EcuaExperience: Pre-Medical and Volunteer Programs

This experience had everything I was looking for in a volunteer trip! The ability to help out a community build houses for their families was such a rewarding experience, unlike any other I have had. Touring the country was another great experience. We had the opportunity to visit cities and towns all over the country including a night stay in the middle of the jungle. The third aspect of the trip was the medical rotations, which were unbelievable. Being able to view real life surgeries and visit patients with the medical tutors was a fantastic experience. Overall the entire trip was amazing. The staff really had your best interest in mind at all times and were extremely helpful and lots of fun!

This was such a great time. You get there and feel welcomed right away by the amazing staff. You never need to fear for your safety or feel like you aren't taken care of. The staff really work hard to give you as full and complete and experience as you can get. You feel like your experience really matters to them, they are not just in it to make a buck. You get to see some amazing views and have some incredible experiences. This program offers a pretty broad experience of the vast diversity in the country and the additional trips are well worth it. You get to spend time with amazing young people that are like-minded and driven and interested in the world and its welfare. The accommodations were often better than expected. I would recommend this to anyone.

HLD is an amazing program that I has impacted my life for the better. Not only did I meet some great people who have become lifelong friends but it also helped me decide on my future plans. The experience that I had with this organization will stay with me for the rest of my life and there was not a moment in the entire trip that I was not having so much fun!
I highly recommend this program to everyone who has even the slightest interest in medicine or volunteering abroad. It was a perfect mixture of learning, helping, and touring the country.

The day to day schedule for the volunteer portion consisted of early mornings where as a group we would all have breakfast together than while making our way to the site we were all given our tasks and put into our groups.
Our lunches were all provided for while we were at the work site.
The people that lived in the community were all amazing! And all helped us with the workload making it an unforgettable experience.

All in all, whether we were on the work sight , or out discovering the BEAUTIFUL!! Country...The memories I have with HLD are some of my best!!

Being someone who hasn't been a big volunteering kinda guy in the past prior to this program, I have to say it had to take one heck of a program for me to want to commit my time to it. HLD exceeded each and every one of my expectations and provided me with not one, but two trips of a lifetime! The pre-medical rotations were unforgettable, and being able to not only help raise money for the construction of the homes, but also be a part of the actual building of the homes was beyond rewarding. Not only that, I was able to meet amazing people on both trips and have a blast with them!
I would definitely recommend this experience to anyone and everyone!

It is hard to put into words this experience and how it has impacted me except that it met and surpassed my every expectation.

HLD is everything I was looking to accomplish in a summer!

1. Make a difference
2. Travel somewhere exotic and get my adventure on
3. Gain work experience

Juan, Jose, and the other leaders create an experience that is more than just a group of like-minded people sharing the vacation of a lifetime. They have create the atmosphere of a family with the goal of helping others and having a blast every step of the way.

The volunteer project stands out to me the most because it is personal and oh so rewarding as you work hard along side the families receiving the houses you're building together.

Thank you HLD for the ecuaexperience that I will carry with me for the rest of my life!

I first went to Ecuador with HLD in 2008 and it was truly a life changing experience. The opportunity to fundraise money in my hometown of Vancouver and take every cent of that money down to Ecuador to allocate towards a building project is something I will never forget. The sense of pride that comes from accomplishing such a goal is second to none. The best part is, it’s your goals, HLD provides the tools and direction but it is really the students who take it on and accomplish it. And that definitely makes a difference when you are over in Ecuador, working side-by-side with the families that will be receiving the homes.

As amazing as the volunteering experience was, HLD is so much more than that. I went in the pre-medical program, which meant I got to shadow doctors through different wards of hospitals in Ecuador. Not only did this allow me to directly talk to doctors and ask them about their profession but it also gave me a taste of the lifestyle. This was vital to my decisions making process when considering med-school.

HLD is the perfect balance of volunteering, learning and fun. In the tour around Ecuador you travel from the rainforest to the jungle to the mountains to the coast. You stay in some amazing locations and get to try out so awesome adventure sports. I also added an extra week trip to the Galapagos…a place like nowhere else in the world…my favourite travel destination I have ever been to.

As you can tell I can’t speak highly enough of HLD. Juan and Jose, the owners, are truly passionate about making a difference and they are there to make sure you have the best time possible. I made so many lasting friendships and wish I could go back every summer!

Where do you start a review when you have so many positive things to say?

I'll begin by sharing my initial thoughts on the program. Was it really offering medical rotations, volunteering abroad, and travel? Galapagos Islands?! Machu Picchu?! You've got to be kidding me. It sounded too good to be true. Well let me inform you... it was even better than it sounded. Little did I know how much of an impact the entirety of the trip would have on my life.

Throughout the hospital rotations, Ecuadorian Medical students were there to mentor us which was exciting, fun, insightful, and rewarding. The kindness that these students showed toward patients, doctors, each other, and us, was inspiring. They translated the Spanish for us and were constantly looking out for our well-being. I was amazed at the amount of things I saw throughout our rotations.

As for rural villages, everyone is aware of the poor conditions that some people live in. Maybe you've seen it on TV, or heard details. But nothing compares to seeing it with your own eyes. Nothing compares to connecting with families and playing with children who are constantly happy, yet being aware of their living conditions. Helping build these families better homes and giving them the opportunity to learn and grow is the best feeling I've ever felt. To work alongside these families and to experience their appreciation is beyond humbling. Out of the entire Ecuador trip, Pallatanga is the place I miss most.

There is something to be said for travelling with like-minded, kind-hearted people. The leaders and especially Jose and Juan made this trip beyond enjoyable. So many times I was brought out of comfort zone and from that I learned new things. There was never a dull moment. Jose and Juan always put the students first and were constantly ensuring everyone was happy and having fun. I had the opportunity of going to the Galapagos Islands where we swam with sea lions, turtles and penguins, as well as parasailing over the city of Lima, and hiking up to Machu Picchu and Wayna Picchu. I couldn't have asked for better company along the way. This trip wouldn't have been the same without the people in charge of it.