Program Reviews

I completed a 4-week experience with CFHI during the summer of 2016. The Intro to Traditional Medicine experience in India was one of the most formative experiences I have had in medical school. I shadowed practitioners in reiki, naturopathy, allopathic medicine, and ayurveda. I also attended one-on-one teaching sessions with a 104 year old genius of a man. The organization is very supportive, easy to work with, and flexible. The experience was pivotal to my understanding of healthcare systems, rural medicine, and cultural awareness. The rotation was very useful to my medical career and presented a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel in India and southeast Asia. There was a good balance of education, culture, language skills, and travel. I enjoyed the experience so much that I will doing another rotation with CFHI this summer.

I spent a month is Ecuador in April 2017

I’m a physician with a great deal of clinical and administrative experience and am also a graduate of the Michigan School of Public Health. Because of this, I’m probably not very typical of the majority of folks who are reading this but for a few, my comments may be helpful. I was most interested in population health, delivery systems and vector control. I also hoped to do something that might contribute to the place I was visiting. Finally, I wanted the opportunity to have meaningful conversations with people in Spanish.

The month I spent in Ecuador was more than I could have hoped for. This was in large measure due to the programmatic flexibility of the sponsor and my assigned preceptor.

My first two weeks were spent in Guayaquil. The first week was weighted toward language classes with a couple of mornings visiting a local clinic. The next week was spent with vector control with some afternoon language classes. This was a good balance of time. I would say that the language school was more conversational and less structured than the school I attended in Oaxaca on a different trip.

My time with vector control was terrific. I was able to observe a highly organized and effective program on the ground. Wilfrido (my preceptor) is the vector control officer of a program that is responsible for diminishing the threat posed by mosquito bone illness (dengue, zika and chikungunya) in a huge, economically depressed area of Guayaquil that includes 500,000 people. I went out with the home visiting crew who charmed their way into most homes and provided personal and high quality education. I also spent time with the fumigation team and had the opportunity to see many different barrios, some of which don’t have basic water and electrical services.

Before going, I read a good deal about how tough Guayaquil can be and I had some anxiety. My preceptor who also hosted me not only kept me secure but also made me feel comfortable in that environment. They often provided transportation and gave careful advice on how and where we should go.

The second two weeks were spent in Puyo, a much smaller town on the edge of Amazonia. Because Puyo is at about 3000 ft above sea level, the weather was very comfortable with thundershowers almost every day and just a bit of heat for a couple of hours in the afternoon. Folks told me that there really isn’t a dry season in Puyo. It is about the same all year around. (Guayaquil does have a wet season and a dry season with May being variable.)

During my two weeks in Puyo, I was able to work on a project in which the local medical care community and hospital are trying to implement a major program advancing the care of type 2 diabetes. The Ecuadorian Ministry of Health has recently released a set of guidelines and I happened to arrive during a time of intense planning. My fellow participant and I were able to develop a set of recommendations that we discussed and modified with the help of community members and medical personal. I believe that this work will contribute to the eventual success of the program. This was more than I hoped for and we were supported fully by Child Family Health International.

Additionally, I was able to visit San Virgilio for a couple of days. This was an experience of a lifetime. I stayed in a comfortable bungalow that was in close proximity to members of an extended family. My host, Rodgrigo kept in almost constant contact with me and thought of everything, including providing a walking stick to help with stream crossings and slippery slopes. You are actually driven to the main village and do a bit of walking to get to the family compound (you cross the stream twice). You do need to purchase rubber boots but that is easy to do at the Mercado in Puyo and it costs about $10.00. I was introduced to Kichwa culture and tradition in a genuine way. By the way, the meals I had in San Virgilio were the most interesting I had on my trip. Amazingly enough, there were no mosquitoes! (Because I am older than 58, I chose not to be vaccinated for yellow fever). Rodrigo told me that there are mosquitoes during the “drier” months of July and August.

I feel particularly fortunate to have stayed with my preceptor, his wife and their two children during my two weeks in Guayaquil. They were more than generous hosts. It felt like I was actually part of the family. Guayaquil was warm and humid and it was comfortable to be able to sleep in an air-conditioned room. My hosts for the second two weeks were also very generous and provided a very comfortable home during my two weeks in Puyo.

I had given no thought to weekends before leaving but this turned out to be an important part of the trip. I feel very fortunate that my companion during this month was a young woman who is just graduating from the University of Oregon. She was a courteous, flexible and interesting working/educational partner and traveling companion. We had the opportunity to visit Cuenca and Caja National Park, Latacunga and the crater lake called Quilotoa and of course Banos and the waterfalls (only an hour and one-half away). By the way, at this moment, Ecuador is a great travel bargain.

Thank you and CFHI for helping me have a remarkable experience.

A few additional thoughts:

1. I think a person with at least basic conversational Spanish competence will be able to take best advantage of the opportunities presented in Guayaquil and Puyo. I think a person wishing to be introduced to an “intensive” Spanish instructional experience might be better served at a different site.

2. I think a person interested in population and public health might find this experience exceptional, as I did.

3. This program demonstrated flexibility.

4. I studied almost all the materials provided and I suggest that participants take the time to do this as well. I had realistic expectations going in and this was important.

I participated in a two-week Medical Spanish Intensive course in Cordoba, Argentina. The mornings consisted of rounding with Internal Medicine physicians in the hospital and the late afternoons were Spanish classes. We had plenty of time to explore the city, but also time to learn and improve our Spanish. We had a manual which I was impressed with about Argentinian culture as well as a Medical Spanish practice book. My housing was nice (there was no AC, but that is the case in all of Argentina and I had a fan). The cooking by the host mom was amazing (omg so good). We practiced Spanish every night with our host family (a mother and her 9-year-old daughter) and they were very warm and welcoming.
I worked in an infectious disease hospital and was exposed to diseases such as Guillan Barre, Chagas disease, psittacosis pneumonia. The doctors were all very nice. The hospital was different from US hospitals and it was pretty eye-opening seeing how healthcare is delivered in different settings.

I attended the 2 week intensive to Kabale, Uganda. I had an incredible time with the local Ugandan people. The staff and clinicians of Kihefo were so kind, welcoming, and willing to share their knowledge with us. They are doing such incredible and important work, the positive evidence of Kihefo is evidenced throughout Kabale town. The outreaches to local villages and visit to the traditional healer left a lasting impression.
The local CFHI coordinator Carol was exceptional and took really good care of us. The local staff such as Patricia made us feel at home. Patricia would make peanut butter from scratch for our breakfast, and was also a warm presence at meal times. I will definitely be returning to volunteer with Kihefo!

I also highly recommend doing the safari with Scodius, she is a incredibly tour guide!

I came across CFHI as a pre-med student - I wasn't sure what branch of medicine I wanted to study. All I knew was that I was interested in traditional medicine and women's health, and that I liked traveling. I approached their table at a pre-health conference and was insistently drawn into a rich conversation with them. My eyes were immediately opened by CFHI who taught me what global health entails, such as the social determinants of health and the importance of approaching a trip as a learner and observer of the local culture. Being aware of cultural boundaries. Responsible and ethical partnerships. After doing my research, I realized that these values were not common in other abroad programs. I decided that a trip with CFHI would lead to my personal, academic, and professional development and signed up.

Besides the obvious integrity of CFHI, what drew me to CFHI and continues to impress me is the genuine personal attention and sincere compassion towards their students. CFHI is a small organization, and it shows in their student interactions and intimate communication. I felt completely supported throughout the entire process. They want to help their students and make it easy. They encouraged me to apply for a scholarship, with fully funded my trip. The application process was straightforward, as it should be.

CFHI is furthermore unique among other "study/volunteer/work abroad" organizations because of its individual focus. Rather than joining a trip 'slot', you decide where you want to go, what focus you want to have, what specific clinics you want to shadow at, when you want to embark, and for how long. It is totally catered to make it worthwhile for the student, while also assuring the highest quality ethical partnerships with locals. Each day consists of a medical aspect and a cultural aspect, reinforcing the idea that health is more than just the doctor-patient dynamic.

My 6 week trip in Oaxaca, Mexico focused on Women and Maternal Medicine, Midwifery, Indigenous Medicine transformed me, and now I am pursuing to be an OB-GYN, a profession I never would have chosen if it weren't for the eye-opening perspectives I got from my CFHI trip. And for that I am forever grateful. Thanks CFHI for all the opportunities and integrity you are putting into the world.

As a college student, I have to complete field experience in order to graduate. I had already completed the requirements for field experience but wanted to learn more about maternal health. So when I found at that Child Family International had a program dedicated to HIV and Maternal Health, I immediately jumped on the opportunity. I had the honor to receive a scholarship from CFHI which allowed me to go to Uganda. I chose CFHI because of their message of sustainable and ethical methods when sending students overseas. There are many volunteer programs out there but none with such a strong message. In the pre-departure packet, CFHI has students read about cultural competency, volunteerism, and even discussed the savior complex.

The program itself was an amazing experience. CFHI has a partnership with a local Kegezi clinic called Kihefo. The clinic has many departments so students who don't necessarily want to focus just on maternal health have the opportunity to shadow different departments. There is a dental clinic, an HIV/AIDS clinic, a maternal clinic, and a general practice clinic. As an aspiring midwife, I loved going to the maternal health clinic. There I learned how to measure/record a fetal heartbeat, measure how far along a baby is, and common complications. A big highlight for me was watching a live birth. It was amazing and something I would never forget.

The living conditions were very good. We received three meals a day and a water bottle for each meal. The Kihefo apartments are quite nice. There is not hot water all the time but it was totally worth it. The staff here is excellent and everyone is very supportive. I would caution LGBTQA+ students from traveling to Uganda as this is a conservative country. Overall, this was a good experience

I came into my experience with Child Family Health International thinking that I would get some hands-on healthcare experience that would make me a better healthcare professional in the future. I came out of it with a new perspective on what health means and a trip that - although different than I was expecting and not "hands-on" - will truly make me a better, more culturally conscious and stronger global citizen and health advocate. 

Through CFHI, I learned to question my perspective and learn from local experts. I learned that health is not only the classes I took, the biological processes I studied or the hospitals I was familiar with, it is social, it is personal and it looks different to each of us. Healthcare in India is something that I am by no means an expert in, which is why I was refreshed that CFHI fosters a learning environment where participants are learners and local experts are teachers, guiding students through the intricacies of global health and social determinants of healthcare in different environments. 

Participating in the CFHI program in Delhi and Dehradun, India broadened my horizon and opened my mind to what it means to provide quality health care around the world, and I am forever grateful. Thank you CFHI!

Child Family Health International (CFHI) gave me the opportunity to give back to my motherland. I remember interviewing for Belmont's Pharmacy program and telling my interviewer that I would like to go back to Uganda for a month in my fourth year as part of my experiential education. It was a dream then, and now a reality. This was my first global health trip and it was definitely a life-changing experience. Robin and Ally were essential in setting up this trip and I am very grateful for all their help and tireless efforts. This is the first time Belmont University College of Pharmacy has had a rotation site in Uganda and the first Public Health//Missions elective that has lasted an entire month, and it was a great success. Several students are already interested in pursuing this elective in their fourth year and I hope I can return as a CFHI volunteer in the near future. As a person of color and from an underserved community, I was able to learn from first-hand experience of other social determinants that I had not personally experienced. HIV, malnutrition, poverty, and gender inequality are still a reality in many communities, including Kabale, Uganda I feel it is my role, as a global citizen, to start making the right changes as the world continues to change me. I like the Kigezi Healthcare Foundation (Kihefo) model because it integrates sustainable healthcare initiatives that fight disease, poverty, and ignorance. In Kabale, I participated in patient care in the general clinic (most common disease states include malaria, brucellosis, and typhoid), HIV/AIDS clinic, and maternal clinic. Besides my clinical experiences, I participated in gardening and visited a traditional healer for the first time. I learned more about how he incorporates spiritual, traditional, and western medicine. I also had the opportunity to visit the bishop that baptized me as a little girl (he moved to Kabale shortly after he baptized me and I had not seen him since then) and that made me feel like my spiritual circle is now complete. I have many questions after this trip, and I do not have all the answers, but I will continue to learn and be an advocate for quality healthcare for all. Thanks again CFHI and the Thomas Hall Scholar Award! #lettheworldchangeyou

This experience was more than I could have ever asked for. The local coordinators made sure that you constantly felt safe and comfortable. They brought us around town and made sure we felt comfortable navigating around. If you ever had a problem they were more than willing to help out in any way possible and turned into great friends. At the hospital I was in the physical therapy department. The therapists were very kind and welcoming as soon as I arrived. They made sure to answer any questions I had and were eager to teach me about their profession and culture. The most interesting case I saw was a baby girl who was born with only a fibula in one leg. She was there for casting for club foot in her other foot but it was interesting to see the X-ray of her leg. I would definitely recommend putting yourself out there when at the hospital. Don't be afraid to ask questions, get to know the people working there & talk to the patients. There are great relationships that can be made by just talking with others. For me, this experience was unforgettable, but it really is what you make of it. Make sure to try new things, step out of your comfort zone, and build relationships with the people around you.

I went to Ghana last summer with a group of students from Stanford through the CFHI program. We went in with very little information, expecting to be on a service learning trip that turned out to be mostly a learning experience. However, as a learning experience, it was the best thing I could have done coming out of my freshman year. For eight weeks, I got to live in a foreign country (it was my first time leaving the US) and learn about a way of life I'd had no prior experience with. I was struck almost daily by the positivity the Ghanaian people so freely express, and by their dedication to their work. Throughout the entire experience, I learned invaluable lessons regarding my future path as a doctor, seeing the challenges the doctors in Ghana faced in bringing care to their patients.