Program Reviews

My trip to Peru with FIMRC was amazing! We got to visit two very different sites, one in the mountains and one in the jungle. While there, Danel and Natalia made sure each person got to see and experience everything they wanted. Anything from more time in the hospital, to more time in the orphanages, or completing service projects. We decided while we were there that we wanted to fix up the swings at one of the orphanages and the staff immediately jumped in the help us get the supplies necessary to make it happen. The host families were great and so welcoming, always wanting to talk with us and making sure we felt welcome.

Counting the days until I can go back!

We took a group of medical students to Huancayo for the week and all had meaningful experiences. Our days were spent participating on rounds, doing health screenings, and interacting with Peruvian medical students.

I am a registered nurse and went to Peru with FIMRC in 2014. Our week consisted of visits to local hospitals, giving health information sessions at local orphanages, and hearing lectures at the local medical school. The hospital visits were observation only, which was unfortunate as myself and a fellow critical care RN would have been happy to use our skills and help out. We did enjoy preparing and giving presentations regarding health issues to local orphanages, however we wondered who chose the topics for us to teach about as they were simply assigned to us, and we would have preferred to have been involved in the assessment of the local community and identify their needs. We teamed with a local dentist to give fluoride treatments to children in a school type setting, which was an awesome experience. As a group we were able to give treatment to at least 150-200 kids. We also taught a first aid course, which we designed, to a group of local law enforcement, which we thoroughly enjoyed. Overall I found this program to be very geared towards pre-Med students who would probably benefit more from the observation aspect of the program and they very basic health promotion activities, however I do not feel that this program is designed to accommodate experienced healthcare professionals with more advanced clinical and public health skills.

The accommodations were great, we stayed with a local family and really got to learn the local culture from them. Their hospitality was amazing and they cooked us delicious Peruvian meals. The social aspect was also great, we often spent the evenings with our group checking out the local sights and exploring the town. For these reasons, I would very much recommend this trip to anyone looking to experience Peru.

I had an amazing experience with FIMRC Alejuelita the Summer of 2007. I spent a month there, doing a homestay. Mornings were for clinic work--I was able to get hands on experience and observations with the medical team and provide health education. Afternoons were for teaching health programs to the kids in the area, on topics like brushing your teeth and healthy foods. I was able to greatly improve my Spanish knowledge and travel to a variety of areas in Costa Rica--so beautiful there!

The staff was dedicated and committed, my homestay family was friendly and inclusive, and my fellow volunteers a lot of fun. Greatly recommended, particularly for those interested in healthcare.

When I arrived at the FIMRC guesthouse, I knew right away that I was going to have a special experience. The staff was very welcoming. I was the only volunteer at the time, so naturally, I had many concerns as to how this trip would play out. My worries were quickly thrown out once I felt the warmth and love this place has to offer. It was incredible to see how the clinics and hospitals functioned with limited resources. I felt myself applying the knowledge I've learned in class, gaining new skills I would have never even imagined practicing, and genuinely caring for each and every patient that walked through the clinic doors. Outside of the incredible experience at the hospitals, I was blown away by the natural beauty that surrounds this city. I thank each and every person I encountered, especially the nurses, doctors, and patients, who helped me strengthen my vision of pursuing a career in healthcare.

Bumwalukani is an incredible place. The people and the community are so caring and unified. It's high-volume, high-reward work, and the staff are some of the most encouraging and open people anywhere.

This was one of the most touching experiences of my life. I had the best spring break ever, and it wasn't even for me. Restauracion, helping with Chicas Maravillas, and the break day at Rio Limpio was a blast! Haiti was also very fun, especially learning some Haitian Creole to speak to the kids that we gave the health talks to! The views are astounding, anywhere you go. Awesome FIMRC staff, and an overall awesome experience.

I have been to this site twice now in 2012 and 2013 and have nothing but good things to say! The experiences that I had with the trips (shadowing local physicians, helping with local health fairs, and participating in public health presentations to name a few) are what solidified my desire to become a doctor. I never felt that I was in harm's way or unsafe; FIMRC staff is always present and the people of Restauracion treat you like family from day one. The fun day trips were exciting as well and included a trip to see and swim in waterfalls. Overall, I gained so much from this experience and would recommend it to anyone who is interested in pursuing a career in the health field, especially public health or rural medicine.

My experience in Peru was fantastic from my host family to the flexibility of the program to work with my needs for my school project. I was able to observe many different types of surgeries and surgical procedures, pre and post operative car as well as wound cleaning in conducting my project about surgical site infections. My host family was incredibly gracious and welcoming along with proving delicious traditional Peruvian foods and cultural experiences.

Volunteering at Project Huancayo, Peru with FIMRC was debatably the best week of my life. I experienced so many things that I would never be exposed to back in the U.S. I stayed in a hostel and went to a park full of friendly stray cats in Lima, rode on the nicest coach bus of my life, and went to the gigantic Sunday market in Huancayo, all within the first 24 hours of landing in Lima! Every single day in Huancayo was different, and I loved it; for example, I tried some beef heart on the final day, and it was wonderful! I stayed in a homestay with 8 other wonderful volunteers and the amazing Rivera family. The family was very friendly and loved to chat with us despite our language barriers, and they even took us hiking the hills outside town, taught us to salsa at a local nightclub, and took us to a Wanka park. Some of the variety of volunteering experiences including going on rounds in the local hospitals (Carmen & Carrion), teaching children at orphanages how to brush their teeth, observing surgery, learning to suture at the medical school, and observing both a live birth and a C-section! I felt as though we had a good mixture of hands on work and observation during our time there. The one issue was we worked on a presentation about high cholesterol and hypertension for people in a rural village about an hour away from Huancayo, but the locals never showed up. On the bright side, we got to help at a tree farm, that helps fight against deforestation, while in the village. Overall, I would definitely volunteer again through FIMRC, and I feel I bonded with our host family, my fellow volunteers, and everyone else along the way. Also, shoutout to Natalia for being amazing at running Project Huancayo.