trip was helping to build houses in the community. Each day was challenging and filled with hard work, but getting the chance to bond with the locals made it 100 percent worth it. The kids of community were the happiest, most loving children I had ever met and we quickly grew close with them, despite the English-Spanish language barrier.

Although every activity was amazing, the people are part of what made this trip so special. The owners of HLD, Juan and Jose, go out of their way to get to know each participant and to ensure that every activity goes perfectly. The leaders were amazing and the friends I made felt much more like family. I would recommend HLD to anyone wanting to travel Ecuador!

As a student with little information prior to going on the trip I had no idea what to expect and put all my trust into the program and the people behind it. I'm glad to say I went on this trip regardless of my knowledge prior to, it was honestly the best 5 weeks I could of asked for. I can even say I wasn't ready to go home when I did, I could of stayed there all summer long. My ecuaexperinece in Ecuador and the Galapagos is one I will cherish for the rest of my life and never forget.

The help portion of he program was especially rewarding for me, I couldn't of imagined how helping those who are less fortunate by building them homes would change my life. The joy and happiness on the communities faces would fill your heart with enough joy for the rest of your life. The community was so greatfull for their new homes and for their lives to change. I also loved how much we got to interact with the community and really connect with the people. From the friendly games of soccer, movie night with the kids, the welcome and goodbye dinners, as well as just working along side them to build new homes. I am so happy I got the opportunity to help this special community in Pujili no matter how much hard work it was and how dirty we all got at the end of the day.

The learning part of the trip was more then I ever dreamt of. The amount of information we learnt during our medical rotations and outside from doctors and the tutors was mind blowing, the experiences we saw in the different wards of the hospital was fascinating, and the just the experience of it all was amazing. There aren't many places in the world that will allow you to see what we saw, learnt what we learnt, and got an insight of the world from a doctors perspective and still feel safe and excited for what's next to come. The medical really allow you to see what career path and what lifestyle you will be going into if you choose to become a doctor.

The discover portion of the trio was absolutely nothing I could of ever imagined. The scenery in the beautiful country of Ecuador is nothing I've ever seen before from the volcanoes, rainforest, waterfalls, beaches, and hot springs were wonderful. I never thought one country was capable of so much Beaty. And the Galapagos was yet another beautiful surprise from the amazing blue oceans, white beaches, the wildlife, and sea life was so awesome. I couldn't of imagined being anywhere else but on this trip and meeting the amazing people I did. This organization is a great mixture of volunteering, discovering what Ecuador has to offer, and learning about what your carer might look like in the near future.

I went on the Pre-Med 1 trip for the month of May 2015. I wish the trip could have lasted all summer. The variety on this trip is incredible including surfing, water repelling, medical rotations, working with the community volunteering, hiking volcanoes, a rainforest and the jungle, tubing, horse back riding, snorkelling and much more! What really makes this trip so special is the two owners Jose and Juan. They make you feel like family while you are there and truly care that you are having fun and are safe at all times. If you are interested in medicine, the pre-med option is a great opportunity to really see if this is an environment that you enjoy - you actually get to stand in operating rooms watching surgeries, learn how to draw blood and make stitches, opportunities you would not be allowed to do in North America in your undergrad. Working at the volunteer site is very rewarding, seeing the conditions people live in on a day to day basis and how happy the children are even though they live in very poor conditions. This trip is a great combination of learning, laughing, working hard and having fun. Get ready to sing lots. dance, wear a constant smile and have the time of your life! If anyone was to ask me what would I say to future HLD students I would tell them get ready to have the best time of their lives!

This program was truly phenomenal. As someone who signed up for the program alone, I was a little intimidated at first. As I was traveling to a foreign country all alone, to meet up with a bunch of strangers, not quite sure what I was getting myself into. However, it wasn’t long at all before those strangers became close friends, better yet, my family! Traveling with so many like-minded people (people with a passion for change and equality) provides an amazing energy, it was hard not to be positive the entire trip.

Every place that we traveled was astonishing; I was blown away by how diverse Ecuador is. As one day we would be in the mountains, and the next in the rainforest. Also, all the activities we did as a group were amazing. All the new experiences really pushed me out of my comfort zone sometimes, which was a good thing - as I truly think I learned a great deal about myself from this trip.

The volunteer aspect was the most meaningful for me. The work days were long and hard, but were also incredibly rewarding. Getting to work alongside the community members which we were helping, and seeing the appreciation they had towards what we were doing - was incredibly touching.

I don’t think I will ever forget the memories and friends (fellow students, community members, as well as the leaders and organizers alike) that I have made on this trip.

I highly recommend to anyone looking to make a difference in the world, to sign up for this trip like I did. It may have been a bit of an impulsive decision, but it was probably one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

I was very anxious the day before the trip, specifically wondering whether I would have a hard time making new friends or not. I soon realized that the social scene was the best aspect of this trip. I will keep in touch with many people and will try to visit them in the future. Although many activites were planned throughout the month, I had the best time during the free times. The reason for this was because I was able to interact with more people and learn/relate with them. This was the time that I was most able to make the best of friends. The best part of the trip for me was in the Galapagos and I truly encourage all students to go. I love all beach atmospheres. The scene that has most impacted my life was in Pujili, as I was able to see many young children less fortunate than I and was also able to help them. I bonded well with the children and was devastated leaving the community. The most difficult part of the trip for me is leaving all my friends and leaders. This has honestly been the best trip of my life and I will strongly encourage all students, whether interested into medicine or not, to apply.

This experience in Ecuador was even better than what I had expected. With Help, Learn and Discover, we got the chance to visit most of the interesting places in Ecuador in a very organized way. The volunteer portion of the trip in Pujili, where we had the chance to build homes for an Ecudorian community, was well structured and an experience I will never forget. The fact that we had the chance to build the homes alongside the community allowed us to get to know a little bit of how these people lived and how the houses we are building will impact their life. The medical rotations in the different hospitals in Quito allowed us to see different medical procedures that we never would have had a chance to see without this program as an university undergraduate student. These rotations are especially interesting for aspiring medical doctors. In short, this past month was one of the best months of my life and all the things I learned and saw will contiue to impact my life for a long time. Every single part of this trip was definitely worth it.

I had an incredible time on this program. Would definitely recommend. The people were fantastic, the activities fun and challenging, and you could really see the impact of the volunteer work. The tour allowed us to see so much of Ecuador, and have lots of fun in the process.

All the components of HLD were amazing!!! The volunteer experience was perfect because we really got to meet the community we were helping and we got to see the impact we had on their lifestyle and future. For the touring part of the trip, we really got to see every aspect of Ecuador and it was amazing to see the different sceneries we can find in Ecuador as well as doing many many insane activities. I also enjoyed the medical rotations because they show you the reality of a physician and you get to learn so much from the tutors, the medical case, and being in the hospital. That being said, the best part of this trip is doing all of those insane things with people that become your family!!!!!!!!!!!